Crew (Hockey Royalty #3)

Epilogue

Crew

Six Months Later…

"W ow, this is intense," I note as I walk back into the living room from the kitchen, carrying a tray of relatively healthy food since, thankfully, our season is not over.

Tenley hushes me like noise will somehow throw off her cousin Theo, who is on the ice in the game on my television. The Quake regular season ended last night but Theo's team is playing today and they need to win the game to slide into the last wild card seat in the playoffs, which start in eight days. I invited Tate and, well, everyone, over to watch the game at my place.

I put the plate on the dining room table, my eyes on the TV in the adjoining room. Theo steals the puck from his opponent but whiffs on his shot on net. "Fucking hell, T. Since when do you miss an easy five-hole?" Grady grumbles.

“Something is off with him,” Tate observes. “And he can’t afford to be off right now.”

Liv drops her head into her hands and stifles a groan at her cousins' performance. She's all cute in a pair of jeans and one of my T-shirts. She's barefoot, and her hair is damp from the shower we took together before everyone showed up.

She came to our game last night, in my jersey, and of course, I dragged her home to have her ride my cock while still wearing it, so she doesn't have an alternative besides my clothes this morning. No complaints. She looks perfect. Our eyes meet and she smiles. I smile and wink.

God, I love this woman.

Nash wanders over and grabs some food off the table. "Stress-eating. I totally want Theo to win, because I'd rather face the Quebec Nationals in the final than the Portland Riptide. We perform better against Quebec."

“That’s my bro. Over-thinking and over-analyzing like a boss,” I smile. “We haven’t even started playoffs yet and you’re determining who we’ll face in the Final.”

“Also if you keep stress-eating you’ll be too out of shape to play in the Final,” Tenley chirps without even turning her head.

I bite back my smile. Nash makes a face at her and even though she isn’t looking, she lifts her hand and flips him the bird. I let my smile fly and Olivia rolls her eyes with a grin at their antics. I still haven’t told her what Nash confessed in that hotel room months ago, because it’s Nash and Tenley’s secret to tell. And Nash says the lawyer didn’t find any proof they were actually legally married. It seems like maybe they were both just very drunk and no one ever filed the paperwork.

“When does your docu-series start filming and please say it takes you away from Los Angeles,” Nash snarks at Tenley.

“I get to spend some of my summer in Canada at your house so buckle up,” Tenley replies.

“Really?” I interrupt my eyes darting to my darling girlfriend. “Olivia is spending part of the summer with me, we can all hang when you aren’t working.”

Olivia claps. “That would be so great!”

“Yeah. Great. Woo. Hoo.” Nash’s tone is as flat as a board.

I chuckle. He glares.

“I don’t think they’ll do it. Damnit Theo,” Tate grumbles watching his cousin as the clock ticks down on the game. He nudges Mallory. “How are you not stressed. It’s your brother’s team too.”

"Because I barely talk to my family and if Emmett makes it to playoffs, and plays you then I have to deal with that troll he's dating even more." My shoulders tense at her words. My ex is still dating Mallory's youngest brother. Right.

“Go Riptide!” Olivia shouts.

Every one of her family members turns to look at her. “I’m sorry, but Theo is young. He’ll make it another time. And I don’t want to deal with that woman.”

“Neither do I,” I sigh.

Everyone goes back to the game, as the Riptide gain control of the puck. Conner is flying down the ice but he’s checked hard and the ref blows his whistle. I head out onto the deck off the front of the house for some air.

Buying this place in Laurel Canyon was definitely the right move. I absolutely love it here. It’s the first place in LA that’s felt like home. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, tilting it to the spring sun beaming down through the canopy of palms and Jacarandas. I feel a set of arms circle my waist. Olivia’s body leans into my back. “You okay?”

“Yeah. You?”

"Yeah," I feel her lips on the back of my forearm so I turn to face her. Her beautiful dark eyes are clear and bright. "And even if you play Emmett's team in the playoffs, we'll be fine. I love you."

She’s said it before but it never stops amazing me. “I love you too.”

I kiss her and I keep kissing her until the patio doors open again and people start wandering out to join us. “Quebec tied, so it’s over.”

“Huh?” Liv looks confused so Tenley explains.

"They needed to win outright to beat the Riptide for the playoff spot. A tie means the Riptide gets a point so now even if Quebec wins, they can't secure the wild card spot." Tenley says and Olivia looks up at me and I nod.

“Hockey is confusing,” Olivia announces. “But yay Conner and hugs to Theo.”

“Any more of this crappy beer, Crew?” Tate asks as he and Mallory wander out holding hands.

“I only bought a twelve pack,” I confess. “trying to be good with playoffs looming and all.”

"I think we need more," Grady replies and turns to Tenley. "Can I borrow your car? I'll head down to the place at the bottom of the street and grab some. Your car is blocking mine on the driveway.”

Tenley reaches into the pocket of her cardigan and tosses her cousin the keys.

Two hours later, everyone is tipsy and upbeat. Condolence calls have been made to Theo by every Garrison in the place and once again, I’m amazed at how tight the family is. Nash and I are tight now too. Tighter than we’ve ever been, which isn’t to say we don’t bicker. But we’re co-captains and we’re working together and communicating better than ever before.

