The Langfield Brothers: Box Set

24. Lennox

TWENTY-FOUR

LENNOX

Do you remember that little gelato shop in Positano? You forced me to go there every day while we were in town. And while the flavors were dream-worthy, don’t think I didn’t catch you staring dreamily at the little chapel in the square, watching bride after bride marry her sweetheart. When I asked if you’d ever thought about your own wedding, you looked me dead in the eye, chin held high, and told me you were never getting married. Despite your defiance and the fire in your eyes, I saw beneath the mask. I saw the hurt girl who couldn’t imagine marrying anyone but the boy whose heart she broke.

I fold up my grandmother’s letter again and stick it in my purse as Millie steps out of the dressing room to a chorus of oh my god s.

My heart aches at the sight of her. Millie Hall was meant to be a bride. She’s more beautiful than every one of those brides my grandmother and I saw in Positano. Millie is only trying on wedding dresses, makeup free and her curly hair pulled up in a bun, and yet she outshines even my most bittersweet memories.

“This is the one ,” Sara squeals as Liv, Beckett’s wife, fixes the train. The sight of the three of them chatting has my throat burning. Each one is married or engaged to one of Aiden’s brothers, and they’re incredibly close, just like the guys are.

Millie only invited the three of us today. She said her mother would only make it about her. I’m proud of her for knowing her boundaries and implementing them when it comes to the toxic people in her life. I’ve been keeping my parents at arm’s length for years, yet Millie seems more at peace with her decision than I’ve ever been with mine. Maybe I’m still hoping that one day, my mother will change. That she’ll be more like my grandmother—a woman who cared more about me than what I could do for her.

I’m here because I’m Millie’s wedding planner, but I wish she’d invited me because I was truly one of the Langfield girls like Sara and Liv. Isn’t that a crazy thought, though? They’ve been nothing but inclusive, and yet I’m on the outside, harboring this sense of longing that makes me want to cry.

“Hockey Daddy is going to lose his mind when he sees you,” I say, standing up and swallowing all my insecurities.

Liv laughs. “Hockey Daddy?”

“You don’t call Beckett Baseball Daddy?” I tease.

Sara and Liv fall into fits of giggles.

“Could you even imagine?” Sara shakes her head.

Liv twists her lips to the side, her dark eyes dancing. “He prefers Mr. Langfield in the bedroom.”

“Oh my god!” Sara screams.

A maniacal laugh bubbles out of me, and Millie shakes with laughter in her gorgeous dress.

Liv merely shrugs. I love how obsessed Beckett is with her. Like me, she’s got curves for days and if anyone so much as glances at Liv’s, the man looks ready to tear their eyes out.

“What about you, Sar? Does Brookie have a preferred name?” I tease. “Maybe glitter dick?”

Her eyes gleam in challenge. “I don’t know, Lex . Have you taken Aiden’s bedazzled appendage for a ride yet?”

Asshole, using not only Aiden’s nickname for me but also taunting me over what has now become my obsession. A bunch of the guys on the team have sparkly peens, and it’s killing me not knowing whether that includes Aiden.

Though trepidation over what’s going on between Aiden and me swirls with curiosity over the peen situation, I sniff and play it cool. “We’re brand-spanking new, and I’m not a hussy, so no, I haven’t seen Aiden’s anything yet.”

Sara eyes me. “He gave you an orgasm, though, didn’t he?”

I suck in a harsh breath.What the fuck?

“With his fingers.” She beams, so damn proud of herself.

Squealing, Millie bounces, the fabric of her dress rustling. “Oh my god, she’s using your magic against you.”

She most certainly is. How, though? I possess a special talent that involves sensing the details of my friends’ sex lives. It’s weird, but I’m irrationally proud of it and annoyed that Sara has turned it on me.

“In public,” she adds in a damning tone.

That bitch.

Liv laughs. “What is happening?”

Sara tosses her blond hair proudly. “Oh, just giving my bestie a taste of her own medicine. Was I right?”

With a roll of my eyes, I look away.

“Oh my god, she was? Tell us everything,” Millie prods, hopping off the raised platform in front of the mirror.

And that’s how I end up telling the three Langfield girls (that’s what I’ve nicknamed them, so deal with it) the story of how Aiden gave me the best orgasm of my life and then refused to let me return the favor.

