War (Boston Bolts Hockey #3)

18. Tyler

EIGHTEEN

TYLER

Aiden: Should I start putting together my speech?

Brooks: What the hell are you giving a speech for?

Aiden: My best man speech, obviously.

Hall: Wait, who’s getting married?

Hall: I kid, I kid. All of you motherfuckers are. Even Fitz had to go and get coupled up.

Aiden: Is it called coupled up when there are three of them?

Hall: He’s got a couple to himself. Pretty fucking impressive.

Fitz: I’m right here, guys. I’m not sure how I ended up in this text chain, but I’m right fucking here.

Hall: My bad!

Brooks: LOL. See you on the plane tomorrow, Coach.

Aiden: Okay, back to my question. War?

With a sigh, I drop my phone onto the mattress beside me. After the slew of messages that Hannah fucking read out loud in front of Ava and the girls, I could use a break from my so-called friends.

Why the fuck does everyone think I’ve been pining for Ava? For two years, I literally lived to taunt her. To ignore her. To piss her off.

Sure, things have changed over the last couple of days. I know she isn’t the person I thought she was. Or maybe she is, but I can see now that she’s so much more than that.

One thing that hasn’t changed? She’s still quick to judge me. If not for the kids, I guarantee she’d be repulsed by the idea of marrying me.

Doesn’t mean I don’t like her. Or think about her far too damn often. Doesn’t mean that her presence beside me every night doesn’t keep me up for half of it. Wondering if we’ll ever share the intimacy of a real marriage. Wondering what she’d do if I made a move on her. Would she kiss me back? Would her body come alive for me? Would she pant out my name when she came?

I scrub a hand down my face, irritated by this train of thought. I’m fucking hard beneath the covers just thinking of the possibility of a moment with her. Meanwhile, she’s been in Josie’s room for over an hour. Wouldn’t be surprised if she stays in there all night to avoid me and the conversation we need to have.

Maybe it’s better this way. I could set up a separate room for her. The girls could share a room. Hell, they’d probably love it. Ava and I don’t have to sleep together.

It’s better to keep things the way they are. Making a move will probably only scare her off. And I need her to do this with me. Even if she sticks around, there’s no way our marriage will ever be real.

Staying the course is a more realistic long-term approach.

Not thirty seconds after I’ve convinced myself of this, the door opens and the redhead who is the star of all of my fantasies lately appears in nothing but sleep shorts and another one of my long-sleeve shirts, her hair a mess and her eyes tired. “Hey, sorry. I fell asleep in Josie’s room.”

I shake my head. Hopefully she takes the gesture as a silent way of saying it’s no big deal, when in reality, I’m working hard not to say come lie with me. I’ll hold you while you fall asleep.

“You still want to talk?” Ava asks as she disappears into the bathroom. She’s looking for a hair tie so she can braid her hair like she does every night. It’s always a loose one and done to the side. She reappears, stepping into the bedroom, her fingers already forming the braid as she watches me expectantly.

It’s just another thing that throws me. Reminds me of the past. Confuses me just enough to have me questioning it all again.

I shake the confusion off and focus on her question. “Sure. It was just about the wedding.”

Ava gives me a full once-over, smirking. “No shirt? Getting awfully comfortable there.”

My blood heats as I get lost in her expression. In the way her green eyes challenge me. I love this version of her. The one she saves just for me. This is the ballerina I fell for in the gym.

“You keep stealing ’em, so I figured you needed them more.”

Cheeks pink, she ducks her head and loops the elastic around her hair. Then, grasping the bottom of my T-shirt, she pulls it up a smidge, giving me a peek of her freckled skin. “I could take it off if you need it.”

That flirtatious tone of hers is new. And I really fucking like it.

My swallow is heavy. So is the sensation low in my gut. “Maybe we should talk first?”

The fabric drops just as quickly as her smile. “Right. About the wedding. Do you think it’s weird that our friends didn’t even question our engagement?”

I sigh, annoyed with myself for shutting down her flirtation. “Yeah, it was strange.”

“I was dating your brother last week. You’d think that would make them at least a little suspicious,” she says as she walks toward the bed.

I grind my teeth, though I shrug off that word. Brother . “Has he contacted you? ”

At the edge of the mattress, she lowers her head and fidgets with the comforter. “He’s sent a few texts, but I haven’t responded.”

Straightening, I fist my hands on either side of me. “Wait, he left you here on Christmas Eve and you still haven’t talked?”

She shrugs, gaze averted. “Nope.”

“So he doesn’t know we’re getting married?”

Finally, she looks at me, her lips pressed into a flat line, and blinks. “No idea what he does or doesn’t know. You saw the picture. He was too busy with strippers on Christmas Eve to care. Maybe he knocked one of them up, since he was all about breeding that night.”

I frown as I study her. “You don’t sound that upset.”

Pulling the covers back, she raises a brow. “Ya know, I’m really not. Turns out, I cared a lot less about that relationship than I thought.”

Anger bubbles to life inside me. I hate that she dated him. Hate that he got any pieces of her when all I get is a facade.

Maybe it’s better that he doesn’t know. As soon as he does, my father will, and then it’s only a matter of time until Dory has one of her infamous fits. I’m not exactly looking forward to dealing with that, but since my father and I don’t talk often, I can probably put it off for a bit.

“Want me to talk to Lennox? See if she can quickly put together a nice event like she did for Gavin and Millie?” Ava continues, clearly having moved past Xander completely. As she slips between the sheets, I try not to focus on how much closer she is now. Or the coconutscent of the product she runs through her hair before she braids it.

That product combined with her natural scent makes her smell like the most delicious dessert. Reminds me of the coconut cake my mom bought for my birthday each year.

I clear my throat, because thinking about my mom when we’re discussing our wedding isn’t doing me any favors. “I took care of it already. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. My lawyer got the license expedited so we can go to town hall tomorrow morning before my flight.”

Ava has barely settled in beside me before she shoots up, her jaw falling open. “Oh.”

I study her, gauging her reaction. “Is that okay? ”

Blinking, she shakes her head. “Yeah, of course. I didn’t realize it would happen so fast, but a quickie wedding at town hall makes sense. No need for a big thing.”

I frown, wishing I could read her mind. This woman is always guarding her thoughts like they’re sacred. Or, sometimes, like they’re ideas she’s ashamed of.

Is that what this is? Was she looking forward to a real wedding? I try to explain why town hall makes sense. Try to make her see that I care. Too fucking much, if we’re being honest. “I figured this was our best option. Once we’re married, Madi can file the amended adoption paperwork, which lists you as a petitioner as well.”

With her teeth pressed into her bottom lip, she nods. “Yeah, that’s good. Really.”

“You tell your family about it?” Maybe that’s what this is about. Maybe they want to come to the wedding?

She looks away, tangling her fingers in her lap. “Yeah, I told my sister. Are the kids coming with us tomorrow or…?”

I shrug. “It’s just a few minutes at town hall. No need to drag them out into the cold.”

“Right.” She dips her chin, her mouth set in a firm line. “Makes sense. Anything else I should know while you’re gone? I went over the kids’ schedules with Maria, so the two of us should have everything covered.”

A sigh escapes me. Looks like that’s all I’ll get from her regarding the wedding.

I should be happy that she agreed to marry me so quickly. That her focus has turned to the kids so quickly.

But I’m not.