Page 21 of Ice Block

“I’m so sorry, sir. We are maxed out.”

Olivia looks around, wringing her hands with nervousness as she tries to find a solution. “Hayes, why don’t you stay with Vladi and I’ll stay with Maggie this week.”

“NO,” Larsy, Maggie, and I all say simultaneously.

“Liv, there is no way in hell I’m letting you not stay with yourhusbandon your wedding-slash-honeymoon week! Let me call around to some other resorts and see what they have,” Maggie insists, getting out her phone to look up other accommodations.

I glance at Olivia seeing the clear disappointment on her face. A pang of guilt presses against my ribs. I hate seeing her like this. She is like a sister to me now, and I don’t want her best friend to be at another resort. I couldn’t survive this week without Hayes, and I know Olivia won’t make it without Maggie.

Even I’m caught off guard by how easily these next words leave my mouth.

“She can stay with me.”

All three of their heads slowly turn to look at me, eyes wide with disbelief.

“What?” I reply to the group of confused and horrified faces. “She needs a room. I have a room. We can share.” I glance at Maggiewith a pleading look—one that’s hopefully conveying ‘Don’t cause a scene. This is our friends’ wedding, so let’s not stress them out.’She purses her lips, those fucking gorgeous lips, and slowly nods her head.

“Yeah. We can share,” she says in a tone that’s less angry than I thought it would be. “We are adults. I’m sure Vladi is all too happy to sleep on the cold, hard floor. It’s just like a big sheet of ice, right?”

Olivia slides closer, failing to drop her voice low enough for us not to hear. “Mags, are you sure? You really don’t have to do this. We can figure something else out,” Olivia whispers, the slightest hint of worry in her voice.

“It’s fine, Liv. It’s your wedding, and we’re here to support you. We’ll make it work. I’m sure there’s been a lot of weddings where the best man and maid of honor shack up for the sake of the wed—” she pauses, realizing what’s come out of her mouth, and I have to hold back the chuckle threatening to burst from me.

No one makes me laugh.I smother the smile twisting my cheeks, but not before Hayes clocks it.Why does she?

“I mean…not shack up, like…you know. I meant share a room, like two platonic friends. Enemies.Shit.” Her cheeks burn a deep shade of red, her eyes unable to look at any of us fully. “Goddammit. You know we slept together, so let’s just get it all out in the open. We areadults. It happened. I hate him. Let’s move on.” She struts up to me, her shoes clicking on the lobby floor as she extends her hand toward me. “Key?”

I hesitate. I only got one key, not expecting to have a roommate this week, so I reluctantly hand it to her.I can grab another from the front desk.

“Perfect. You can arrange for my bags to get taken up to the room then too,” she says as she turns on her heel. “Liv, show me around! We havesomany details to discuss. Later boys!!” Maggieshouts, whisking her friend away leaving me and Larsy standing in her dust.

“Well…thatwent well,” Larsy snorts. “But you didn’t answer before— howwasthe flight? I see you are in one piece. Are you sure you want to do this? We can figure something else out. Hell, I can throw her in a room with Bougie.”

“No,” I say firmly. I crack my knuckles, the thought ofmywoman sharing a room with that playboy, rich-as-hell rookie makes my skin crawl. “She isnotrooming with Bougie. No one deserves that bad of a punishment. I’ll be fine.”

“I have no doubt you’ll be fine, Vladi. I’m concerned about Maggie. You are one closed off motherfucker, and she is my wife’s best friend. You’ve already hurt her once, and if you do it again, Iwillhave to kill you. Maybe keep that big Russian dick in your pants this week?”

I sigh, rubbing the growing knot on the back of my neck. “That’s the plan. We’re just roommates. Nothing more. Besides, she hates me. She’s made it perfectly clear she has no interest in talking to me, much less doing anything else.”

He nods with a knowing smirk, giving me a pat on the back. “What about you? Do you want to do anything else with her?”

“Do you want me to lie?”

Larsy laughs. “No. I just want you to be careful. She’s not as tough on the inside as she seems on the outside. Kind of like someone else I know.”

Dammit if that isn’t the truth. I crack my knuckles, turning toward the concierge with a stiff smile.This is going to be a long fucking week.

15

maggie

“Liv, this place is gorgeous! God, I love being on vacation.” I twirl around, my arms spread wide as I soak up every drop of sun I can get. “I’m so excited to be here for your big day! Well, your second big day.” I laugh, my toes sinking into the warmth of the sand while my wedges dangle from my fingers. A breeze coming off the water prickles my skin, cooling the day just enough to still enjoy the heat. “Seriously, though, this place is amazing.”

“It really is. I told Hayes I didn’t really need all this, but he insisted. He said I deserved an extravagant beach wedding. Some days, I still don’t know how this is my life.” The glimmer in her eyes, mirroring the blue water crashing on the beach, shows her unwavering happiness.

A small smile softens my face as the two of us stand side-by-side at the water’s edge. “He’s right, you know. After all the shit you went through withhe-whose-name-we-shall-never-repeat, you absolutely deserve everything Hayes has done for you.” I laugh again. “I can only imagine what he’ll do for you in the future, just make sure that man is setting some money aside to pay for yourfuture kids’ education. He can’t spoil you witheverythingunder the sun.”

She scoffs. “Hayes is not me. You know I was never great with money. I mean, I paid my bills and set some aside, but I always seemed to have a ‘purse emergency’ or found something ridiculous to spend my money on. Not Hayes. Even though he spoils me, as he will our future family someday, he’s Mister Responsible. When we go out to eat, he’ll order the most expensive thing on the menu, but at home? The man buys genericeverything,the only exception being top-shelf ice cream. But like, could we get name-brand potato chipsonetime? He swears the generic tastes better and that the name isn’t worth the extra two dollars.”

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