War (Boston Bolts Hockey #3)

33. Ava

THIRTY-THREE

AVA

Soft lips press against my neck, then drag down my back, and I feel the light peppering of kisses continue until I’m blinking awake, wondering if I’m dreaming. When I finally focus, I find Tyler, eyes on me, lips pressed to my wrist—or more precisely, to the scars that mar my skin there.

“What are you doing?” My voice comes out raspy with sleep, but somehow I find myself smiling.

Even after the heavy conversation of last night, I feel lighter than I have in a long time. Maybe it’s because Tyler seems to get it. He gets me. We both suffered some awful things at young ages, and he’s a more empathetic person because of it.

He also may just be the kindest, most warm-hearted man I’ve ever met, because right now it feels like he’s trying to kiss every hurt better. Obviously, the scars have more than healed, but the emotional toll they left on me—the hiding I’ve done—is still there, and he’s altering those ugly memories and the scars with his lips. Changing the meaning behind them. Making me feel beautiful and strong and loved.

“Kissing my wife good morning.” His answer is lazy and slow, but his lips curve up in the corners, letting me know he’s once again in a teasing mood. I love that about him. That he’s not going to force me to talk about it. He opens the door for me to give him more but also gives me an out if I’m not ready.

I’m not ready. I hope one day I will be. It feels less daunting—life, the scars, the memories—now that I have him and our kids.

Our kids. That part really makes me smile.

I never thought I’d have this. A family. I was always too scared to get close to anyone else for fear of losing them, but with each of our kids it was barely a choice. I fell almost immediately. And with Tyler…well, it’s clear I’m falling.

“You missed a few spots,” I tell him.

Blue eyes bounce in surprise. “Oh, yeah?” He tries to wiggle down my body.

Laughing, I yank him up. “I meant up here, you goober.” I purse my lips exaggeratedly, waiting for a kiss.

Of course, Tyler can never do anything simply. Just a peck of the lips isn’t enough for him. He slides up my body and frames my face with those large hands. Then, once he’s got complete control and I’m stuttering for breath as I literally wait for his lips to touch mine, he smirks. “I like waking up with you, Vicious. Love having you in my bed. Love holding you close all night. But mostly I love being able to kiss you whenever I want.”

He doesn’t wait for me to reply, not that I could come up with a single word that could express how this man makes me feel when he’s so honest with me. Tyler goes all-in on the kiss. Every time our mouths meet, I swear it’s like a shot of lust straight to my veins. His kisses are mind-altering. The minute his lips touch mine, I go hazy and pliable. I melt against him with each swipe of his tongue until I feel my hips undulating against his, begging for even more attention.

He pulls back, leaving me reaching for him, and with a chuckle, he presses another kiss to my chin, then my cheek, then the tip of my nose, right beside my lips.

I let out a needy growl, wanting his damn mouth back where it was and our bodies connected.

“Sorry, wifey. I have to get to morning skate.”

There’s no stopping the sad whine that escapes me. “You’re such a tease. ”

“How about lunch with my bride?”

I shrug, trying to act nonchalant, even as I want to swoon over that nickname. Bride. I didn’t feel like much of one when we got married, and yet the word still gives me butterflies. What is this man doing to me?

“I’ll have to check my schedule.”

Tyler hovers above me, that cocksure smirk on his face now. “It’s my birthday, wifey. You can’t make me eat alone.”

“It’s your birthday?”

His lips curve wider. “Yup.”

I push against his chest, but he barely sways. “Jerk. Why didn’t you tell me?”

He starts laughing. “You can’t call me a jerk on my birthday.”

“You can’t not tell your wife it’s your birthday. I need to get you a present.”

Tyler’s eyes dance. “I can think of a few presents you can give me later.”

I roll my eyes. “How about we go out tonight? I’ll make a reservation. What’s your favorite restaurant?” I wince as I realize these are things I should know about my husband already.

He sighs and rolls off me, his head landing on his pillow, his focus going to the ceiling. “I told my father we’d do dinner with him and Dory. They’re coming here.”

“Is that what you want to do?”

Tyler rolls his head so he’s looking at me again. “My father reached out. He hasn’t always been the best dad, but yeah, I’d like to spend my birthday with him.”

This man is incredible. Despite all the ways his father and Dory have let him down, he’s still seeking out the family he’s always wanted. I vow in that moment to do everything I can to give it to him. Hopefully his father is on board, but even if he’s not, he’ll get that same kind of devotion from me for as long as I’m around. “Okay.”

“So will you meet me for lunch?” He’s back to smiling again.

