Making His Play: Sister's Best Friend Hockey Romance

by Mari Carr

  Hell, he’d even spontaneously eloped in Vegas with her.

  He’d nailed it all.

  Truth was…apart from the commitment issues and the lack of dog…Alex was the perfect guy.

  Wow.

  And she seriously thought she couldn’t feel worse.

  All she’d had to do was keep the love word out of their conversations. It should have been so damn simple.

  Then she would have…

  Would have been in exactly this same boat, only a week from now instead of today.

  Brokenhearted.

  Alone.

  The only—biggest—difference was if she’d kept her mouth shut, Alex would never have known about the misery he was about to leave in his wake.

  Now, she felt very much like the pity date he took to the wedding. Only more pathetic.

  And she hadn’t just ruined the temporary relationship. She’d most likely destroyed the friendship too.

  “He goes back to Baltimore tomorrow. Just grin and bear it tonight and I promise, tomorrow I’ll come armed with Ben and Jerry’s and Chardonnay.” Bella stood, then offered her a hand. “Dinner is ready.”

  Charley didn’t mention to Bella that up until ten minutes ago, she’d been planning to travel to Baltimore with Alex.

  So much for that extra week of sex, hockey, and champagne.

  Josh and Alex finished loading the cooler, then he sat next to her. Being surrounded by their families helped alleviate the awkwardness of what had just happened.

  Alex acted normal—on the surface—but she was convinced now that she wasn’t imagining his uneasiness. It almost felt like he was starting to treat her with kid gloves.

  No doubt he was trying to figure out how to un-invite her to Baltimore.

  Miraculously, the entire situation resolved itself when her publisher called to ask if she’d be willing to travel to Milwaukee to do a last-minute appearance.

  She hastily agreed, delighted to be able to provide an out for Alex, since she wasn’t sure if he’d maintain the current plan, grinning and bearing it, or if he’d come up with some lame excuse to cancel, even though both of them would know the truth.

  “Bad news,” she said after she hung up. “I’m going to have to postpone my trip to Baltimore. Another one of the children’s book authors with my publisher had to cancel an appearance at a librarians’ conference this weekend due to health concerns. My publisher asked me to fill in.”

  “You couldn’t say no?” Alex asked.

  Charley wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

  Of course, she could have.

  She thought Alex would be relieved, but instead he looked…angry?

  Disappointed?

  “This is my job,” she said, trying to find a way to explain that he could relate to. “This is a state-wide conference. Hundreds of librarians. It’s a big opportunity for me to get Tomboy Tess in libraries all over the state.”

  Alex’s expression softened. “Yeah. You’re right. So how long is the conference?”

  “I fly out tomorrow and I’ll get back here Monday morning. I know you already bought my ticket to Baltimore, but don’t worry. I’ll reimburse you for the fa—”

  “Reimburse me? I can get the ticket changed. I’m afraid I still have to fly home tomorrow—got an interview with ESPN scheduled Sunday morning. You can just follow me next week when you get back.”

  “But—”

  “I still need a date for the exhibition game and the party.”

  Damn.

  Alex really was the perfect guy.

  Even though this affair was coming to a screeching halt, he was still taking her to the party.

  Maybe the friendship wouldn’t be lost after all.

  “That would be great,” she said. “I really was looking forward to meeting some of the players on your team.”

  Alex chuckled. He was amused by her serious fan-girl status when it came to his team. “Of course you were.”

  “And we still have to sign and file the paperwork for,” she lowered her voice so no one could hear, “the annulment.”

  Alex nodded. She’d expected to see some sort of relief on his face, but the frown was back.

  Was he angry with her for ruining their fun times by professing her love?

  The rest of the night only got worse. Alex bailed on the flag football rematch, claiming he had to be up early for his flight home.

  He’d said a long goodbye to his family, hugging and promising he’d try to squeeze in another trip before the holidays.

  They didn’t talk much on the drive home, the awkwardness between them growing with each silent minute that passed.

  Charley wracked her brain for something to say, but nothing came. She felt stupid, sad, and depressed.

  She thought she should find some way to brush off her comment, but bringing it up again felt dumber than the fact that she’d said it in the first place.

  They stood next to each other at the bathroom sink, just as they had every night this week, and brushed their teeth. She was used to Alex smiling more, but tonight, he looked too serious, too pensive.

  Her heart was racing when they climbed into bed.

  Typically, they both slept naked and tangled up in each other’s arms, but tonight she pulled on a T-shirt, and she noticed he kept his boxers on.

  He rolled toward her, and even though the room was dark, the streetlights outside made it possible for her to see his face.

  She thought for a second he was going to say something, but in the end, he just gave her one of his affable, easygoing Alex smiles, kissed her—way too platonically—and said good night.

  Then he turned over and went to sleep.

  Something that completely eluded her until the alarm on his phone sounded the same time dawn erupted.

  It seemed like he was gone minutes after waking. His bag packed and loaded in the Uber.

  He kissed her goodbye—this one longer, but still lacking the passion she’d grown so accustomed to.

  “See you in a few days,” he said as he climbed into the back of the car.