"If we really focus, we can beat the Riptide, if they make it that far in their division, which I think they will," Nash tells me. "But we have to really practice our blind passes."

Yeah, we’re back to doing that thing the fans and coaches love, where we anticipate where the other will be on the ice and shoot the puck in that direction before the other even gets there. It’s put me up in the top three scorers in the league and given Nash the title of most assists.

“We have to get to the end first, Nash,” I remind him as Tenley plays a heated game of ping pong on my table at the edge of the patio with Grady. Surprisingly he is not kicking her ass. “It’s a long road to the Final, which is the only time we’ll play a team from the other division.”

“I know but come on, I feel it. Don’t you?” he pushes his shoulder into mine as we sit beside each other on the couch. Olivia walks in with a new tray of food she must have prepped in the kitchen.

I shoot her a grateful smile and turn to my brother. “If I say I feel it I jinx it.”

"I thought I was the superstitious twin," Nash chuckles. He pauses, sips his beer, and his eyebrows, the same shade as mine, furrow a moment. "You gonna marry this one too?"

“Not right now, no,” I reply. “But I hope when I’m ready, she’s ready too.”

“Good. This is the right call. The right girl,” Nash replies. “I’m happy for you.”

I'm about to make some snarky remark about how that means we'll be legally tied to Tenley when Olivia holds up a crumpled piece of paper. "Who dropped this?"

“What is it?” Mallory asks.

Olivia unfolds the paper and smooths it out. It looks old and stained and I wonder if it’s just garbage that blew in off the street. “A receipt… no a… what? I…”

She pauses pulls her phone out of her pocket and switches on the flashlight. The sun has dipped and the solar lights around the patio aren’t that bright. Olivia’s head snaps up and she spins to stare at Tenley.

“What?’ Tenley asks.

Olivia’s head snaps to Nash and then to me before her eyes find the paper again, but Tate is snapping it out of her hand, annoyed with all the suspense. He reads it and his mouth falls open. He looks at his sister. “It’s a marriage certificate. For you. And Nash.”

"What?" Mallory squeals.

Tenley's face goes pale, and Nash's goes blank like his brain has disconnected. Tate waves it in the air. "Tenley tell me this is a joke. What the fuck?"

“Oh my God!” Tenley lunges and snatches the paper out of Tate’s hand.

Nash is on his feet beside me. “You had this? The whole time?”

“It must have been in my sweater pocket. I haven’t worn this in forever,” Tenley looks like a bear in a trap. Tate snatches the paper back from her and turns to Nash, his eyes narrowed.

“Tell me this fake. A joke.”

I step up to stand beside my brother, to have his back if he needs me, and block the punch Tate looks like he wants to throw. "It might be.”

“I’ll call the lawyer,” Nash mutters and stalks back into my house. Tate moves to follow, but I hook his arm.

Tenley scurries off after Nash. Tate stares at me. “You knew?”

“Yeah. Sort of.”

“Holy shit.” Olivia gasps and stares.

Grady puts down his beer and slaps my shoulder. "Great night! The entertainment was top-notch. I'm going to head out. We should do this again sometime."

Mallory tugs on Tate’s arm. “Let’s go too. We can talk to Ten about this tomorrow.”

The next thing I know it’s just me and Olivia in the kitchen cleaning up. She’s quiet and it doesn’t feel like a good quiet. I take a deep breath and finish loading the dishwasher. “So are you mad at me for not telling you about Nash and Tenley?”

She glances up at me as she finishes putting some uneaten fresh veggies back in the fridge. “No. I get that it wasn’t your secret to spill. I’m just…. I’m bummed she didn’t confide in me.”

“I think she just thought if she didn’t talk about it, it didn’t happen,” I explain, relieved that she isn’t mad at me. Olivia turns, her back to the countertop and she sighs. I hold her hips in my hands and stand in front of her. “Honestly, I think it[‘s a fake certificate. Nash hired a lawyer when it happened and she couldn’t find any record of the marriage actually being registered.”

"When did it happen?"

“In Vegas, on the same trip where we happened.”

Olivia laughs her head tipping back, putting her smooth long neck on display so I press my lips to it. Her laughs turn to a sigh and her fingers slip into my hair. "Leave it to Tenley to out-crazy me. I go for a one-night stand. She goes for a marriage."

I kiss her earlobe, her jaw, her cheek. “Hopefully her marriage is as fake as our one-night stand.”

“The only fake about that night was my second orgasm.”

"Zing!" I say and pull back to look into her eyes which are glimmering with sass. "And also ouch. I'm still embarrassed by that."

“You’ve more than made up for it,” Olivia replies.

“I should probably try again, just to make sure,” I lift her ass onto the counter and kiss her, long and slow, letting my tongue explore and play. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

"Now take me to bed or lose me forever," Olivia demands and I chuckle. "My mom made me watch Top Gun.”

“I don’t remember that line.”

“The original, not the new one.”

“Oh,” I laugh. “Well, it’s a good line and who am I to argue?”

I kiss her again before lifting her off the counter and carrying her to my bedroom. I have no idea what is going to happen to my brother. But I do know that he may not know if he's technically married to a Garrison girl, but I'm pretty sure that I will be… one day.