Page 151 of Wicked Serve

“Cool. How are things going with the new team?”

I pull out of the parking space, considering my answer. I don’t know him too well, but I have the sense that he wouldn’t ask if he didn’t want the truth. “It’s great, but exhausting.”

“Yeah, my rookie season was—sorry.” I smile as I hear a baby’s shriek. “Charlie has been so fussy lately. Daddy’s here, I’ve got you.”

“She must be so much bigger now.”

“Oh, wait until you see her. She can roll now, which has turned her into a little menace.” Charlie shrieks over the line again. “Sorry, chickpea, it’s just the truth. Anyway, my rookie season was rough, and I didn’t come into it a month before the playoffs.”

“Maybe we’ll get knocked out in the first round and I’ll wish I’d been at McKee for the Frozen Four win.”

“Pretty spectacular, huh?”

McKee’s victory came thanks to a last-second goal from Mickey, with an assist from Cooper, and yeah, it was fucking incredible. I watched it on television and FaceTimed everyone after, but it wasn’t the same.

“I’m proud of the guys,” I say, slowing the car at a red light. “But I’m assuming that’s not what you called to talk about.”

“No.” He pauses for a moment. “The wedding is soon.”

“Right.”

“Are we going to see you there?”

The thought of returning to New York kicks my heart into high gear. Of course I want to be there, but Isabelle told me to come back only once, the right way. I intend to honor that.

“I admire what you’re doing,” he adds. “I don’t know all the details, and I’m not asking for them, but I know the gist of it. My sister has always deserved someone like you. Someone with integrity.”

I clear my throat. “That means a lot.”

I didn’t need the distance to decide whether Isabelle is it for me, but I feel it even more deeply now. She’s the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night. I dream about her twice as often as I have nightmares. I’m sure she’s been busy with her own life, the wedding and school and volleyball—with limits and my mother’s continued support—but I hope that I cross her mind just as often.

“And I just want you to know that Bex and I want all our family, present and future, at our wedding.”

Months ago, I promised Isabelle I’d be her plus-one. I’ve made other promises since, weightier ones, but I haven’t forgotten it. I’ve kept an eye on the potential playoff schedule.

I wonder which bridesmaid dress she settled on.

I wonder what she’d look like in white.

“You’re future family, right?” James says.

Before Isabelle, I’d have said I had no plans to get married. Watching my parents’ marriage crash and burn was more than enough. I didn’t need to experience it myself, especially when I didn’t trust myself not to fall into the same traps.

One day, though, I’d like Isabelle to wear my ring. One day, I want to be the one standing at the end of the aisle, watching her walk to me. Dr. Reyes has encouraged me to think that far ahead, even if they’re just daydreams. The more often I think about it, the more possible it feels.

“Yeah.” I busy myself with switching lanes. “I mean, if she’ll have me.”

“She misses you. She says she’s fine, but I know it’s eating her up.”

I wince, even though he can’t see me. “Me too.”

He hums thoughtfully. Charlie whines, getting fussy again. He whispers something to her, too quiet for me to catch.

Maybe one day, Isabelle and I will even discuss children.

“Whatever you need to do, keep doing it. But Nik—we’ll save a spot in the wedding party for you.”

Chapter 72

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