  Charley nodded and waved, certain she would never make that trip to Baltimore.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Damn. You’ve been a barrel of laughs tonight.”

  Alex glanced across the table at Colm Collins, his lawyer and friend, and sighed.

  Colm was right. A corpse would be more fun than him right now.

  Alex had gotten back to Baltimore Saturday, done the ESPN interview yesterday morning, then stewed ever since. This afternoon, he’d had enough of his own company, and he’d called Colm to see if his friend was free for dinner. Colm had swung by after work to pick him up and the two of them had ordered crab cakes at Sunday’s Side, the restaurant attached to the pub Colm’s family owned. The idea of spending another night alone in his empty house had been too miserable for Alex to consider.

  Charley was supposed to be there, and while he understood her commitment to her career, the selfish part of him was pissed she’d chosen a bunch of librarians over him.

  And if that was all that had gone wrong between them, he wouldn’t be stuck in this unshakable, black mood.

  But the truth was…her job had nothing to do with this distance between them. Charley had driven that point home a few hours earlier when she texted to say she wasn’t going to make it until the weekend.

  She was stalling, avoiding him.

  “I need to talk to you about something.”

  Colm frowned, concern in his eyes. “Shit, man. What’s wrong? You’ve been quiet ever since we sat down. I thought you were still brooding over the loss, on missing out on the Stanley Cup Finals. But…it’s something else, isn’t it?”

  Alex snorted, realizing he hadn’t felt bad about that last game of the playoffs since the night of the wedding.

  Charley had erased that depression within minutes.

  “I’ve forgotten about the game.”

  Colm’s eyes widened. “No way. Now I’m really sta
rting to worry.”

  “You know I traveled to Vegas for my friend’s wedding,” I started.

  Colm nodded.

  “I eloped.”

  Colm closed his eyes and shook his head. “Fuck. Are you serious right now? How many goddamn times have I told you not to take one step inside a wedding chapel without a prenup. How bad is it?” Then he blanched. “Jesus. Tell me you didn’t marry a stripper. Or a hooker.”

  Alex scowled. “Give me some credit, asshole. Of course not. I married Charley.”

  Colm didn’t move for a full minute, and he was confused by his friend’s sudden silence until he said, “A man?”

  Despite his misery, Alex laughed. “No. Not a man. Charley is a nickname for Charlotte. She’s been my kid sister’s best friend since birth.”

  Colm leaned back and blew out a long, relieved breath. “Thank God. I mean…not that there’s anything wrong with you marrying a guy, a couple of my uncles and cousins have. It’s just…I started thinking I was the worst friend in history not to, well, know which way you were swinging. I can usually tell.”

  Alex rolled his eyes. “Your friend status is fine. Her name is Charley Matthews and I—”

  “Wait. You married the author of Tomboy Tess?”

  “How the hell do you know about those books?” Alex asked, shocked.

  “My cousin Lochlan’s adopted daughters are crazy about them. I got them the whole series for Christmas this year. Hey, do you think Charley would sign them for Jenny and Chloe?”

  “I’m sure she—” Alex stopped abruptly, annoyed. “I take it back. You’re a shitty friend. Can we talk about my problem right now, then schedule your author signing?”

  Colm grinned. “Damn. You really are out of sorts. Fine. Take it easy. Let the lawyer sort this out. Here’s the deal. There are two types of marriages. A void one and a voidable one. Void means the marriage was never valid to begin with. I assume you had a marriage license?”

  Alex had brought it with him because he knew he needed Colm’s advice on what to do next. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket and handed it to his lawyer.

  Colm studied it. “This is legit. So…it’s a valid marriage. Were either of you under duress when you said I do?”

  Alex shook his head, then gave him a sheepish grin. “Does drunk count?”

  “Actually it does. Falls under the heading of temporary lack of capacity, and we could use that as grounds for filing for an annulment, but we’re going to have to move fast though. How difficult is Charley going to make this?”

  “Difficult?” Alex asked.

  “Is she as anxious to get out of the marriage as you, or are we going to have to come up with some sort of settlement to buy her off?”

  Alex frowned, Colm’s comment pissing him off. “Charley isn’t like that. She’s not a gold digger.”

  His response came out too heated, too angry.

  Colm leaned back in his chair, studying Alex’s face too closely for his comfort.

  The silence at the table lingered until Colm suddenly sat up. “Wait a minute. Do you want an annulment?”

  Alex shook his head.

  Not a second’s hesitation.

  He’d avoided the subject of dissolving their marriage with Charley as much as possible last week because, with each passing day, it only became clearer that they were good together.

  No.

  Better than that.

  They were perfect.

  Or they had been.

  Until she’d said those three little words.

  Alex couldn’t begin to count the number of women who’d told him they loved him in the past. And he was pretty sure none of them had meant it, the words driven either by sexual lust or a lust for his money and fame.

  Charley had meant them.

  And…dammit…he loved her too.

  All of those thoughts had drifted through his head as they lay there in the grass in his parents’ backyard.

