Page 71 of The Riley Effect

Ivy

“Are you ready for tonight?” Indy asks from the training table at the opposite end of the room.

We had our last full-throttled practice before the team leaves for our first-round game in Nashville next Saturday. So until then, it’s dips in the cold plunge and walk though practices until we get to the arena on Friday.

“Yeah, I have to go home. I’m borrowing a dress from Ruby. I’m not sure I’ll be enough of a human to go there for dinner tomorrow, judging by how hard Jalen is planning on going tonight.”

Indy’s eyes hold mischief and amusement as they glance between me and some far-off memory.

“What are you reminiscing about over there?”

“Let’s just say last year ended with a bang.”

I take the stories she tells me with a grain of salt knowing her habit to over-exaggerate a story from a night out. The thing is, I’ve heard similar stories from everyone I spoke with about the party this week. So my plan is to have fun tonight, and tomorrow, we start our quest to be back-to-back National Champions.

I’m not even through the front door when I hear the soothing sounds of chaos pouring out of my sister’s house. What I don’t expect is Mr. Holloway to be in my sister’s kitchen.

“Aunt Ivyyyyyy!” The screeches of my name from my niece and nephew draw attention to my arrival from the adults in the room.

My sister’s eyes widen when she sees me, completely forgetting I’m picking up a dress for tonight.

“Ivy… ahh… hi.”

With my suspicions being confirmed, I want to do a little happy dance but decide against making a big deal of it in front of the kids.

“I’m picking up that dress,” Ruby’s eyes are blank. “For the hockey formal tonight.”

“Yeah, I definitely forgot.”

One thing I’ve always loved about my sister is if she’s caught doing something, she doesn’t try to talk her way out of it. She knows we’re smart enough to see through her bull shit.

“Let’s go grab that dress, Vee.”

It takes everything in me to wait until we get to my sister’s room to ask her every question that is running through my mind. The second she closes the door, I ask the first and most important one, “Are you dating Mr. Holloway?”

“I am.”

What kind of answer is that, it has no details… unacceptable.

“For how long?”

“Since we met at Jalen’s game. This is actually the first time he is meeting the kids as my boyfriend.”

Part of me feels a little bad that I’m ruining this night, which I can tell means a lot to my sister. I should have reminded her I was coming today, but we talk almost every day, and she didn’t mention anything to me either. I guess she wanted to make sure the relationship was serious before telling me that she was dating my boyfriend’s uncle. I’m sure some people might find it weird that we are keeping our relationships in the family, so to say, but my sister seemed happy when I walked in here today. It’s hard to date in a small town, and my sister hasn’t dated much since Darek passed away. All I want is for her to be happy, and if that means being one big happy family, then so be it.

“You seemed really happy when you didn’t know I was behind you,” I can’t help but laugh. “But you both looked absolutely mortified when you realized I was home.”

“I just wanted to make sure he was sticking around before I told you. If things went well with the kids tonight, I was going to tell you when your season ended.”

I walk over to Ruby and wrap her in a tight hug. “You deserve this, sis. I love you. And the Holloways are good people.”

I grab the dress I’m planning on wearing tonight and a couple of others just to be safe.

We head downstairs–my sister’s face plastered with the sweetest smile– and go to the kitchen so I can say goodbye to the gang that’s hanging out there.

Caleb is telling some elaborate story–hand motions included–about what happened during recess yesterday. They don’t notice me when I enter the room, so I take that time to watch how the kids are talking to their mom’s new boyfriend, and I’m not shocked to see him fully immersed in the crazy story of an eight-year-old. I’m also not surprised to see the kids talking to him so easily.

“Hey guys, I have to leave,” I drape my arms over Caleb’s shoulders and pull him into a hug. “But did you know Mr. Holloway…”

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