Butcher

Chapter 2

2

Kaylee

Three Weeks Later

My co-worker-turned-best-friend, Ford, and I were leaving in an hour to travel to Las Vegas to watch his boyfriend play in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. Luckily, the guy Coop had gotten into a fight with hadn’t pressed charges, so Coop hadn’t run into any issues with the law or the NHL and had been able to play in the Finals. Ford was working with the DA to get some justice for what had happened to him years ago, and I had a feeling he was looking forward to the trip to help take his mind off of things.

After going for my regular run along the Freedom Trail, I went back to my one-bedroom apartment, showered, and started to pack. As usual, I’d waited until the last minute to get ready. I grabbed what I wanted to wear for the game and a couple of dresses in case we went clubbing.

Until a few months ago, I knew nothing about hockey, but that all changed after Ford started dating the Bruins’ captain. At first, I only paid attention when my friend forced me to watch games on TV when Coop was on the road, but then I caught a glimpse of a couple of Coop’s teammates while they sat on the bench and was surprised by how good looking they were. It didn’t take much for me to become a hockey fan after that.

Right on time, my doorbell rang, and I opened the door. “Hey, come on in,” I said to Ford. “I just need to grab one more pair of shoes, and then we can go.”

“Are you telling me you’re actually ready on time?” he teased with a gasp as he followed me to the bedroom.

Picking up my gold stilettos, I tucked them into the suitcase and zipped it up. “Of course I’m ready. We’re going to Vegas, baby.”

He nudged me out of the way and lifted my bag from the bed. “Damn. How much shit did you pack?”

I shrugged. “A girl needs options.”

“We’re only going to be there for a couple of days.”

“And I need to look my best the whole time. Who knows who I might run into.”

He smirked. “Ah, I get it. But you know the odds are you won’t see Butcher at least until after tomorrow night’s game, right?”

“That’s not who I was talking about,” I lied … sort of.

He snorted. “Sure you weren’t.”

It wasn’t only Butcher I was looking forward to seeing. He had been the first guy on the Bruins who had caught my attention, and I’d begged Ford to introduce us. And since Ford was amazing, he made it happen after a game. That same night, I also met Levi Sexton, and after a little bit of flirting, I found myself attracted to both men.

The next time I saw the two of them, I was pretty sure my wildest fantasy of a threesome with two exceptionally gorgeous hockey players was about to come true. Unfortunately, things took a turn when we found Ford and Coop in a fight, and the mood quickly changed. However, that night gave me a glimpse into the kind of men Butcher and Sexton were. Not only were they sexy professional athletes, but their willingness to back up their teammate and show genuine concern for my best friend proved there was more to them than just their looks.

I hadn’t seen either guy since that night three weeks ago, and every time I thought about seeing them again, I felt a flutter in my tummy … and other places. Of course, I hoped we could pick up where things left off last time; however, if they’d moved on, I was sure I could find someone else for a good time, especially since I wasn’t looking for something serious at the moment.

I locked up my apartment, and we went downstairs, where a car waited for us. It didn’t take long to get to the airport, and a short while later, I was boarding a private jet with Ford, his parents, grandparents, Coop’s parents, and Coop’s friend Hayden and his husband, Tyler.

“Oh my god, this is incredible,” I said as I stepped inside. “Your man went all out.”

“Definitely better than the flights I take for work,” Hayden agreed as I moved farther down the aisle.

“Are you covering tomorrow’s game?” Ford asked Hayden. From what I’d learned, Hayden was a sports photographer for The Hub .

Hayden shook his head. “Nah, my coworker Jack is there. He flew out to Vegas earlier today.”

I slid into one of the seats on our left, and Ford sat in the one facing me, leaving the two on the other side of the aisle open for Hayden and Tyler. Once the flight attendant secured the cabin, the pilot prepared for takeoff.

“How long is the flight supposed to take?” I wondered.

“About five hours,” Ford replied.

“Do you and Coop have plans tonight?” Tyler asked Ford.

A while back Ford had told me how he and Tyler had secretly dated while in college. He explained that a lot of shit had gone down between them, but since their husbands were besties, they had made an effort to resolve their issues recently.

“Not really. I think we’re going to order some dinner and go to bed early.”

“Sure, you are,” I teased, knowing he and Coop could hardly keep their hands off each other and probably wouldn’t go to bed for hours … at least to sleep.

Ford glared at me playfully. “First of all, keep your voice down; my grandparents are back there. Second, we really are going to bed. In case you forgot, Coop’s got a big game tomorrow.”

“I’m just giving you shit because you’re ditching me on our first night in Vegas,” I said with a pout.

