Page 45 of Coast to Coast

“Girl, you’re amazing. It was only a matter of time. Now you need to follow up and post some more!”

I glanced quickly at Tom and Crew. Both seemed content to play in the pool; neither needed anything from me. “Thanks,” I said, not wanting to monopolize the center of attention.

“How did you two meet? We’re all a little intrigued since Tom was known for being a bit of a loner last season. I don’t think he even took home a single puck bunny.”

“Oh, we met in Boston. I was singing at an open mic night, and he was there grabbing a bite to eat.”

“Ooh, nice meet cute. What did you sing that made him fall?”

That question stumped me; there was no way I was going to risk answering it only to have Tom offer a different answer.

“Honestly, I don’t remember.”

“Hey, Tom,” Gwen yelled over to him in the pool. When she had his attention, he quickly looked at me to reassure me that all was okay before she asked, “What song did Callie sing the night you met her?”

“Silver Spring, Stevie Nicks,” he answered instantly. Our eyes locked, and he gave me an impish grin. I felt a quick little flop in my stomach.

“See? Gwen says? He remembered, huh?”

“Yes, he did. The song must have made an impact.”

“Well, now that we know you can sing, be prepared for us to try to talk you into playing by campfire later.”

“Ooh, yeah. It will be better than everyone fighting over access to the speaker,” Bridget piped up. “The only thing theyever agree on is Taylor Swift, but then they start fighting over which era was the best.”

“Oh, well, I guess that depends on whether Crew lets us stay out or not.”

“It’s my turn to take them back and watch the kids tonight,” Mariana said. “We take turns when we get together. Since Crew is at the toughest age, I had planned to go back to your place. I would bring AJ, Lucy, and Anna back with me. They are used to sleeping wherever.”

Damon had fired up the grill and was cooking meats, and I joined Bridget, Camille, and Gwen in setting up the sides and salads. Tom, Alex, and Andre were bribing the kids with promises of watermelon and ice cream if they got out of the pool, dried off, and ate all their lunches. When Tom finally got Crew to agree, he raced over to me and gave me a giant wet hug.

“Was that your idea?” I asked Tom. Trying my best to avoid staring at the reams of water dripping down his chest. And yup, my eyes caught one bead of water slightly right down, following the line to the start of the v. I loved men’s bodies and had always had an unhealthy obsession with what I called the very promising land. They didn’t need rock-hard, chiseled abs; even a dad bod was a turn-on. But holy, fucking, wow. Tom’s sculpted torso could only mean that at the end of that path that began in the very promising land lay the holy grail.

“Getting you wet was probably the best idea I had, but no, Crew has no boundaries. How’s it going,” he said, brushing my hair out of my face and leaning down to press his lips to my forehead.

Oh man, that did it. Hit me straight in my feels, a part of me I thought was dead without a pulse after Zander’s betrayal. Tom was sexy as fuck. Anyone with eyes could see that, but not many people got to see the vulnerable side, where he was just a dad trying to make his way through life and take care of his little boy.So yeah, his forehead kiss pulled me into the web of tenderness he reserved for very few people.

I’d watched his interviews with sports pundits. He was direct, slightly abrupt, and occasionally sassy on the border of rude. I then went down a few Tom Campbell rabbit holes online and saw how vicious he was on the ice. That was the Tom everyone else saw. And while I craved what I was certain he and I could do together physically, I wanted more forehead kisses and the guy who remembered the song I sang the night we met.

Tom, sensing my reaction, asked, “Was that okay?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “It was more than okay.”

A grin broke out across his face. How was it that I was only just now noticing that dimple? As if on cue, Crew crashed into us, almost knocking me over. I scooped him up and brought him to make us both a plate.

I caught a few of the WAGs staring at me as I patiently explained to Crew that he needed to try at least one new food if he wanted ice cream. He agreed to this and then tried to convince me that the new food was a chocolate chip cookie.

“You’re a handful, you know that, bud?” I asked him.

“Yup!” He said proudly.

TOM

Callie was a natural. With Crew, with the WAGs, and with the rest of the team. Alex and Damon knew the truth, but everyone else accepted her as my girlfriend. It helped that Crew loved her and was so comfortable around her.

“Hey,” Alex said. “Only a matter of time before that becomes legit.” He had caught me staring at her multiple times, and I couldn’t even pretend not to be interested.

“I guess if heavy flirting is any indication…”

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