Page 15 of Hockey Wife

It’s all she’s ever wanted.

So Grandma Connie was pleased that her only grandson had finally tied the knot. That didn’t mean he had to stay hitched.

He refocused on Delaney. “Tell me what I need to do.”

April called first. He was tempted not to answer but he’d have to listen to her whining for months, so it was just better all-around to get it over with.

“Make it quick. I have practice in ten.”

“Hold on, I’m getting Sandy and Kel in on this, too.”

Approximately twenty-three seconds later, Sandy was screeching. “I want to know everything!”

“As you can probably guess, this was not intentional.”

Kelly chuckled. “How drunk do you have to be to get married in Vegas these days? I’d never have thought you capable of being so clichéd.”

“That’s me. A walking cliché.” He cleared his throat which was the signal to his sisters to quit and be serious. Not that it ever worked but he lived in constant hope. “I can’t believe you told Gran.”

“Uh, she told us,” April said. “She’s got a Google alert on your name, dummy.”

“Right, but it was months ago. I don’t even know how it got out.” Though he had an idea. Very soon, he’d be wrapping his fingers around the thick neck of O’Malley or Grey. Probably both. “I thought it was fixed, but apparently there was a paperwork snafu.”

“A paperwork snafu?” April blurted, voicing the disbelief Banks felt right now. He was not the kind of guy who fell victim to a “paperwork snafu.” He pored over the small print of his contracts. He monitored his 401(k) quarterly and made the appropriate changes if his equities allocation tipped above 60%. He didn’t get married to trust fund party girls or screw up the legal documentation that severed their connection.

“Did someone forget to file something?” Kelly was being kind, trying to give him an out.

“Never mind that,” Sandy cut in. “What’s she like?”

Annoying, chipper, his complete opposite. “She’s a socialite.”

“I’ve seen pictures of her online.” That clicking sound was April on her laptop. “She’s gorgeous.”

“She’s like that, only … concentrated.”

“Like frozen OJ?” Kelly laughed. “What does that even mean?”

“She’s a party girl.” But not that night. Sure, they’d had a few drinks, but he was sober enough when he slipped that ring on her finger and said “I do.”

The lead up, however? Georgia on the dance floor of some club, and it was fucking murder. Just watching her shimmy and let loose, with the eyes of every asshole on her, he’d felt positively possessive. He barely knew her, but he knew that much.

Mine.

Two months later and in the cold light of day, he couldn’t believe thoughts like that had even entered his mind, never mind dug their claws in deep enough to take him to the marriage license bureau and the chapel. He was not an impulsive person.

What kind of witchery did this woman possess that made him go off the rails like that?

“So when do we meet her?” April’s voice held a note of amusement.

“Never. I’m getting a lawyer on it.”

“That’s not fair,” Sandy whined. “We haven’t had a chance to make a determination.”

Jesus.

“How did she manage to pin you down, D?” Kelly’s tone was curious. “You must have seen something in her to get that far and she clearly saw something in you, though that’s not hard. You’re amazing. You can’t ignore that kind of connection.”

Kelly was a bit woo-woo when it came to this kind of thing. Fate, destiny, kismet—she believed in all that crap. He was surprised they weren’t giving him a harder time. They had hated Stacy.

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