Page 16 of Six Wishes

“Van,” Brooke calls from behind me. “You were amazing! Thank you for playing with us today!” She looks like she wants to give me a hug, but my hands are full at the moment since Chloe is not showing any signs that she’s climbing down from my arms anytime soon.

“Hey,” I put a fist out and we bump. “Look at you, Badass Brooke, that’s what I’m gonna call you from now on!”

She gives me what seems to be her signature bright smile when I see Ridge Montgomery approaching us. The baby is still strapped to his chest, a hat on his little head seeming to keep the sun off his face.

“Ridge, you met Van Boyd before,” Brooke gushes and pulls Ridge closer to where I’m standing with Chloe in my arms. “And this is our son,” she walks over and gently kisses the baby’s head, “His name is Levi.”

“Hey, man,” Ridge gives me a quick nod, “great game.” I then see him eyeballing Chloe who’s made herself more comfortable by tucking her face into my neck. “Whatcha doing there, Chlo? Get off him now,” he tells his cousin in an amused tone. “Children are present. I heard Emmy asking Jackson if that’s how people celebrate when they win at volleyball.”

“Emmy’s here?” Chloe instantly drops her legs from around me, and my arms feel instantly empty when she takes a step back from me.

“Yeah, everybody’s here. Your mom too,” he gives her a funny look. “And she’ll have questions now.”

“Ridge,” Chloe starts whining, “help me…”

“No can do, Chlo. I have a kid now, you know,” he places a kiss on the sleeping baby’s head. “I have to be responsible now.”

I am just about to get in on the Teasing Chloe team when I am surrounded by a bunch of screaming women. I got phones thrust in my face, and everywhere I look, I see fake tits and fake tans.

“Okay, ladies,” I try to bring some order to the chaos. “Everyone who wants a picture taken, I need a single file line here. If you want me to sign something, you gotta have it ready to go. As you can see,” I pat at my bare chest, then down to my shorts, “I got nothing on me.” Everyone laughs and they do as they’re told.

I take selfie after selfie with puck bunny after puck bunny. The routine is broken once in a while when a little kid waits his turn with a parent, patiently waiting on the so-called adults to get it together.

“Van, where’s your girlfriend?” My face hurts at this point from all the fake smiling I’ve been doing.

“She is…” I turn in a big circle and notice that Chloe is sitting on the snack table under the umbrella, waiting for me patiently. She gives me a wave and blows me a kiss. “Right there!” I point toward her, then take the obligatory selfie.

By the time I am done with all that, I feel more tired than I do after a hockey game. I notice that most people have already left, but Chloe is still waiting for me with a smirk on her face. The fact that she is not insecure at all about all these women flocking my way is so sexy to me. Her confidence is sexy, and it’s definitely grabbed my attention.

“Ready to go?” I put my hand out to help her off the table. I notice that she covered her ass with the booty shorts that somehow seem to be even more enticing than the bikini bottoms she had on earlier, and the zip-up hoodie from this morning is back on.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

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