Page 60 of Mr. Swoony

For a moment, I wonder what it would be like to walk out in a cocktail dress to show Conor. The space between my thighs hums because if it’s like when I catch him staring at me when I walk out in my pajamas, I’d love to see his reaction to a dress he knew he’d be unzipping me out of later that night. Maybe one day.

Twenty-Four

Conor

I’m back at the gym, and these are my favorite kind of days because we’re all here. Even Henry.

“I heard the girls went shopping,” Rowan says to Henry.

“Yeah, it’s our first time trusting Owen and Waylon to watch Bodhi. God knows what’s going on over there.”

I chuckle because Jade’s twin teenage brothers are super competitive and always seem to be up to something they shouldn’t be.

“Where’s Mack?” Tweetie asks, referencing Henry’s manny.

Henry blows out a breath. “He’s on vacation. Before I forget, there’s something I’ve been thinking about that I wanted to bring up. You know Jagger’s dinner?”

We’re all by the weights, doing different exercises. My agent, Jagger, gets all of his hockey clients together every August for a big dinner to kick off the season. This year he’s having it in Milwaukee, so we only have to drive there instead of flying. Not that I’m opposed to flying somewhere, but I don’t really want to be away from Eloise for long.

“What about it?” I ask, putting my weights down and grabbing my water bottle.

“I think we should go camping that weekend,” Henry says.

Rowan and Tweetie stare at him as though he’s just missed scoring on an empty net.

“Why would we do that?” Tweetie asks.

“I get that there won’t be any girls there. Well, other than the ones we bring.” Henry glares at Tweetie. “But you can survive for the weekend, I’m sure.”

“You’re bringing your women?” Tweetie lifts the weights to his sides, staring at himself in the mirror.

“They’d be with us for the dinner, so yeah… I think it will be fun. Something different.” Henry’s really pushing this.

I can’t say it’s a bad idea, but I don’t want to be sleeping in a tent with Tweetie and hearing my sister moaning my teammate’s name.

“I’m sure Kyleigh will be game,” Rowan says.

I’ve never thought of my sister as the camping type, but that’s for Rowan to figure out now.

“What about you?” Henry asks me.

I shrug. “You buy my earplugs, and I’m in, but I get my own tent.” I eye Tweetie, and he scoffs.

“Like I’d want your snoring ass in my tent. I might bring someone if we’re really going.” He puts his weights down and sits next to Henry on the bench across from Rowan and me.

“You’re going to bring someone?” I ask.

Tweetie shrugs. “Yeah, if I’m stuck in the woods with all you fools, I at least want to get laid at night.” He laughs at me. “Sorry I can’t be your wingman.”

“What about Eloise? I think she’s shopping with them today.”

I startle. Henry waited until now to tell me that?

The thought had come to my mind about asking Eloise to be my date to Jagger’s dinner, but I was afraid if word got out about the party, and my picture got taken… She flipped out so badly that night at the hotel, and I don’t want to put her in a bad situation when things with Tristan still aren’t resolved.

“She got a text from Tristan yesterday.” All of them remain quiet, so I continue. “And I haven’t asked what her plans are.”

“You mean she might go back to him?” Tweetie asks with disgust.

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