“This is weird,” I whisper as Sara practically drags me up the steps of Liv and Beckett’s brownstone. After Millie said yes to the dress and we all teared up, the four of us went for cocktails down by the seaport. While we were there, Beckett texted Liv, informing her that his brothers had come over to hang with the kids while we were out and they were now ordering dinner. Of course it was a given that Sara and Millie would head over, but me? I planned to go home, but Liv insisted I come. So now here I am, about to walk into my fake boyfriend’s brother’s house, to spend a Sunday night with his family.

I need another cocktail. Or ten.

“Will you stop being weird?” she mutters. Without giving me even a second to collect myself, she throws the front door open and strides in, expecting I’ll follow her.

“Hands up! And no quick movements.” A kid sporting a fro points a Nerf gun at me as I cross the threshold.

“I’ll protect you,” Aiden booms as he flies through the air in front of us, coming to rest at my feet. He blinks up at me from the floor, face sweating and eyes filled with wonder. “Hey, Lex.”

“Finn, my man, let’s try to keep my star player from getting hurt before the season starts, please,” Gavin groans as he appears in the hallway carrying his nine-month-old daughter. He ruffles the rambunctious kid’s hair and assesses Sara and me. “Where’s Peaches?”

I can’t help the smile that forms. “Missing your bride already?”

“Always,” he says, not even trying to hide his affection for her.

Aiden tugs on my ankle and hits me with a devilish grin.

My core clenches as an image of him looking up at me the other night as he put my shoes on hits. And when a memory of how he touched me last night surfaces, my heart takes off. Shit. I haven’t seen or spoken to him since, so I’m glad to see he’s still acting so… hmm how is he acting?

Flirty? Yeah. He seems back to normal after his jealous insanity.

Not that I exactly hated the fallout from the jealousy.

A teasing smile stretches across his face. Clearly, I’ve been making googly eyes at my fake man friend for too long. “You gonna help me up, Princess?”

That nickname does it again. My core clenches, and I silently scold my kitty, warning her that she’ll be having no playtime. The bitch needs to stand down.

Instead, she purrs and arches her back. The ole girl wants more attention.

I wiggle my foot out of his grasp. “Pretty sure you can help yourself, Hockey Boy.”

Aiden grins like he can read all my dirty thoughts. Ass.

“Didn’t think I’d see you so soon, Lex. Miss me so much you’ve taken to stalking me?” He jumps up like a human Gumby, practically swaying to his feet.

He’s wearing his typical Bolts blue shirt and a pair of jeans. It’s unfair how good this man wears a shirt. The perfect way it stretches across his muscles makes me dizzy with need.

“I’m not stalking you. I was dress shopping with the girls when Liv got the call from Beckett, and then she invited me.”

He tilts in close, causing the curls on top of his head to fall forward. The urge to yank them is irrational, but I fist my hands to keep from acting on the insanity.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Then, without warning, his lips are on mine.

When I stand, frozen in place, and don’t return the kiss, he bites my bottom lip.

“Relax,” he murmurs against my mouth. “We’re supposed to be a couple, remember? Play with me, Princess.”

Right. I’m allowed to kiss him. Allowed to want him. Okay, maybe not the last thing, but no one has to know how much I’m truly enjoying this fake relationship, right?

So I kiss him back. And I enjoy it. Melding my lips to his. Licking at the seam of them until he opens and kisses me deeply, making my toes curl and my kitty pulse.

“That’s not Auntie Jill.” The words are like a record player scratch. I immediately pull back and suck in one harsh breath after another.

Wearing that damn infectious smile of his, Aiden wraps an arm around me and spins me so I’m facing the pint-sized troublemaker. He’s lowered his Nerf gun to his side and is studying us with skeptical brown eyes.

“You’re right. It’s not. This is Lennox. My girlfriend. Lex, this is Liv’s son, Finn.” There’s no hesitation, no sugarcoating. Aiden’s voice is strong, and he doesn’t squirm, even as the little guy tilts his head, clearly preparing his next zinger.

Fortunately, Millie opens the door behind us, and Finn’s attention is diverted. “Princess Peaches is here.” He runs straight for her at an unnatural speed.

Millie must be used to this kind of welcome, because she drops down and holds out her arms an instant before the kid crashes into her.

