Page 34 of Face Off
The tables at Johnny’s Place are small and cramped together. The four of us barely fit in the tiny leather booths, but after one drink, it matters less. I’m relaxed as my shoulders fall away from my ears and warmth settles in the center of my chest.
“You all are coming to family dinner on Tuesday, right?” Piper asks, her cheeks pink and her hair out of the ponytail it’s been in all day.
“You all go to family dinner?” I ask, surprised.
“Of course we do. It’s the highlight of the week. Every Tuesday at six, and the only time we’ve missed in the last couple of years was for Hudson’s mom’s funeral. The boys all bring food, and it’s fun to hang out with them outside the arena.” Her eyes cut over to me. “Why haven’t you come yet?”
“I don’t know.” I rub the back of my neck and shrug. “I didn’t know if I’d fit in.”
“You’d fit in. Even Liam comes. He sits in the corner and doesn’t talk to anyone, but he’s there,” Piper assures me, and her attention turns to Maven. “You missed last week, Mae.”
“Because this wedding is taking over my life and we had a cake tasting.” Maven’s engagement ring flashes in the dim lighting, and she spins the diamond on her finger. “We should’ve just eloped at the courthouse.”
“You’re engaged?” I ask. “I mean, obviously you’re engaged. That ring is huge. Sorry. I should know this, but I?—”
“You’ve been a little busy too, Emmy.” Maven’s smile is kind. “Do you watch football?”
“Here and there. More so when I was on the west coast.”
“My fiancé, Dallas, is the kicker for the DC Titans.”
“She was his nanny,” Lexi whispers loudly, and she punctuates it with a tipsy giggle. “She used to work for the Titans, and fraternizing isn’t allowed between players and other members of the team. Then she got a job with the Stars, and now she and Dallas are going to live happily ever after.”
“Oh, Dallas is a dad? How old is his—your—daughter?”
“Almost seven now. Maverick is her uncle.”
“Wait.” I push my drink away and rest my elbows on the table. “Miller has a brother, and he’salsoa professional athlete? What are the odds?”
“Not blood related. He and Dallas are best friends, and when June came into his life unexpectedly, Maverick jumped in to help. They—and their other friend Reid—raised her together.The three of them are so precious with her.” Maven laughs and grabs her phone. “A couple Halloweens ago, we dressed up like the characters fromFrozenbecause June was obsessed. Maverick walked around town in a carrot costume for hours and didn’t complain once. I think he’s the only person on earth who can wear bright orange clothes and still get a woman’s number.”
“Oh.” I rub my hand over my heart. A dull ache forms behind my ribs when she shows me a photo of their outfits. Beaming faces. A little girl in Maverick’s arms, and so much joy there. “That’s—I had no idea.”
“He’ll drop everything to be Uncle Mav. I think of all his accolades, that’s the one he’s most proud of.”
There’s a beat of silence before Lexi breaks it with, “We’re going to talk about how he’s hot as hell too, right?”
Piper bursts out laughing. “So hot. I’m so glad I’m not the only female in the organization anymore. It’s cruel to be around these men and not have anyone to talk to about them.”
“All the sports team-adjacent men in this city are hot,” Maven says. “What the hell is in the water?”
“Yeah. Like your godfather,” Lexi adds. “A silver fox. Aging like fine wine.”
“I’m missing some context,” I say.
Piper scoots closer to me. “Maven’s godfather, Shawn, is the head coach for the Titans. He’s ridiculously attractive.”
“Okay, can we stop talking about my family and instead figure out who’s the hottest guy on the Stars?” Maven asks. “You can only pick one.”
Lexi taps her cheek, deep in drunken thought. “This is tough. Ethan is hot, but he’s not my type. He’s loud and messy and owns three motorcycles. That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“What about Grant? That man is always trying to get your attention,” Piper says, and Lexi rolls her eyes.
“He can try all he wants. I’d never go for him. He’s ten years younger than me and barely knows how to be an adult.”
“Riley is cute,” Maven adds. “And he’s one of the quiet ones.”
“You know what they say about quiet ones,” Piper giggles. “Hudson is attractive, but he’s a relationship guy. After my divorce, I want to experiment and figure out what I like. Mess around with a few different people at the same time and just havefun.I’ve only ever been with my ex-husband, and everything was so vanilla between us. After reading some of the books on my shelf, I have these… I don’t want to call them cravings, but there are so many things I want to try.”
