Page 126 of Fear of Love
“We went tropical last time. Maybe we should go to the mountains or something,” Mila suggested.
“We could wait a few months until it gets cold again and get a cabin. Going skiing or snowboarding could be fun,” Tasha piggybacked on Mila’s idea.
“I love that,” Josie said.
The guys mumbled something, but they were all so focused on the game to do much else. Grabbing a card from the small pile next to me, I finally got four of the same kind. Peeking up at the others, I reached out and silently grabbed a spoon. Everyone was too focused on their own cards and missed it.
It took a good thirty seconds before someone finally noticed. Wyatt’s arm snapped out to grab a spoon, setting everyone off as they scrambled to grab one, too.
You would think a game using cards and spoons would be easy and safe. No. I had a few scrapes on my fingers from people’s nails, and one chair almost broke from Trevor shoving it back to lunge across the table.
“Damn it,” Landon grumbled next to me.
“Who got it first?” Mila asked. Everyone looked at Wyatt, who shook his head.
Smirking, I lifted my spoon. “Took you guys awhile to figure it out.”
"Sly ninja.” Josie shook her head. She scooted her chair back and stood up. “Are you guys getting hungry?”
There was a chorus of yeses as we started cleaning up the table.
“Evelyn and Steven are going to be here in a bit. Wy, want to go start the grill?” Josie asked as she headed for the kitchen.
Wyatt was quick to jump up. He’s literally been waiting all week to show the guys his new grill. Who knew Wyatt would be so domesticated when he got married and bought a house?
While the guys filed outside to go see this famous grill, all the girls gathered in Josie’s new kitchen.
“I’m obsessed with this,” Mila remarked. “I may even like it better than mine.”
At their wedding four months ago, Wyatt surprised Josie with a house he secretly bought months earlier, waiting for the perfect moment to tell her. Between the wedding, playoffs, and their honeymoon, it took them awhile to get everything packed up and moved. They only just settled in a few weeks ago.
They still owned Josie’s apartment. It was the last thing her father gave her when he passed, and she couldn’t bring herself to let it go quite yet so they kept it, either for Mateo or if a teammate of Wyatt’s needed a place to rent.
While Josie’s apartment was great, this house was even better. It was only a few streets over from Mila and Bryton and in a great neighborhood. The two-story house was big, but with how often we all came over, the space would definitely get used. And who knows—maybe in a few years they’d start a family and fill the empty rooms.
“The blue cabinets and white counters are my favorite part,” Josie gushed. The kitchen was a chef's dream—beautiful dark blue cabinets, white quartz counters, a huge stove, and double ovens.
“Love it,” I said, running a hand over the grey lines in the quartz. I loved my apartment, but a house like this would be nice one day.
“Mateo’s coming today right?” Tasha asked, heading to one of the cabinets for wine glasses.
Josie nodded. “Yeah, he should be here soon.”
“He’s been MIA the last month,” I noted. “Think he has a girlfriend?” My question made them stop in their tracks.
“You know… maybe he does. He seems to be on his phone a lot when he’s here,” Josie said.
Tasha smiled almost evilly. “I can’t wait to give him shit if he does.”
While Josie moved around the kitchen, getting things for our barbecue, I looked out the window facing the guys. They were all standing around, holding beers, and talking.
“How are the guys handling the loss?” I asked, lifting my wine glass to my lips. It felt good to finally use my right hand again after eight weeks in a cast. I’d gotten so used to having it there, it felt strange without it.
“Trevor’s a bit down, but he’s already looking forward to the next season,” Tasha said from behind me.
“Same with Bryton. Disappointed they didn’t win but they had a great season,” Mila added.
A few weeks ago, the Toronto Knightslost in the final game of the Cup Championship. After weeks of intense playoffs and finals, the team lost by one game. It was heartbreaking watching everything they worked so hard for all season long come to an end. But the fact they made it back to the Cup Championship again was huge.