“Yeah, I think I can make room in my schedule for my groom.”

“I can’t believe this is your favorite lunch spot.”

Tyler holds a giant slice of pizza in front of him and folds it in half, then takes an oversized bite. Chewing, he shrugs. “It’s not so much the place. I just love pizza.”

“Most people do.” I knock my shoulder against his as we sit at the counter. The place is a little hole in the wall, and it’s not fancy in the least, but when Tyler stepped inside, the man behind the counter set out two white paper place settings near one end, then embraced Tyler and welcomed him back.

“What else do you love?” I ask, holding up my own piece of pizza. After last night, it might seem like I’m fishing for a compliment, but I’m genuinely curious. For so long, I made assumptions about Tyler, and now that I’ve discovered how wrong I was, I want to know him. “Other than hockey,” I tack on, infusing a bit of sauciness in my tone, hoping to convey to him that I’m not looking for an intimate conversation at the moment.

Tyler doesn’t disappoint. “Surfing, boxing. Any sport that has me outside and moving my muscles, really. I also love serial killer documentaries.”

A snort escapes me before I can stop it.

Tyler pokes my arm. “You asked.”

“It makes sense, I guess. Why you love it when I’m mean to you.”

Surveying me, he lifts a shoulder. “I do love how vicious my wife is. Female serial killers could be hot.”

“Tyler,” I hiss.

He chuckles. “I mean the fictional kind. I’m sure Lennox has read a book or two that revolve around a female main character with a penchant for murder.”

I shrug. He’s not wrong. “Do you read?”

“You’re cute when you play dumb. I know you’ve been in my office.”

The reminder of the night the girls and I snooped and I discovered the bookshelves full of all kinds of genres has me leaning in. “What types of books do you like best?”

Smirking, he wipes a little sauce from his lip. “Want me to read you a bedtime story later, wifey?”

I love this. Love bantering with him. Love sitting with him and smiling. God, I love being with him period. Even if we’re just sitting in the corner of a tiny dive, eating semi-decent pizza, it’s one of the best afternoons I’ve had in a long time.

I hold out my hand. “Pinky promise?”

That smirk turns into a full-on grin as he hooks my pinky with his and presses his lips to my finger. “Pinky promise.”

Hannah taps her fingers against her phone screen with so much force I worry she’ll break it.

“You okay over there?” Lennox asks, her gaze bouncing between Hannah and me.

We’re seated in my office, going over last-minute details for the charity gala next week. The event will be held in the ballroom on the top of the Langfield Corp building. Since we are the venue, and we typically ask the venue to handle catering and serving, the location means even more work for us than usual.

Thank god for Lennox and her amazing attention to detail. I’m happy to rub elbows with donors and convince them to part with money they won’t even miss, but picking out linens and flowers has never been my thing. Lennox is much more equipped to handle all that, along with who’s who in Boston at the moment—and should be added to the guest list—and which musicians are hot right now since her family practically owns every industry in this city not already claimed by the Langfields.

Scoffing, Hannah drops her phone into her purse, then lifts her blue eyes to me. Even as she swears all is fine, I can read my best friend well. Something is very wrong. But if there’ s one thing I know about Hannah, it’s that there is no way to pry even a single word out of her when she shuts down like this. “Outside of making sure the boys are on their best behavior, is there anything else you need from me?”

“I think we’ve got everything covered.” Lennox’s eyes light up, and she leans forward. “Did I tell you that Jake Keepers agreed to make an appearance?”

“Who’s Jake Keepers?” Sara asks, appearing in the doorway. She makes herself comfortable against the wall, iPad pulled against her chest, blue hair recently redone and pulled back in a ponytail.

Lennox swings her pink hair over her shoulder with a flick of her wrist. “The next big thing.”

We all laugh at her flair for the dramatics.

“Seriously. He’s got an album dropping next month, but his first single comes out tomorrow. With the buzz we’ll create announcing he’ll be in attendance this weekend, donors will be clamoring for last-minute invites.”

“So what you’re saying is that you’ve done all the heavy lifting when it comes to your job and mine?” I tease.

She smiles. “I still need you, snookums.”

“Yes,” Sara agrees. “You make us look good.”

My chest tightens at the sentiment, but I laugh it away. “I’m not so sure that’s still true. Speaking of party planning.” I straighten. “How does one plan for a party where her ex-boyfriend’s parents, who are also her husband’s parents, will be in attendance?”

“Awkward,” Lennox sings. “We should call Millie for this one. She’s good at awkward situations, considering her stepmother used to date her brother and her husband is best friends with her father.”

