Three Pucking Wedding Dates (Hockey Harems #1)

6. Oakley

6

OAKLEY

T he clink of glasses and low murmurs of conversation envelop us as Reid and I settle onto barstools, the wood smooth against my thighs. The scent of whiskey and citrus lingers in the air, mixing with the faint undercurrent of polished leather.

“I’ll never forget the time you set that fireworks display off in your backyard.”

“Hey, that was an accident!” I protest, laughing despite myself. The memory of the chaos that ensued still brings a smile to my face—one that Reid gladly shares.

“Marvin was furious!”

“Trust me, he still is.” I smile harder, thinking about the look on my dad’s face. “And what friends you were. Y’all left me to explain on my own!”

“Hey, it was every man for himself at that point.”

“Anyway,” I say, redirecting the conversation to something that’s been weighing on me since I saw him again, “how come you didn’t recognize me earlier at the rink? It’s not like we haven’t known each other for years.”

Reid grins and leans back on his stool, studying me with a playful glint in his eyes. “Well, Miss Price, it seems you’ve managed to shed your caterpillar cocoon and transform into a stunning butterfly. You’re gorgeous now, do you know that?”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Reid,” I scoff, but I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks, betraying my appreciation for the compliment.

“You know me,” Reid continues. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. What I can’t understand is how Dan could fumble so badly when he had you? I’ve seen the guy—he was already under your league. What could he have gotten that’s better than you?”

I breathe. “My stepsister.”

Reid’s eyes widen, but as he opens his mouth to say something, the bartender makes his way over to us. “What can I get you tonight?”

“Two whiskeys, neat,” Reid says decisively before I can get a word out, and the bartender leaves quickly to make them.

“I don’t like whiskey,” I comment.

“With what you’ve just told me, you need it.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “You’re making decisions for me now?”

“Got a problem with it, Price?”

“I do, Archer.”

“Get over it.”

I can’t help but smile. It’s been too long since I’ve seen Reid in person, but it feels like we haven’t missed a step, except for the little hiccup when he didn’t recognize me.

Reid and I have kept in contact a bit over the years, but nowhere near as much as Gray and I have, just a few messages here and there.

Still, he’s the same Reid that I remember.

“Alright, show me this stepsister.”

I sigh, pulling out my phone and quickly scrolling through social media until I find a recent photo of Georgia to show Reid. It isn’t hard when she posts every second of her day like she’s some kind of celebrity. I hand the phone over to Reid.

He takes it, studying the image for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, she’s hot. I’d take her for a ride myself if I didn’t know who she was.”

I snatch my phone out of his hands. “Thanks, Reid. You know what to say to make a girl feel better, don’t you?”

“If you want someone to sugarcoat it, ask Gray next time.” He laughs. “I’m always going to tell you the truth, and the truth is that she’s sexy as sin.”

I frown. “So, I didn’t stand a chance?”

“She has more sex appeal, sure, but she’s not the kind of woman a man wants to settle down with. She’s more like you take her to dinner, spend a little money on her and then go to a nice hotel and never see her again. You’re different.”

I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about his words. “Different how?”

“You have an innocent beauty. Any man who’s with you won’t want to share you. You’re the take home to meet Momma, marry, and have kids with kinda beauty.”

I raise an eyebrow at Reid. “You can tell all of that from our looks?”

“Yep.” He smirks. “I’ve been in this business for a long time, dollface.”

The first time he said that at the rink, it had felt condescending, but the nickname is quickly growing on me.

I appreciate his candor. It’s refreshing after all the lies and deceit I’ve dealt with recently. “So, answer me this, why did Dan choose Georgia then? Why is he marrying her?”

“A, he knocked her up. B, he’s getting lost in the moment. C, she shows him more love than you did. It’s probably a combination of all three, but he’ll realize that he messed up and go crawling back after you.”

I have to stop my eyes from bulging out of my head from the way he was able to identify the situation so easily, even though he wasn’t a part of it.

“You’re good.”

“I know I am.” He winks at me. “You shouldn’t have even been with the guy. You’re smart, fiercely loyal, and you have this fire inside you that demands respect. Any guy would be lucky to have you by his side.”

“Reid Archer, are you actually being sincere for once?” I tease, trying to lighten the mood, but his words have already made their impact, settling into my core like a warm, comforting embrace.

“Don’t act like it’s unheard of.”

“It isn’t.”

The bartender comes back with our drinks, and I eye my glass almost warily. When’s the last time I drank whiskey? Probably not since I was in high school, and I hadn’t had plans of changing that tonight.

