Page 134 of Puck Princess

She kicked off her heels and is barefoot. Her hair is curled and she’s wearing a sage green sun dress that looks great against her dark hair. It’s not that I’m looking, but I know for a fact that Lanceis. His preoccupation with watching Kennedy’s every move is the culprit of his failed attempt to blow up and tie off balloons.

“Though it would be nice if you moved a little faster,” she bristles.

“Why don’t you blow up balloons and I’ll hang the streamers?” Lance bites back.

“Because you’re full of more hot air than I am.” she shrugs a shoulder and shoots him a cute yet lethal smile.

I shake my head as I reach for another balloon. In terms of work, this is the first job I’ve had in over a week.

Ever since the Spencer scandal went up in flames—we can thank Kennedy for that—Coach felt it was best that I steer clear of the arena too. He called it “a professional precaution and safety measure.” I call it “paid leave and the first vacation I’ve had from hockey in years.”

It also means I have time to help Kennedy throw a baby shower for Callie. Not that it’s how I would’ve chosen to spend this weekend. My first thought was to bar the apartment door against my sister and Callie’s cousin and keep her in our bed all weekend long.

But before I could do that, Kennedy burst in, armed with a Pinterest board and a dream. I enlisted Lance with free beer because there was no way I could handle party prep alone. But before I could even mention the free beer, Lance heard Kennedy would be there and grabbed his keys.

“You have the envelope right?” I ask in between breaths. I’m getting a little light headed with all this huffing and puffing. I’m regretting not hunting down a helium tank.

“What envelope?” Lance asks.

“The doctor wrote the baby’s gender in an envelope. We’re going to open it during the party.”

“Obviously, I have it.” Kennedy slaps her ass. It takes me a second to realize she was actually tapping her hip, where her sundress has built-in pockets.

Lance’s eyes pop, and he loses another balloon. This one does a loop-de-loop and splats on his nose.

“Have you even tied off one balloon yet, Craven?” she snaps.

“Maybe if you stopped screaming at me, I could.”

“Maybe if you stopped staring at her ass, you could,” I whisper. He shoves me, making the balloon in my hands pop, too.

“Seriously, you guys, the arch is going to look stupid if there’s an uneven number of ba—” Kennedy turns on the step stool, but she loses her footing. Her eyes go wide as she falls sideways. But just before she can crash to the ground, Lance jumps up and catches her in midair.

Kennedy stares up a Lance, who is taking full advantage of his position over her to gaze down the low neckline of her dress.

“Oh my God! This is beautiful!” Callie’s voice cuts through the tension. She has both hands over her mouth, but I can tell by the twinkle in her eyes that she’s smiling. She turns in a circle, her coral and yellow dress spinning with her. I think I’m in love with a Disney Princess. I’m waiting for cartoon birds to tie her hair back into a messy bun.

Then Callie stops, her eyes narrowed at Kennedy… who is still being cradled by Lance.

“Surprise!” Kennedy sounds. Then her face scrunches, and she smacks Lance on the chest. “Put me down.”

“You’re welcome,” he mutters. As he’s lowering her, he fake drops her, making her yelp.

She slaps him again. “You’re such a dick!”

I ignore them, walking over to Callie. She looks like a kid in an ice cream shop. Her eyes don’t know where to land. “This is amazing. I can’t believe you did this.”

“Are you happy?” I ask.

She fists the collar of my shirt and pulls me down for a kiss. “Immeasurably.”

“I did most of it,” Lance boasts, which makes Kennedy slap him yet again.

“But I did the cake pops!” Summer waltzes through the back door, depositing Nicky into my arms so she can hug Callie.”

“And the food is all yours truly.” Coach appears behind her, spatula in hand. “I got brisket in the smoker. There’s also potatoes and salads and all kinds of good stuff.”

“Y’all are going to make me cry.” Callie smiles, completely beside herself.

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