Hannah snorts. “That family is all sorts of special. I would love to be invited for family holidays one year.”

“You only want to go because you’re obsessed with Daniel Hall. Is it a mommy complex thing? You want to corrupt the youth and teach him all your devious ways?” Sara teases.

Hannah rolls her eyes. “Hall is pretty, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not teaching anyone anything. And I’m not attending a family function with the boy. If he were ever lucky enough to get near my pretty kitty, it’d be a one-time thing. I’m not falling in love with anyone, let alone our best friend’s twin brother.”

“Pretty kitty.” Sara practically wheezes with laughter. “I love that.”

I spin my chair and throw my body into it, trying my best not to freak out. My lunch with Tyler was good. Great really. But I’d be lying if I said I was excited about his birthday dinner tonight.

“Okay, ladies, our girl is spiraling,” Hannah says, rallying the troops.

I throw a foot down to stop my spinning and let out a sigh. “Things are strained between Tyler and Xander’s mother on a good day. And today will not be a good day. I’m not sure how I can make it any less awkward. And if the woman makes a single negative comment in front of our kids, I will actually lose it.”

Hannah’s entire demeanor softens. “Have I told you lately how proud I am of you and War? What you’re doing for those kids is nothing short of amazing.”

“It’s really not. We just love them.”

“And each other,” Sara adds.

I swallow past the lump in my throat. Sara is the only person in this room who doesn’t know about the marriage contract, and telling her now seems pointless. Though I’m not sure what’s going on between Tyler and me, it’s complicated and deep.

“Will Xander be there?” Hannah asks.

My heart stutters. Oh god, I hope not. I hadn’t even thought of that. “I don’t know.”

Lennox sits forward in her seat. “Have you heard from him?”

Yeah, I’ve heard from him. He texts nonstop. But I haven’t told anyone. I’m embarrassed. And if Tyler found out, he’d probably pay his stepbrother a visit. The last thing Tyler needs while we’re working to adopt Josie is to end up in a fight with Xander, but if he knew what Xander was texting me, his fists would fly.

“He’s texted a few times.”

Hannah holds out her hand. “Give me.”

“What? No.” I push back my chair, as if that will stop my determined fixer.

“Ava Marie Warren, give me your damn phone, or I’ll tell Beckett you’re upset that he didn’t throw you an engagement party. If I have to do that, we both know you’ll have the entire city of Boston offering you well wishes when he puts on a parade in honor of all the love matches he likes to take credit for.”

Sara dissolves into a fit of giggles. Swiping at her eyes, she sucks in a breath. “He so would.”

Grumbling a few pretty curses, I take out my phone and hand it to Hannah.

With every text she reads, her face grows redder and more creative obscenities escape her. The girls pass it around, and when the device makes it back to me, I stare down at the messages, my stomach sinking.

Xander: What the fuck is this about you marrying my asshole stepbrother? Is this some kind of ploy to get me to apologize? Okay, fine. I’m sorry I left you there. But how the fuck are we supposed to get married and have kids if the guys my father works with think you play stupid games like this?

Xander: Ava, pick up your phone.

Xander. Call me.

Xander: The marriage is REAL?

Xander: You cunt. My mother says you really married the asshole. This is fucking insane.

Xander: Okay, you’ve made your point. Now pick up the goddamn phone so we can work this out.

Xander: Did you move in with the asshole? I just stopped by your place, and the doorman says you don’t live there anymore.

Xander: WHAT THE FUCK, AVA?

Xander: CALL ME.

Xander: Slut .

Eyes unfocused, I ignore the rest of the chain. He hasn’t stopped. The most recent came in an hour ago.

Xander: Having dinner with my parents and your asshole husband tonight? Nice. I seriously don’t know what the fuck happened to you.

He’s not wrong. I don’t recognize myself anymore either. But unlike him, I see the change as a positive thing. I’m so glad I’m no longer the woman I was when I thought Xander was a good guy and Tyler was the asshole. I truly had it all wrong back then.

Changing the subject, I say, “I need to get a birthday present for Tyler. What the heck do you get a guy who can buy himself anything he wants?”

Hannah’s lips curve up deviously. “Oh, hunny. The only thing that man wants from you is something he can’t buy.”

Sara giggles. “Yup. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do a little shopping this afternoon to make his gift look extra pretty.”

Lennox leans forward, a big smile on her face. “She means you. You’re the only gift your husband needs. And we’re going to make sure we give him something pretty to unwrap.”