Reid gently elbows me, encouraging me, and I pick up the glass and mentally prepare myself for a second before throwing it to the back of my throat, relishing the burn and setting the glass back down hard on the table, shaking my head and scrunching up my nose from the horrid taste.

Reid quickly follows suit, but doesn’t have the same reaction as me. I wonder how often he drinks whiskey. “You took that like a champ.”

“I don’t know how I drank so much in high school.”

“Ah, yes. You used to be so much fun back then.”

“And I’m not now?”

“How would I know?”

It’s a reminder that we haven’t spent too much time together over the years. The bartender comes back. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Uh, just water for me, please,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. The one glass is enough for me.

Reid raises an eyebrow at my request, a teasing grin playing on his lips. “Come on, Oakley. Live a little. One more drink?”

I hesitate, biting my lip. “I agreed to one, Reid. Besides, I’m kind of a lightweight.”

“Since when?” He frowns.

“Since I stopped having all that fun in high school.”

“Hey,” he says, his tone softening. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. I’m not like some of these guys.” He nods toward a group of men in the corner, their laughter boisterous and predatory.

“Fine,” I relent, sighing. “Just one more drink, and then you take me to the house.”

“Perfect,” Reid replies with a wink, then turns to the bartender. “Two whiskey sours, please.”

As the bartender walks away to prepare our drinks, I can’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety. Alcohol has never been my friend, and the thought of losing control—even a little—sends shivers down my spine.

The bartender comes back with our whiskey sours. I don’t drink this one nearly as fast, attempting to sip on it. The tart taste of lemon and warmth of whiskey dance on my tongue, the alcohol already spreading a pleasant buzz through my veins.

“Alright, Oakley,” Reid says, swirling the ice in his glass. “I have to ask. Did you even love the guy?”

“Who? Dan?”

“Who else?”

I hesitate, the question stirring up a maelstrom of emotions within me. The truth is painful, but perhaps it’s time to face it head-on. “No,” I confess, my voice barely more than a whisper. “I wasn’t in love with him. I thought I was, but looking back…it was more of an infatuation, I guess.”

“Then, why were you with him?”

I shrug. “It was easy, I guess, something I could count on. I never expected him to cheat,” I admit, my eyes downcast as the memories of betrayal resurface. “I thought he cared about me. That we had something special. But I was wrong.”

“Settling isn’t special. There’s more to life than being with someone because it’s easy. Honestly, don’t you think you deserve more than that?” Reid reaches across the bar to place a hand over mine.

The warmth of Reid’s hand on mine sends a shiver down my spine, and I can’t help but feel a flicker of something more than just gratitude for his support. He holds my gaze, the intensity in his green eyes almost making me forget the bustling bar around us.

“And in your opinion, what kind of person do I deserve?”

“Someone who is truly passionate about you. Someone who wants to explore every inch of your mind and body, who craves your touch like it’s their lifeline,” he describes, his voice low and captivating.

As Reid speaks, I find myself leaning closer, drawn in by the magnetic pull between us. His words paint a vivid picture in my mind, one that seems both tantalizing and dangerously alluring. I swallow hard, feeling a sudden surge of boldness.

“Are you that someone, Reid?” I tease playfully, raising an eyebrow as I challenge him. My heart races in anticipation of his response, and I wonder if this is really just a game or if there’s a hint of truth behind my question.

Is it the drinks that are making me so bold?

The air between us crackles with electricity. My breath catches when Reid suddenly reaches forward and grabs my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze.

“Oakley,” he says, his voice low and intense, “you may think you’re ready for someone like me, but trust me when I say you’re too innocent for the kind of things I could show you.”

His thumb brushes against my lower lip, sending a shiver down my spine. Despite my boldness earlier, a part of me knows he’s right. I’ve never been one for wild adventures or reckless decisions. But another, more daring, part of me wonders if this might be just the kind of thing I need to break free from my past and embrace a new future.

I’m about to respond, to tell him that maybe I want to be a little less innocent and a little more wild, when a throat clears behind us. The sudden interruption startles us both, and I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment as we break apart, turning to see Gray standing right in front of us.

“Hey, guys,” he says with a forced smile, obviously trying to play off his displeasure at our intimate moment. “Mind if I join you?”

“Of course not,” I reply quickly, trying to shake off the lingering heat from Reid’s touch. “We were just…talking.”

“Looked like some pretty intense talking,” Gray observes, his eyes flicking between Reid and me before he takes a seat beside me at the bar.