Like he’s been summoned with a cowbell, Gavin reappears and steamrolls past us all. As he approaches Millie, he holds out his hand, and she grins at him from the floor.

She straightens, and then she’s reaching for Vivi.

Gavin grabs her chin and forces her attention to him. “Missed you, Peaches.”

She winks. “Missed you too, Coach. Was she good for ya?”

He leans in, presses a kiss to her lips, then replies quietly.

Aiden pinches my side, startling me. My face heats. Shit. He totally caught me staring at his brother’s little family longingly. But how could I not? It’s so heartwarming to see Millie get everything she deserves. When I met her a few months ago, she was playing coy, swearing she didn’t want Hockey Daddy, but I knew all along this was how the three of them were meant to be. A family.

My smile is wobbly when I turn to Aiden.

His responding one is gentle. “Can I get you a drink?”

“A water would be good.”

The two cocktails with the girls were enough. Clearly, they’ve brought too many emotions to the surface. Tonight, I need to stay grounded, and when I’m around Aiden, I need all the help I can get to keep my feet firmly planted in reality and not up in the clouds where he lives. The fantasies he’s concocting of princesses getting their happily ever afters are beautiful, but they’re exactly that, fantasies.

Aiden plants a kiss to my forehead, and that feels more intimate than any touch we’ve shared. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says again, as if he’s reinforcing those words. Like he knows I need to hear them.

I’m wanted. Even if our relationship is fake, he wants me around.

As he disappears into the kitchen, I focus on breathing steadily, allowing that thought to settle my nerves.

The peace is broken quickly, though, when I’m hit square in the head with a Nerf bullet.

Half an hour later, we’re seated in the dining room with every takeout option available laid out before us.

“Want some fried rice with your pizza?” Aiden asks as he slides a slice onto my plate.

“Beckett, you know the rules. No phones at the dinner table,” Liv says, arching a brow at him.

Beside her, Beckett growls. “Believe me, I’d love to not have to deal with this right now.”

“Deal with what?” Gavin asks as he makes a plate for Millie.

She’s got Vivi on her lap. Beckett and Liv’s baby girls are sleeping, and Finn and his little sister Addie are set up in the playroom with trays. After Finn hit me in the face with the bullet, Liv declared that the adults needed a time-out from the kids.

I’ve been told they have an older sister, but she hasn’t come out of her room.

Secretly, I’m thankful. I like kids well enough, but navigating this fake relationship in front of the adults in Aiden’s life is hard enough. Kids are too damn perceptive and ask the important questions—like what the hell happened to Jill?

Though I guess telling Finn that she was a conniving, cheating, awful woman with a big nose probably wouldn’t have gone over well with Liv and Beckett.

It’s a good thing the kid didn’t ask me, because that’s what I would have said.

Liv holds up her hand. “No talking business at the dinner table. We have rules, people.”

Grasping her hand, Beckett gives it a squeeze. “Sorry, Livy.”

She takes a deep breath and sips her wine. “It’s fine.”

Gavin clears his throat and turns his attention on me. “How are things going on the wedding planning front?”

A little burst of excitement hits me, making it impossible not to bounce a little in my chair. “So good. Millie found her dress today. Your venues are all set. The cake—” My heart lurches. Oh no. The cake. Cringing, I turn to Aiden. “Oh, shoot. I forgot to ask since Aiden is no longer the one getting married—should we stick with the white cake with peach filling or was that disgusting concoction all Jill?”

Sara snorts and Brooks grumbles, dropping his head into his hand.

Millie, mouth agape, scoffs. “It’s because Gavin calls me Peaches.”

Oh shit.

“I’m sorry. It’s probably delicious.” The glare I fix Aiden with is icy, even as my face flames. “I just assumed?—”

Aiden covers my hand with his and squeezes. “You assumed wrong. I took one look at you and ended it with Jill. Like I told you—from the beginning, we were planning a wedding for them.” He nods across the table, but his eyes never leave mine.

“Aw, that really is the sweetest,” Liv says.

Beckett puffs up, his dress shirt straining over his solid chest. “We Langfields really are the swooniest, Livy.”

Sara coughs out a laugh again. “Permission to make fun of you since we aren’t at work?”