“We’re probably going to hang out in the casino if you want to join us,” Hayden offered.

Ford smiled at him. “Just know you might have to rein her in if she happens to see any of the guys from the team. She’s got a thing for hockey players now.”

I nudged him in the shin. “It’s your fault. You’re the one who introduced me to them.”

The guys continued to chat as we took off, but I couldn’t stop thinking about seeing Butcher and Sexton again. My understanding was the entire team was staying at the same hotel, so there was a chance I’d run into them. Would it be rude of me to ditch Hayden and Tyler if I got the opportunity to hang out with them instead?

After we landed, two SUVs took us to the hotel. Coop was waiting for us in the lobby, and when he spotted our group, a huge smile crossed his face.

“I’m so glad you all are here.” He walked around, hugging everyone.

“There was no way I was missing this.” Hayden clapped Coop on the back. “I’m looking forward to watching you kick some ass tomorrow.”

Coop laughed. “That’s the plan at least.”

“We should probably check in,” Ford’s dad suggested.

“Actually, I took care of that already.” Coop pulled several keys out of his pocket and began handing them out. “Your room numbers are written on the envelopes.”

“This has been the easiest travel day ever.” Coop’s mom kissed her son on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“It’s the least I could do. I know it wasn’t easy for you all to coordinate your schedules.” He looked at Ford’s grandparents. “You coming all this way to cheer me on means the world to me.”

“When your favorite player invites you to a game, you can’t say no.” Ford’s grandfather chuckled.

“I think we’re going to head to our room,” Ford’s grandmother announced. “Make it an early night so we can go exploring tomorrow before the game.”

After they said their goodbyes and walked away, Coop asked Hayden and Tyler, “What are your plans tonight?”

“I think we’re going to hit up a couple casinos,” Tyler replied. “Kaylee’s going to join us.”

“Sounds good. Coach has us on lockdown tonight, but we’ll definitely hit the town after the game.” Coop grabbed Ford’s hand. “You ready to go upstairs?”

Ford nodded. “Yeah, I need to eat, and then I’ll be ready to crash.”

“I guess that means no hockey players for you tonight.” Tyler glanced in my direction and winked playfully.

Well, that sucks.

“This is a killer view,” Tyler said, looking out over the arena from our private suite the following night.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Ford replied.

It was more than cool. Never in my life had I imagined I would consider the star player of the Bruins as a friend of mine and that he would include me in one of the biggest moments in his career.

The game was about to start, and when the lights went down and music began to play, we all jumped to our feet and cheered as the players skated onto the ice. I scanned the team, looking for numbers 6 and 19. When I found them, those familiar butterflies returned. What was it about those two that immediately had me thinking about all the naughty things I wanted them to do to me?

Right before the puck drop, I took a seat next to Hayden. I’d had a good time with him and Tyler the night before. We’d played blackjack and hung out in the casino bar for a while, and they hadn’t made me feel like a third wheel, which was nice.

“Is it different watching the game from up here?” I asked Hayden, figuring since he was a sports photographer, he was probably used to being closer to the ice.

He nodded. “Definitely. I enjoy being close to the game, but it’s nice to just watch instead of worrying about missing the perfect shot.”

“That makes sense, but I gotta say your job sounds pretty awesome. Who wouldn’t love to take pictures of professional sports stars for a living?”

“Thankfully, he only has eyes for me.” Tyler peered around his husband and winked.

“That’s right, baby.” Hayden leaned over and kissed him.

“Ugh. I’m surrounded by guys in love.” I chuckled.

“Don’t worry, Kaylee.” Ford sat next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “I’m sure your perfect guy is out there.”

“Doubtful,” I muttered.

I hadn’t had the best of luck with relationships. My last boyfriend broke up with me because he thought things were moving too fast. We’d been together for six months, and he’d introduced me to his family during Thanksgiving, so I assumed things were getting serious. Turns out he disagreed. Since then, I’d taken a break from dating to focus on having fun. Eventually, I’d probably want to find someone I could have a future with. But until that guy came around, I was going to live my life to the fullest with no regrets.

I settled back in my seat and watched the action on the ice. The teams were evenly matched, and by the end of three periods and overtime neither team had managed to score. There were only a couple minutes left of the second overtime period, and I squeezed Ford’s arm as we watched Butcher and Coop race down the ice toward the net. Everything happened so quickly it was hard to keep track of where the puck was, but then I saw Coop pull back his stick and aim for the goal.

The arena erupted in a mix of cheers and groans as the puck sailed into the net. The Bruins had pulled off the win and were the Stanley Cup champions. Everyone in the suite began hugging and high-fiving, and then Ford and Coop’s parents were ushered off to join the other families, who were waiting to greet their players.

