Page 159 of The Forever Play

“Lalu, Mommy.”

Kissing her forehead, I slip in the back next to her, needing to hold her little hand the entire way home. Zander grins at me in the rearview mirror. As soon as he catches my eye, I get the pleasure of his sexy little wink, and my flailing insides simmer down with a soft sigh.

It’s over.

Zoey’s safe, and finally she can grow up with the father she was meant to have all along.

CHAPTER 61

ZANDER

The house is in chaos. You’d think we were throwing a major party with the amount of noise in here, but I guess that’s what happens when your woman insists that we invite the entire crew from Hockey House over as a thank-you for helping us get Zoey back.

It’s kind of a miracle that they were all free. Even Lani walked through the door with a determined look on her face. I patted her arm, a silent show of support as her eyes darted down the hallway and then quickly shifted to Asher.

“We can bail if you need to, Boo.”

“No, I’m okay.” She nodded, pulling in a breath. “I'm not going to let him touch me anymore. Even metaphorically.”

“Never again,” Asher promised her, and I sent her a silent promise of my own.

The fact that she got raped in this house during one of our parties still makes me see red. I fought sleepless nights for weeks after I found out, but my angst fadedover the summer, and when the school year started, I made the guys promise that we wouldn’t slip up like that again. Any parties we throw this year are going to be invite-only.

We’ve actually been so busy this season, we haven’t even had the time or energy to organize a party.

Until today.

As soon as Wily got in touch with Ethan, he made sure everyone could make it. So here we are at Football Frat, drinking beers, waiting for the meat to finish cooking on the grill, and watching a four-year-old Kai chase after my screaming two-year-old.

“They are so adorable.” A short Asian woman whose name I keep forgetting laughs with Sienna as she watches her son leap around the couch and roar like a lion.

Zoey lets out another gleeful scream and takes off running, using Wily’s legs like tree trunks and hiding behind one of them before darting between them and shooting past Casey. He’s taken over the biggest beanbag and is sitting on it with his redheaded girlfriend whose name I can’t remember either.

Shit, we need fucking name tags in this place.

I know all the guys, but I’m struggling to remember the girls. I think that’s Mikayla—or is it Michelle?—talking to Teah. They both look kind of nervous for some reason. Grady’s standing nearby, his arm around Teah’s waist, and Rachel is on the other side of Mikayla, looking kind of protective. I have no idea what that’s about, but at least I remember her name, right?

I only know it because she used to work at Eat Your Faves diner, and they serve the best milkshakes in Nolan. She wore a name tag, and I’d say hi and smile at herevery time she served me. See? Name tags, people. They fucking work.

“Oh, you wanna bet?” Mikayla’s head jolts back, her voice rising by a few decibels as she looks up at her boyfriend.

He gives her an incredulous frown. “I’m smart enough to never make a bet with you, lil’ mouse. I don’t want to end up getting my left nut tattooed because I can’t win whatever ridiculousness you’re about to throw at me.”

She snorts and starts laughing, tipping her head back before leaning against him and patting his stomach. “A tattoo on your left nut. That’s funny. What would you even get down there?”

“Dude! Nothing! You don’t put needles near the love cannon and ammunition, are you crazy?” Casey calls from the beanbag. “What’s this bet anyway?”

Teah giggles. “Ethan doesn’t think Mikayla can handle the Sig Be party I’m inviting everyone to without getting completely wasted.”

Rachel grins. “And now we’re just waiting to hear if Mick has a counter bet for her man.”

“How about we just hold all bets and get through one meal together without anybody losing anything?” Lani raises her glass. “To acting like normal human beings when we’re guests in someone else’s home.”

“Are we even capable of that?” Mick raises her glass with a dubious frown.

Ethan laughs while Casey yells, “Puck yeah, we are!”

Everyone cheers and takes a drink except Mikayla, who bulges her eyes and mutters, “Just proving my point here, guys. Nobody normal says, ‘puck yeah.’”

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