“Permission not granted,” Beckett grumbles.

“Dammit.”

The whole group is laughing when Beckett’s phone buzzes again.

“ Beckett ,” Liv hisses.

He picks up the phone and holds it out in front of him as he powers it down. “It’s not my fault. Hannah is about ready to murder my rookie, and I’m sure there are others standing in line to join her.”

“What did Jasper do now?” Gavin asks.

“What hasn’t he done?” After a hefty sip of wine, Liv shakes her head. “He was caught with the two strippers last week. The week before that, a woman claimed he fathered her child?—”

“She was seventy. She couldn’t possibly be pregnant,” Sara interjects. “It was bull.”

Beckett nods. “The point is that the kid needs a tight leash.”

Across from me, Gavin gives a thoughtful nod. “That’s why the younger guys on my team live in my building. They aren’t getting away with shit.”

Sara points finger guns at him. “Nope. We’re there to lay down the law.”

Chuckling, Brooks cups her hands and lowers them. “Sar, no finger guns.”

“No, wait. That’s a great idea,” Beckett says slowly.

Sara raises them again, making her finger guns dance. “They are very docile fingers. Just ask your brother.”

Brooks groans. “How many times have we discussed that we don’t talk about sex with my brothers?”

Sara shrugs. “And yet you asked me to marry you? Who’s the fool here?”

I can’t help but giggle quietly at the way they all interact.

“No,” Beckett says, steering the conversation back on track. “The apartment. What’s going on with your place now that you’re living with Brooks?”

Sara’s expression sobers. “Lennox is staying there now.”

“I can move out,” I offer, shifting uncomfortably in my chair. I shouldn’t have been squatting in the apartment in the first place, and now this is just awkward.

Aiden squeezes my thigh. “No way. You have it decorated exactly as you like it.”

The grin Sara directs my way is evil. Shit. It’s impossible to be prepared for what she might say, especially when she looks like that. “Why don’t you put the new guy in War’s old place, and Aiden can move in with Lennox?”

Eyes narrowed, I shoot daggers at her. “What?”

Beckett shakes his head. “That’s okay. We’ll find somewhere else.”

Gavin rests his elbows on the table and clasps his hands, pressing them against his mouth. “I think this is a great idea.”

Liv snorts, the bun on top of her head bobbing. “You would.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Millie asks, scanning the group. “Am I missing something?”

“Oh, just that Gavin likes to force people to move in together when they aren’t ready,” Beckett huffs out, glaring at his next youngest brother.

Aiden throws an arm around my shoulder and pulls me close. “Well, that’s not us, is it, Lex? We’re ready for it all. So sure, I’ll move in with my girl, and Jasper can have War’s old place.”

“You sure?” Gavin asks, his tone full of challenge. “If it’s not that serious, you can always get your own place— not in the hockey building. Lord knows I pay you enough.”

“It’s serious,” Aiden counters.

I stomp on his foot and twist my heel. What the hell is this guy thinking?

“So serious,” he doubles down, hiding a grimace of pain by bringing my hand to his mouth and pressing a kiss to it. “Right, Princess?”

Butterflies flutter in my stomach, even as it sinks. What the hell am I supposed to say to that?

There’s only one thing I can say if we want to keep up this ruse. So with a lump lodged in my throat, I whisper, “Right.”

Sensing that I’m desperate for a topic change, Millie claps once, garnering the attention of the group.

Gavin fixes his focus on her, his expression oozing affection.

“Sara, Liv,” she says, “I was hoping you would agree to be my bridesmaids.”

“Really?” Sara squeaks, her eyes welling with tears.

Millie nods. “You’ll be my sisters, and I’ve never had sisters.”

“Me neither,” Liv replies, swiping at her own misty eyes. “But I’m so happy I’ll have you both.”

“I want to ask Winnie to be a junior bridesmaid,” Millie says.

Beckett wraps an arm around his wife and presses a kiss to her shoulder. The move makes the ache inside me grow. This is just so beautiful.

“That’s really sweet,” Liv says. “Maybe that’ll cheer her up enough to get her out of her room.” She lets out a soft sigh. “She’s only eleven, and I’m already dreading the teenage years.” She’s focused on me, likely because everyone else in the room knows Winnie, and I don’t.

“I don’t miss that age at all,” I admit.