“Go get your man,” I shouted as Ford walked away. “And tell him congratulations.”

The rest of us continued to watch the post-game activities from the suite, and once the team had a few minutes to celebrate their win, the commissioner got on the microphone and announced that Coop had won the most valuable player award. After that, the team was presented with the trophy, and I whooped and hollered with everyone else as the guys took turns skating around the rink with it held over their heads.

“Let’s head down so we can meet up with Ford,” Hayden suggested.

Just as I was about to turn to leave, I saw Coop drop to one knee in front of Ford. I gasped at the same time as Tyler said, “Holy shit! Is he about to propose?”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away as Coop opened what I assumed was a jewelry box and said something. Ford nodded, and Coop slid a ring on his finger before standing to kiss him.

Could this day get any better?

We rushed down to the first level concourse, and I immediately spotted Ford. Running over, I jumped into his arms and said, “Did that just really happen?”

He smiled brightly. “Yeah. Coop and I are engaged.” He held up his left hand, showing off the ring on his finger.

Ford’s mom clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m so happy for you.”

I stepped aside to make room for him to embrace his family as they congratulated him.

“That’s not all,” he said. “We’re getting married tonight.”

The announcement sent everyone into a frenzy, and Hayden approached him. “Ford, I’m really happy for you guys.”

“Yeah, you both deserve to be happy,” Tyler added. “And I’m glad you found happiness with each other.”

Ford’s smile widened. “Thanks. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.

“Coop’s going to meet us at the hotel, and then we’ll figure out where to go. I don’t know what we need to do to get married.”

We started walking out of the arena to the cars Coop had hired to drive us to and from the hotel. It took a while to make our way outside, and while we waited for our rides to pull up, Tyler waved Ford over.

“I just looked up what you need to get married in Vegas. You guys need to apply online for a marriage license and then go to the Marriage License Bureau to pick it up. After that, you can go wherever they perform a wedding ceremony.”

Ford looked at his phone, presumably to check the time. “How late are they open?”

“The bureau stays open until midnight. And there are a ton of twenty-four-hour wedding chapels,” Tyler answered.

Our two large SUVs parked in front of us, and Coop’s and Ford’s parents and grandparents climbed into one while Hayden, Tyler, Ford, and I got into the other.

“Do you know what you’re going to wear?” I asked Ford.

“I have no idea,” he admitted. “I didn’t expect any of this, but we’ll probably keep it casual.”

“That sounds boring,” I scoffed playfully.

“We can save the fancy-ass outfits for when you get married,” my friend teased.

“You’ll be waiting a long time for that.” I chuckled.

When we got back to the hotel, I hurried off to my room to get ready. Looking through the closet, I decided to wear my gold sequin dress. It was short, backless, and not something I would typically wear to a wedding. But since Ford said it was casual, I figured that gave me free rein in choosing my attire.

I jumped in the shower and then took my time doing my hair and makeup. As I finished applying my lipstick, my phone buzzed with a text notification:

Ford: Coop and I are on our way to get our marriage license. We’ll meet everyone at the chapel in about thirty minutes. Coop ordered a couple of cars to drive you all there

Perfect! See you soon

One more thing. We need a witness for our wedding and we decided we would each like one of our friends to do it. Will you be mine?

OMG! I’d be honored

Thanks. You’re the best!

When it was time to head downstairs, I slipped on my gold stilettos and grabbed my matching clutch.

Our group beat Ford and Coop to the chapel, and as we waited for them to arrive, several of Coop’s teammates joined us. Instantly, my gaze was drawn to Butcher; however, I didn’t see Sexton anywhere. When Butcher’s dark brown eyes met mine, he smiled and walked my way.

“I was hoping to see you here.” He wrapped me in a hug that was far gentler than I would have expected from a man his size.

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t have missed this. Congratulations on your win, by the way. You looked amazing out there.”

“Nice to know you were watching me.” He smirked, and I felt my cheeks heat.

Not wanting him to know I constantly looked for his number in the sea of Bruins players, I changed the conversation to something else I was curious about. “I thought the whole team would be here. Where’s Levi?” Butcher arched a brow, and I realized what I said. “Oh, is it weird that I used his first name?”

“No. It’s just not something any of us are used to hearing when we’re with the team.”

“Does that mean you wouldn’t mind if I call you Austin?”

He leaned down, his breath tickling my neck, and a shiver ran down my spine despite how hot it was outside as he whispered into my ear, “You can call me anything you want.”

I was about to respond when I saw Levi walking toward us. “Speak of the devil.”