Page 12 of Wrapped Around My Heart
This new level of our friendship that we have going on is so nice that I refuse to be the one to say anything that would ruin it.
Clearing my throat, I give Cora one last kiss before pushing to my feet and step aside to let Dean in.
He finally steps through the threshold, those amber eyes shining as he grins down at me. I should back away, give him space to enter the house, but my feet are glued in place. His spicy cologne invades my senses, begging me to sway even closer and fill my lungs with his scent. Dean’s smile grows wider as if he knows just how much he’s affecting me.
“You look beautiful,” he whispers, and my cheeks burn impossibly hotter. There’s no doubt that I’m one shade away from matching my dress.
“Thanks,” I mumble just as motion over Dean’s shoulder catches my attention and I finally find the strength to put distance between us.
“Dad made sure the back gates were closed, so unless she’s gonna jump off the docks, you’re good to let her roam,” I tell Dean just as his teammate Dominik and his fiancée make it to the front door.
“This girl was a fish in her past life, so we will be staying far away from the docks when not on a leash.” Dean laughs, still standing close beside me.
“There’s the perfect angel!” Lilly says, diving to scoop Cora into her arms and pepper her with kisses.
I smirk up at Dean. “Something tells me you will have very little supervising responsibilities today.”
He laughs and I make myself busy, showing Dominik and Lilly into the house and getting them drinks. By the time they’re settled, Landon shows up at the same time as a few of his other teammates and their partners. Luckily, my brother takes over making sure his friends all know where the beverages are.
My parents’ downstairs fills up with hockey players and I can’t help but smile at the chaos around me. Most of the guys allseem to gravitate outside with my dad, while their partners hang in the living room.
Dean, however, has somehow managed to charm my mom into letting him help her in the kitchen. For a moment, I can’t help but watch them, noticing the way he moves with such confidence and hangs onto every word my mom says. Or the way her eyes soften just a bit every time she looks at him as she hands him a spoon. I’ll have to ask him what the hell he said to get her to accept help, but for now, I sip my wine and leave them to have a moment together.
I make my way into the living room where Lilly sits on the floor with Cora, playing with the dog toys my mom bought so Dean didn’t have to cart toys back and forth. Stella and Harper, the girlfriend and daughter of Greyson, another one of Landon’s teammates, sit beside Lilly. Harper’s giggles echo through the room as she throws a squeaker toy, making Cora spring into action after it.
Leaning against the wall, I watch as everyone fawns over the adorable pup. They all call and coo after her, making her run back and forth between them. If one thing is for certain, Dean will have an exhausted dog at the end of the day.
Just as I’m about to take another sip of my wine, the doorbell rings. With one last glance around the room, I push off the wall and head to let in whatever straggler from Landon’s team arrived. Assuming it’s just another one of the guys from the Bobcats, I plaster on a smirk as I open the door.
“’Bout time you got—” My teasing words die on my tongue at the sight of the two unfamiliar faces. The woman looks to be around my mom’s age, her graying hair pulled back, laugh lines wrinkling around the corners of her eyes and mouth. She holds a tray covered with aluminum foil in her hands, but luckily, nothing about her seems to be put off by my abrupt greeting. “Sorry, I expected one of my brother’s friends.”
“No problem, dear. I’m Liz, a friend of your mom’s.”
I nod and grin, stepping aside so she can come in. “Of course! She’s told me all about you and your husband.”
My eyes finally move to the man beside her and there’s no stopping my eyes from widening in shock.
He is very clearly much younger than her, probably closer to Landon’s and my age than Liz’s. And he’s hot. Like, could be on the cover of a Calvin Klein magazine level hot. His dark hair is shaved close on the sides of his head and slightly longer on the top but still styled perfectly, not a hair out of place. Bright blue eyes shine back at me from beneath long, dark lashes. Even his smile is perfect.
Goddamn, good for Liz pulling such a catch at her age.
I finally manage to catch myself and fix my smile to greet her husband when Liz laughs.
“Oh no, this isn’t my husband. George had an emergency at the office.” Liz adjusts her hold on the tray in her hand, using her now free one to reach up, because of course he’s tall too, and pinches the man’s cheek. “This is my son, Tanner.”
Instead of batting away his mother’s touch, Tanner grins and holds out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you…”
I blink at him, momentarily dumbfounded as to what I’m supposed to do before it catches up. Clearing my throat, I accept his hand. “Arianna.”
He squeezes my hand gently, and my cheeks burn even hotter at the way he stares down at me. Forcing myself to move, I take my hand back and step away, motioning for them to follow behind me.
“Well, welcome to the Thanksgiving chaos. Let me show you both to the kitchen where my mom is, then I can get you both a drink.” I don’t bother to look over my shoulder to see if they’re following. The sound of the front door clicking shut and the weight of Tanner’s gaze on my back tells me that all on its own.
Except, clearly my brain is malfunctioning in the presence of an attractive stranger because the second I step foot into the kitchen, it’s like stepping out of a heavy fog. While my mom’s back is to us as she works at the oven, Dean immediately looks up at me. He smiles, making my heart skip a beat at the way his entire face lights up. But then his gaze flicks to look past me, and his lips fall slightly.
Ignoring the pang of guilt that forms in my stomach when I’ve done nothing wrong, I push on.
“Ma, Liz and her son are here.”