Sara lets out a loud sob and clutches her chest. “Me neither.”

“Why are you crying?” Millie asks.

“I’ve never had a sister either,” Sara says, hiccupping, and tips her head toward me. “Other than this one. Thank you, Millie. I’d love to be a bridesmaid.”

“Perfect.” Millie’s soft smile grows wide. “For your first duty as bridesmaid, I need you to say yes to my next request.”

“Whatever you want, it’s yours.” Sara bobs her head, her tears replaced with determination. “Even if it’s getting this guy to dance at your bachelorette party. He’s got a glittery dick, so I can understand why you’d prefer to watch him shake it rather than your fiancé.”

“Crazy girl,” Brooks bellows, throwing himself back in his chair, his arms tossed in the air.

Gavin roughs a hand down his face. “My penis doesn’t need glitter. It happens to work just fine.”

Chuckling, Beckett shakes his head. “Thank god we had the kids eat in the other room.”

Millie bites her lip to keep from laughing, her eyes dancing.

“Tell them I don’t need glitter to keep you happy,” Gavin grits out.

With a roll of her eyes, Millie says, “This Langfield brother keeps me more than satisfied.” Turning to Sara, she tempers her expression. “What I need from you, Sara, is Lennox.”

“Hmm.” Sara surveys me for a second and shrugs. “If you’d prefer Lennox dance for us, I could get behind that. Her ass is spectacular. I was just telling her the other day that I’d do her.”

“Crazy girl.” Brooks covers his face with both hands.

In response, she flutters her lashes and presses a kiss to his cheek. “I’m sorry, Saint. Even your sparkly peen doesn’t get me going like her ass does in pink spandex.”

Liv shakes beside Beckett, who’s got his head tipped back and his eyes closed. “Your future wife is something else,” he tells Brooks.

“You hired me.” Sara winks at him. “And, according to you, we have you to thank for getting us together.”

“What do you need from me?” I ask Millie, steering this runaway train back on track.

Wearing a pensive frown, she looks from Vivi to me. “I was hoping you’d agree to be in my wedding.”

My heart pangs as I shake my head. “You don’t have to include me just because I’m here tonight. They’re family. I get it.”

“That’s not why I’m asking.” She takes an uneven breath and forges on. “You were my first friend when I moved to Boston. I’d only ever been seen as Daniel’s sister or Ford’s daughter or Gavin’s?—”

“ Mine .” The man himself grins.

“I was going to say girlfriend, but yeah, I guess that fits.”

He presses a kiss to her head with so much tenderness, I can’t help but tear up at the sight.

Millie turns back to me. “But you were my friend just for me.”

Nodding, I blink back tears, though the effort is futile. They won’t stop. Aiden squeezes my thigh beneath the table.

“So, will you be my maid of honor?”Millie’s golden eyes are so hopeful and pure as she asks.

My heart bursts, and tears streak down my face as I nod. “Of course I will.”

“Since I’m obviously the best man,” Beckett says, “Aiden will have to walk my wife down the aisle.” He looks pointedly at the man beside me. “No funny business.”

His warning is full of so much heat, my tears turn to giggles. The man is unhinged for his wife. I love it.

“Who says you’re the best man?” Aiden counters, crossing his arms over his chest.

Beckett tilts his head, unimpressed. “Please, I’m the matchmaker. Not only did I help cover for Gavin and Millie while they hid their damn relationship, but I got the ball rolling for Vivi’s adoption.”

Gavin nods, his expression solemn. “Sorry, bro. Gotta side with Beckett on this one.”

Huffing, Aiden spins to Brooks. “If I’m not your best man, I’ll never speak to you again.”

Beckett leans forward, his chair creaking beneath him. “I’m the one who stepped in when Gavin almost fired Sara. I even hugged him when he was down and out and worried he’d lose her.”

“I hug .” Aiden slaps the table, making the silverware rattle.

Everyone at the table laughs.

“Listen, we haven’t even set a date,” Brooks says, pulling Sara close. “But as soon as we do, I’ll accept applications for the position.”

Laughter echoes around the room, and as we all settle down, the guys launch into a conversation about the current baseball season and then the upcoming hockey season.

Despite how nervous I am at the prospect of Aiden moving in with me, this is one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time.