Page 7 of Playboy

Rounding out the trio of women dating or married to a Langfield—the owners of both the local hockey team and baseball team—is Millie. While she’s the youngest of all of us, she’s a mom to a one-and-a-half-year-old and married to Gavin Langfield, her dad’s best friend and not only the Bolts’ owner but also their coach.

But my actual best friend would be Ava. Though she’s the quietest, most demure of the group—and my total opposite—the two of us just work. She’s also in a relationship with a hockey player, Tyler Warren, a reformed playboy who’s now a father of three non-biological children.

I’m going to miss all four of them while I’m gone.

“Can’t wait to meet your friends,” Noah says.

“They’re all dating or married to men on your team, so you’ll definitely get to know them soon enough.”

“And yet you’re still single,” he teases.

“You know me—anti-commitment right here.”

Noah laughs, the sound reminiscent of the boy I was so close to during my high school days. “So you always say. All right, I’ll let you go. I have to call War anyway. He’s been blowing up my phone since the news dropped.”

I smile. War likes to hide behind the tattoos and the bad-boy exterior, but he’s a complete softie for Ava and their kids. “I’m sure he’s ready to get the gang back together.”

“Yeah, we’ll see how I fit in with the team.”

My chest pinches. “You’ll fit in perfectly. The guys are all great. Seriously. I spend more time with them than the baseballguys, which means you’ll get to spend even more time with me.” I fall onto my bed and stare up at the ceiling.

“We both know you’re my favorite part of this move, so that works for me.”

His words leave me feeling warm. Not many people have made it past my defenses, but Noah Harrison wormed his way into my heart years ago and never left. And now I get him and Oliver. It’ll be a change, living with them, but it’s one I’m excited about.

“I can’t believeyou’re headed to Florida while the rest of us are stuck in this miserable weather.” Lennox holds up her rosé, which is almost the exact shade of her pink shoulder-length hair, and tips it toward me. “But cheers to you anyway. I hope you meet a sexy pool boy who services all your needs.”

It’s been too long since anyone has serviced anything, but I tip my glass in her direction to the laughter of all my friends. We’re seated in a booth in the corner of my favorite restaurant—one perk of being besties with the Langfield girls? They can get a reservation anywhere at any time because of who they’re married to. Though it’s nice, I’d prefer it if my own name garnered that kind of service.

One day. It’s what I tell myself constantly. One day I won’t spend all my time cleaning up the messes of others. I’ll be a well-known author, and people will bend over backward to please me.

“Eh, you know how the guys are. Especially Jasper freaking Quinn. I’ll probably be on babysitting duty the entire time.”

“After the nun thing, he’ll surely be on his best behavior,” Ava says.

Oh my sweet, innocent Ava. She only ever sees the best in people.

“You should all come when the guys play Tampa. We can make it a girls’ weekend.”

Millie nods. “I’m in. Gavin will take any excuse he can get to bring Viv and me along with him when he travels with the team.”

“Obviously I’ll be there,” Sara adds.

I glance toward my redheaded bestie. “What about you?”

Ava winces. “I’m not ready to leave Josie, Scarlett, and Bray yet. Arizona will be hard enough.”

As disappointed as I am that I won’t get to see her, I don’t give her shit. She’s still adjusting to being the mother of three. “That’s okay. Arizona is going to be a blast. Three days, a hot tub overlooking the mountains, and time with all my favorite people? I couldn’t ask for more.”

“Speaking of your favorite people,” Sara says with a wiggle of her shoulders. “Guess what Daniel Hall did today?”

Millie groans. “Oh god, do I even want to know?”

Poor Millie. While I have quite a few stepbrothers from my mother’s many marriages, details about their sex lives don’t bother me. Probably because I only ever spent a couple of years living under the same roof. We aren’t nearly as close as she is to her brothers.

Millie, along with the rest of America, had to watch her older brother cheat on the woman who is now her stepmom. When Lake—yes, Lake Paige, international pop star and my idol—found out Paul was cheating on her, rather than fall apart, she slept with his dad. And then became Paul’s stepmom. That’s boss-bitch level shit.

Daniel, Millie’s twin, is literally the biggest player on the Bolts’ roster. That’s saying something, because those guys get around.

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