Page 56 of As You Ice It

We’re all standing around the dining table, whose chairs have been pulled back, allowing access to the table crowded with food. The s'mores brownies, buffalo dip, and various appetizers from the barbecue place have now been joined by cookies, chips and salsa, plus more dips and snacks than we could eat in a week, a few bottles of wine, and some fancy cans of seltzer water.

“You already know Greyson,” Parker says. Grey, with a mouth full of brownie already, waves.

“These are amazing,” she says, chocolate on her front teeth.

“I cut them!” Liam calls from somewhere much closer than his room.

I sigh. “Might as well come out and do introductions, kid. Since you're eavesdropping.”

“I ain’t dropping no eaves,” Liam says in a terrible British accent as he walks cautiously into the dining room.

“That’s fromLord of the Rings!” one of the women says excitedly. Her hair is a few shades darker brown than mine and a lot longer, though she has it pulled back in a loose braid like me.

Liam grins. “It’s my favorite book and my favorite movie. Well, favorite set of trilogies, if we’re being technical.”

Personally, I’ve only watched the movies because Liam made me. While I can recognize their greatness—especially any parts including Aragorn—I fell asleep in all three.

It’s not my fault they’re so long!

“Mine too,” she says, smiling as she looks between Liam and me. “I’m Bailey.”

Parker finishes the rest of the introductions, with Liam staying just long enough to make me proud by looking everyone in the eyes as he shakes their hands. Then, he grabs a plate with more goodies and disappears once again to his room.

“He’s a good kid,” Parker says. “Which means you’re doing a good job, mama.”

“He is a good kid, but oh man—the mistakes I’ve made. Amstillmaking,” I add, thinking about Camden and hoping that this time, I’m not about to make another one.

* * *

Turns out, I didn’t need to be worried about feeling out of place with this group. Though every woman in this room is gorgeous, they’re all unique and no one is snotty. Each woman has a different style, a different personality, and a different take on makeup from full face to fresh faced.

In short, it’s the kind of group where the women seem comfortable in their own skins without any of the competitive edge that sometimes comes standard with female friendships. What’s more, they genuinely seem tolikeeach other.

And they brought housewarming gifts! Nothing over-the-top expensive, but thoughtful and fun gifts. A set of really fun coffee mugs, a print of Harvest Hollow in fall that honestly got me pumped for actually experiencing that season for the first time, two bright turquoise throw pillows that warm up the beige couch that came with the house, and the softest blanket ever that will be perfect for cozying up while bingeing Netflix.

I had to actively work to hide how choked up I was when I thanked them, and they all acted like it was no big deal. Which made it an even bigger deal to me.

Parker, despite not being the oldest of the bunch, definitely steers the ship, but without being bossy or overbearing. Well, nottoobossy. Her brand of bossy is more like adorably strong persuasion. She naturally exudes the kind of influence people naturally sway toward following.

And if they don’t … she finds a way to make them want to anyway.

Greyson was the newest member of the group until I arrived, and she’s also the youngest. Grey’s personality is as bright as her hair, and her laugh is infectious. She has two older sisters in addition to her brother, Van, which made me miss Eloise, Sadie, and Merritt. But in a good way.

Then there’s Bailey, casual and friendly and getting bonus points for sharing theLord of the Ringsmoment with Liam. She hardly said a word after that but managed somehow to fully participate in the group. If I needed a good listener, I think she’d be my go-to.

Gracie was the most intimidating to me at first because she seemed the most formal in her black slacks and tailored black blouse. But she apparently came from a performance of the middle school where she teaches orchestra. Five minutes into being on the couch, she’d shaken out her long brown hair and taken off the blouse in favor of the tank top underneath. Two brownies in, and she unbuttoned her pants.

In short, these women seem grounded and comfortable in their own skin and with each other. Oh, and the subject of hockey didn’t even come up for the first hour. I don’t know if any of these women know about my history with Camden, but no one has mentioned him, either. I’m honestly relieved.

Not that I’m not dying to process what happened earlier, but I also need a minute to process it myself. Plus, not talking about him made me feel like I was being included tonight for me, not just because of him.

Whatever I imagined a WAG hangout to be—and I’ll admit my understanding came straight from social media—this isnotit. I got sucked into a whole series on WAG playoff jackets, which was fascinating. But it also looked expensive to have custom jackets made every year a team is in the playoffs. I’m also not sure a custom leather jacket is something I could pull off.

The hockey WAGs online all look like they stepped out of a hair commercial and had spent two hours contouring after getting lash extensions and lip fillers. That’s a choice, and it’s fine if it’s the choice women want to make. But I couldn’t handle a whole group of women with such uniform perfection, where everyone looked the same.

But this? It feels like I could just be me and who I am is enough.

A few hours in, conversations have split into smaller groups. Liam is in bed, the iPad pried from his sleepy fingers. Gracie headed out a bit ago, and though Parker and Grey keep saying they should go, they’ve been chatting with Bailey for forty-five minutes.

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