  But before he could admit his feelings to her, there’d been that goddamned knee-jerk reaction. The Alex Stone stone wall that popped up in the face of any sort of real emotion made an appearance, and before he could tear it back down, Charley had seen it.

  And before he could backtrack, before he could confess he felt the same way, Bella had shown up.

  After that, he hadn’t found a way to get them back to that moment. They’d been surrounded by their families and then, back at her apartment, it hadn’t felt right.

  If he’d said I love you to her then, she wouldn’t have believed him. She would have assumed he was saying it just to ease the tension between them.

  Or worse, she would have put it in the same category she’d put their date to the wedding—assuming his words and actions were born of pity.

  Which was ridiculous.

  “I’m in love with her.”

  The second the words were out, it felt as if someone had popped a balloon. All the air flew from his lungs, his chest burned, his heart raced, his stomach ached.

  “Fuck,” Alex muttered. “Is love supposed to make you feel like shit? I feel like I’m dying here, man.”

  Colm smiled and patted his arm. “Yep. That’s how you know it’s the real deal. Kelli took me down hard and I’m not even trying to get up anymore.”

  Alex grimaced, even though he was happy his friend had found true love with a woman he’d sworn for years was his arch nemesis.

  “That’s not helpful,” Alex muttered.

  “Tough,” Colm said. “You’re on my shit list right now. First, you ignored all my good advice about prenups, and secondly, I’ve never even heard of this Charley, the woman who did the impossible and brought Alex ‘I’m never fucking getting married’ Stone to his knees. It’s clear you’ve known her forever.”

  “I’ve told you about her. She was the tomboy on my hockey team, growing up.”

  Colm’s mouth actually fell open. “The one who gave you a fat lip before homecoming? The one you called a brute?”

  Before Alex could reply, Colm fell apart, laughing his ass off.

  Alex was torn between punching him and cracking up himself.

  No one was more shocked than him that he’d fallen hard for Charley.

  It took Colm a few minutes to get himself under control.

  “You finished?” Alex asked as the guffaws started to die down.

  Colm nodded. “Yeah. But damn.”

  “Good. Because I screwed up and I need help.”

  “You got it.”

  They spent the next hour figuring out his next move.

  Getting Charley to Baltimore and the game was step one.

  Then it would be time to start executing the rest of the plan.

  He was going to call in every favor ever owed to him.

  And then, he was going to pray.

  “I’ll get the car and meet you out front. You settle up the tab,” Colm said. “My retainer fee for this is tonight’s dinner.”

  “Deal.”

  Alex paid the bill, then headed outside.

  “Remember me?”

  He turned at the sound of the female voice, a beautiful blonde stepping close and slipping her arm through his.

  She looked vaguely familiar.

  Then the light went on.

  The barracuda.

  Alex tried to extract his arm casually, but the woman had a strong grip.

  “I was just heading out,” he said coolly, hoping she’d get the picture. He didn’t want to have to manhandle her hand off him, but he would.

  “Hey, Alex!” someone called out.

  Alex glanced over as several cameras flashed.

  He hated paparazzi. He shook off the woman’s arm before the hounds could descend.

  Mercifully, Colm pulled up just at that moment. Alex climbed in, anxious to escape.

  “Gun it,” he said to Colm.

  He glanced back briefly to check on the barracuda. She was talking to the photographer.

  Shit.

  Charley closed the refr
igerator door after grabbing a PBR. It had been three days since she’d texted Alex to say she wouldn’t make it to Baltimore until the weekend, and with each passing day, her anxiety had only grown.

  Time apart had given her way too much time to think.

  Actually, thinking was too mild a word. What she’d been engaging in was one long, never-ending panic attack, plain and simple.

  She had played the fool twice in two weeks—once with Ben and then again with Alex. Her pride and her heart were beaten, battered beyond all recognition, and she was done.

  She had gone to the librarian’s conference and managed, thanks to the hectic schedule, to put Alex out of her mind.

  Well, sort of out of her mind.

  Okay, so basically, he’d been placed on simmer, always there but contained.

  Her ability to forget about how stupid she’d been ended three seconds after she’d gotten home on Monday and, in a state of panic, she had taken the coward’s way out and texted him, telling him she couldn’t make it until the weekend.

  One night she could handle with him—maybe.

  Six days?

  Nope.

  No way.

  Now it was Thursday. The clock was ticking, and her heart was in no better shape.

  She took a swig of the beer and then looked around her kitchen. It had been cleaned to within an inch of its life. Same for the rest of the apartment.

  Whenever she was stressed out, she cleaned. Bella had taken one look around last night when she’d stopped by to check on her and suggested Charley bring her stress-ridden clean freak over to her place for a few hours.

  She’d laughed last night, but now, Charley was out of stuff to clean and sort of considering it.

  Her eyes landed on the fridge and she smiled. That could use a scrub.

  She’d just pulled out the Formula 409 when there was a knock at the door. She glanced at the clock. It was just after five. Bella must’ve knocked off work early today.

  True to her word, her best friend had been right by her side since her return on Monday, listening as she talked way too much about Alex and the one glorious week they’d spent together.