Page 135 of The Love You Win

“I got to tell my friends that I witnessed your first date.” She snickers. “Who would have thought it would lead here?”

“Yeah.” Maddox squeezes my hand. “I was a dick that night, that’s for sure.”

“Well, I’m glad to see it didn’t get in the way of true love.” She gives us both a broad smile as we make it to the massive table full of the people who’ve become like family. “Please let me know if you need anything.” She starts to walk away before pausing. She hesitates for just a moment before saying, “Do you think I could get a photo with you two? Is that weird? I just feel like a fangirl after everything.”

I laugh. It’s still completely bizarre that anyone would ask for a photo with me, but it happens occasionally. With Kacey, it’s a no-brainer. She was so sweet that day. “Of course.”

We take a quick photo with just the three of us, then Maddox ropes all of his teammates into taking a photo with the star-struck hostess. She nearly floats away from our table.

Maddox and I exchange hugs and greetings with everyone before settling down in our seats. The table is raucous and full of laughter. I grin when I spot Nev flirting with Sebastian, who smiles politely at her, but it’s obvious she’s not going to snag the goalie. His heart is elsewhere. I can tell. I just don’t know who holds it. Jess tries to flirt with Griffin, but he’s too busy joking around with Mira and making her cackle loudly. When it’s clear Jess isn’t going to get anywhere with Wright, she turns her attention to Logan.

It’s chaotic and wild. It’s perfect.

A voice greets us right as my stomach rumbles.

“Good evening and welcome to Rêveur. My name is?—”

“Alex?” Jessica’s incredulous voice cuts through the din, and my head whips up.

Alex? As in my ex-fiancé, Alex?

“Jess?” Alex’s blue eyes are full of shock as he stares at my best friend. Then his gaze shifts as he takes in Nevaeh and the table full of hockey players. His face pales when he sees Griffin before his eyes land on me. And Maddox’s arm around my shoulders. His voice comes out in a croak. “Isla?”

I’m gaping like a fish. I know I am. But I mean, what the hell? What is Alex doing here, waiting tables? The last I heard, he’d gotten that prestigious position at the law firm he’d been grasping at. “Alex? What… What are you doing here?”

“I—” His face blanches even further before a furious blush overtakes his face. He opens his mouth, shuts it, then opens it again. Then, he turns on his heels and sprints out of the dining room.

Silence stretches over the table until Sebastian turns to Nev and says, “Wait, was that Isla’s ex?”

Nevaeh nods.

The table is silent for a few beats, then everyone’s talking over each other.

I turn to Maddox, my eyebrows hitting my hairline. “What just happened?”

“I have no idea.” His nose scrunches. “I thought he was a lawyer.”

“Me too,” I say.

Kacey, noticing the commotion, comes back over to our table. “What happened? Is everything okay?”

“Um, we’re fine, but I think we’re going to need a different server.”

Kacey frowns, her attention swinging to the doors leading into the kitchen. “What happened to Alex?”

“He’s probably massaging his bruised ego in the bathroom,” Griffin offers.

Our hostess waits for an explanation. Griffin grins.

“You know. Because he’s Isla’s asshole ex-fiancé, and the last thing any of us knew, he was claiming to be some hot-shot lawyer.”

“No way,” Kacey says, her eyes going wide. She turns to me. “That guy’s your ex?”

I nod.

“I hate that guy!”

The whole table laughs at her frank statement, and Mira leans forward. “Do you know what happened?”

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