Page 10 of Bagging the Blueliner
“Lucy, don’t encourage her,” Natalie warned.
Smirking, knowing this plan always made Natalie uncomfortable, I replied to Lucy, “Oh yeah. I am responsible forbooking their rooms and handing out keys. I’ll know where each and every one of them is every night we are away.”
She might play innocent, but I could tell Lucy was naughtier than she let on. I mean, she designed a lingerie line in secret. Biting her lip, she remarked, “That’s dangerous, but exciting. Easy access.”
Natalie gave me a pointed look. “Hannah, you can’t be going into players’ rooms. It’s too much to keep straight. What if you end up at a married player’s door? I know you are searching for something, but it’s not worth getting caught up in a scandal if you make a mistake.”
I groaned. “I’m not searching for something, Nat. I’m searching foreverything. I see how incredible your life with Jaxon is, and I envy you.”
Rolling her eyes, she countered, “Yeah, getting knocked up by the team captain mere months after getting divorced wasn’t exactly the fairy tale you imagine it to be. It was hard. I’m not saying that if you built a relationship you couldn’t reach the same end result, but you’re not going to find that here. Ace has been the Comets’ head coach for seventeen years, and not once has a player risked going against him to pursue you or your sisters. It’s not going to happen. It’s time to move on.”
“But I don’t want to move on,” I whined. “I know deep down in my bones that this is the life I am meant for.”
“Hannah, you’re thirty-one. How much more time do you intend to waste chasing the impossible?”
“You’re right. I am thirty-one. I’m too old to be slumming with guys who barely have enough cash for drinks at the club. I deserve to be with a guy who is going to bend me over balconies all over the world. Preferably, beginning with every major city housing a professional hockey team.”
Amy’s smile gave away her amusement as she cautioned, “That could be hazardous in Minneapolis or Salt Lake City in the winter. I would hate to see you lose your nipples to frostbite.”
I pointed a finger in her direction. “See! This is what I need. Tips, not discouragement. Thank you, Amy.”
Natalie threw her hands in the air. “I give up. I’m clearly outnumbered. I want it on the record that I think this is a bad idea.”
Nodding to her, I pretended to write on my hand. “Noted. Nat not on board.”
Opening her mouth to say something more, Natalie was interrupted before she could voice further objection by the three men—Jaxon, Liam, and Preston—returning with plates of food for their ladies. They were all so sickeningly sweet, but I couldn’t stop staring. These men took care of their wives—or soon-to-be wives, in Preston’s case—and I watched my friends blossom as a result.
Natalie had gone from a scared, broken, meek little thing with anorexia—barely able to care for herself and her children—to this vibrant, self-sufficient, outgoing woman. Maybe not sexually outgoing, but there was still time to work on that.
Amy had sworn off men for life after some jackass frat boy in college took her virginity to fulfill a bet. I’d enjoyed my front-row seat when she took it upon herself to seduce her husband. She came into her own, and her perspective on her career and men changed due to Liam’s unending love for her.
Lucy was the most independent of all the ladies. She ran her own fashion empire, for crying out loud. Preston was her lifelong enemy, and we spent many a night scheming ways to drive him away—their marriage had been arranged, not something they’d chosen. There were certainly gaps in their story, too much happening behind closed doors, but I knew that something traumatic had happened to her, and Preston became her rock.Lucy was forced to lean on him, and he never wavered, caring for her with such selflessness like I’d never seen.
What new version of me was there, waiting to be unleashed by my perfect match?
A full plate was placed before me on a high-top table. “Thought you might be hungry. You haven’t stopped for more than five minutes all day.”
Turning, I found Jaxon pulling back his arm. If you were looking for sweet, kind, and dependable, Jaxon Slate was your man. He was the total package, almost too good to be true. Natalie was lucky to have him.
Winking in response, I grabbed the fork laid across the plate. “You’re a saint, Jaxon.”
Smirking, he replied, “Just hoping I can gain some favor with the woman handing out room keys. I like high floors. Balcony preferred.”
My mouth dropped open, and I slid a shocked look to Natalie. She reached out and lightly smacked him on the arm. “Lord, have mercy. You have got to stop eavesdropping on our girls-only conversations.”
Shrugging, he was unfazed, addressing his wife. “I learned new things today about what women want. Any time you want to join me on the road and have me bend you over a balcony, I’ll be ready for duty.”
Natalie narrowed her eyes at me. “Look what you did.”
Liam grumbled, “Thanks, Hannah. Didnotneed that visual of my little sister.”
Annoying Liam was one of my all-time favorite pastimes. He’d lightened up a little being married to Amy, but he was still too stiff most days. Cocking a hip, I replied, “Then my work here is done. You’re welcome, big guy.”
We fell into companionable silence as we ate our lunch. I cherished the days we were all together. They were becomingfewer and farther between. Everyone was moving on with their lives while I was stuck in limbo, waiting for mine to begin.
“Incoming,” Amy called out softly from the table beside me.
Glancing up, I saw the one Comets player who was the biggest pain in my ass headed our way. “What the hell does he want?”
