Page 119 of Fall to Me
“Oh, my lord, River,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, they haven’t said anything; it’s just a feeling I have. Mom put her life on hold, waiting on my dad who never came back around for her, even after I was an adult. I’ll never understand what was going through that man’s head. The entire situation with him seems absolutely ridiculous, if you ask me. But, for some reason,she couldn’t let him go until he was gone. And Luke . . . well, he lost his wife to cancer when Hannah was a little girl. That man spent his life taking care of his daughter. It’s time for them to find their happily ever after. Look at how in love they are, River. It won’t be long. I’ll bet in six months tops, he’ll pop the question.”
We move over to the couch, and I prop up my feet, then grab a throw blanket off the back and drag it over my legs as she continues. “Anyway, my point is . . . Hannah’s basically family now, and I don’t want to have any part in her getting her heart broken. I know you don’t want that either, so could you maybe stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
“Ugh. Fine,” I acquiesce, because I don’t want to be the cause of that. Picking at the threads on the throw blanket I add, “I’ll try my best to stay out of it from now on. It’s just that . . . I want her to have what we have, and I see the potential between her and Sean. Besides, I know someone else who stuck their nose where it didn’t belong, and look where that gotme. Just think, if you hadn’t paired me up with Carter at your Single Sayanora, I wouldn’t have fallen in love. I would’ve become an old, bitter hag with cobwebs and like, twelve cats.”
Tossing her head back, she laughs a husky laugh. “I see your point, but Carter is different. He has a way with people. I think you would’ve fallen in love with him eventually anyway. You just needed a little shove in the right direction. But Sean . . . he’s always had a reputation. Playboy athlete with a different puck bunny in his bed after just about every game. Cal and Carter both defend him, saying it’s a persona, that the media has spun him into something he’s not. True, the media spins stuff. We saw that when Cal and I weren’t even friends yet and they put out that article last year claiming he and I had a thing. But the way Sean has jerked Hannah around makes me wonder if Cal and Carter aren’t a little bit biased because he’s their friend. And Aiden?—”
“Aiden?” I cut her off, my head rearing back as I wonder how Aiden plays into any of this. He and Hannah are best friends and have been for a long time.
“For someone who spends a lot of time meddling in other people’s love lives, trying to form love connections between their friends, I’m surprised you missed it. You wanna know what I think?”
Chuckling, because I know how opinionated Aspen is, I say, “I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
“I sure the hell am. I think Aiden has a thing for Hannah, but because they’re such close friends, maybe she doesn’t see it.”
Noooo. No way. That does not track with me. I honestly can’t see it. Hannah and Aiden have been best friends for a long time, and not once has he ever given me the vibe that he wanted more from her. Maybe I’m missing something though.
“But he openly talks about his sexcapades in front of her. He flirted with Cammie over the phone, while Hannah sat there and listened. Don’t you think if he wanted Hannah, he wouldn’t do that?”
She raises a brow as if I should already know the answer to that question. “This is Aiden we’re talking about. Bless his heart,” she finally says, setting her empty mug on the coffee table.
“True. But, even for all his idiocy, Aiden’s a really good guy. Not to mention, funny as hell. There’s never a dull moment when he’s around. Maybe he’ll be the next one to be subjected to my matchmaking skills.”
I wiggle my eyebrows as she groans, “God. Please don’t.”
A giggle bubbles up out of me, and I gesture between us. “I’ve missed this, you know? Spending time together just the two of us outside of work.”
“I’ve missed this too. Speaking of work. How’s the recruiting going for The Heat? That is what you’re calling them right?”
Scooting up, I turn around in my seat and place my empty mug on the end table, then turn back to face her. “Yeah. It plays into the Blaze name with the whole fire thing. I’ll admit, your father must’ve had a sense of humor to come up with such an antiphrasis. You don’t think the name I chose is stupid, do you?”
“Not at all. I agree with you. You’re actually brilliant, River. I knew you would step into your role and do a fantastic job.”
I offer her a beaming smile, my chest swelling with pride at her praise.
“Thank you. I’ve been looking for not only talented women who can perform, but those with ambition to do community outreach too. I don’t want performers who only want to show up to dance and then clock out at the end of the night. I want women who want to make a difference in our city and bring pride to the Blaze organization.”
“See what I mean? You doubt yourself so much, but I promise you; I didn’t hire you into this role based on nepotism. You deserved the promotion, and you deserve all the credit for this idea. Any guesses as to who you want to coach them?”
“Not a clue. I suppose we can bring in a choreographer for now, and I can help with the other stuff until we find the right fit.”
Aspen pushes off the couch to stand, her tank top riding up enough for me to now notice the small changes in her body. Her once flat stomach has a little bit of a pooch, and I can’t help but hope that I look as cute as she does when my belly begins to grow.
“Well, I think since public relations belongs to Teagan, we should let her handle the outreach part of it. You just focus on finding a good coach and handling the marketing side of things.” She stretches her arms above her head and lets out a groan, then says, “I’m going to head up and take a shower. The boys shouldbe home pretty soon. I’ll go find you some clothes for the game tonight.”
I nod as she saunters off to her room. Collecting our plates and mugs, I take them to the kitchen and put them into the dishwasher, then fold myself back onto the couch and turn on the TV. Flipping through the channels, I settle on a local station featuring a Saturday morning travel show about the blue hole in Belize. I sit up a little straighter in my seat in interest as a thought hits me. Maybe that’s what Carter and I need—a nice, long getaway once the season is over.
I think I’ll use my powers of persuasion in his favorite way to get him to agree.
Thirty-Seven
Carter
Cal taps his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Colins as we drive to Katherine’s place to pick up Tucker. One of the many things we have in common is our love for 80s rock music. I would argue with anyone who disagreed that the 80s created the best music and made music what it is today. Well, aside from Elvis Presley, of course. They didn’t crown him the king of rock for no reason.
He turns the volume up right before the beat drops, and we both play the air drums, bobbing our heads to the music. As we drive deeper into the city, we pass by the little shops, and I’m reminded that besides the new wedding ring I had custom made for River after the day she claimed me as her husband, I haven’t bought anything else for her for Christmas.
Shit. That’s in a week.
