Page 107 of Mr. Charming

There’s a knock on the glass, and we both look to find Tweetie there. His smile is big and wide because he loves his mom and his sister.

“Tedi,” Georgia says, and we hug. “I see he still keeps tabs on you.” She laughs.

Melody goes to the glass and tells him to have a great game.

I lift my phone to signal to him to make sure he checks his, and he nods, skating away.

“Let me introduce you, unless…” I walk them over to all the girlfriends and wives of Tweetie’s best friends.

“Kyleigh. Jade,” Melody says.

Her words are like the quick sting from a whip, reminding me of our time apart. Of course Melody and Georgia know Kyleigh and Jade.

Eloise gets up out of her seat and holds out her hand. “Hi, I’m Eloise, Conor’s wife.”

“Wife?” Georgia says. “That boy moves as fast as my brother.” She eyes me. Her similarities to her brother always surprise me. There’s no denying they’re siblings.

Melody moves down the line, hugging Conor’s dad hello. Was that hug a little long to be a friendly one? I think so.

Everyone catches up with each other as I finally sit down in my seat. Georgia is next to me, and it appears we lost Melody to Conor’s dad. She’s decided to sit at his end, and everyone slides over one.

“So…” Georgia elbows me.

“What?”

She crosses her legs and arms, waiting for me to tell her.

“Did you talk to your brother?” I ask.

“I did, and he’s about as tight-lipped as you’re being, but I take it as a good sign that you’re here.”

“I’m here for work. Social media thing.” I ease past the other stuff that Georgia really wants to know about.

“And now you’re in the first row of the wives and girlfriends section, telling my brother to check his phone when he gets into the locker room?” Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows raise.

“I hate that you’re a cop.”

“Detective,” she says. “Which gives me a lot of resources, so either you give me the dirt, or I search it up on my own.”

“And here I was excited to see you.”

She laughs. “I was pretty damn excited when Tweetie brought up your name.”

“So he warned you ahead of time?” I ask, the lights going dark, which means they’re about to announce the teams and start the game.

We both stand, and she leans over and whispers in my ear, “I heard your name before you ever landed in Chicago.”

I must give her a look, because she takes my hand. “You were always his one, and after the first breakup, he needed a confidant.” She raises her hand. “That was me. Which probably wasn’t great since I was going through a divorce.” She shrugs. “But I’ll tell you one thing, and I don’t say this so you take my brother back, but he never stopped.”

My forehead wrinkles. “Stopped what?”

The announcer comes on the microphone, and the crowd cheers.

“Loving you, silly. He was just too hurt and too proud to chase. I’ll give you a little warning. That doesn’t hold true anymore.” She wraps her arm around my shoulder and pulls me into her side. “Welcome back into the family.”

She laughs just like Tweetie does, and when they announce his name, she jumps and hollers, cheering on her brother as tears well in my eyes. God, since when do I cry so much?

When the third period comes around, the score is tied. The clock is winding down, and my stomach twists, unable to shake the fear that they might actually lose. And his mom and sister are in the stands.

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