Page 121 of Bagging the Blueliner
Glaring at his brother-in-law, Liam’s arms dropped to his sides, fists clenching tightly. “Men don’t do that.”
Preston laughed in his face. “Well, then, I guess you’re in for a surprise.”
Natalie decided to end their bickering, leaving her seat to stand between them, holding up her hands. “Let’s be real. If something goes down tonight,I’llbe the one driving Lucy to the hospital.”
Liam was gearing up to respond when Amy eased herself off her chair, and he sprang into action, asking frantically, “What do you need?”
She simply rolled her emerald green eyes at her husband.
Poor Amy’s belly was as large as Lucy’s, but she wasn’t due until October. You could barely tell Natalie was pregnant under her Comets-branded tank top, and she was due only a couple of weeks after Amy. My redheaded best friend was in for a longsummer of public appearances in Europe, and I didn’t envy the first person to ask her if she was having twins. Liam would probably tear them apart with his bare hands.
“Give her some breathing room, Liam. You’re smothering her,” Lucy chastised her older brother.
Leveling her with a glare, Liam replied, “I’m not smothering her. It’s called being attentive.”
“Oh, it’s something all right,” Lucy grumbled.
Amy gasped suddenly, throwing a hand to her round belly and doubling over. Everyone rushed to her in panic. Her whole body visibly shook, and the blood drained from Liam’s face.
Before he could call for help, Amy straightened her body, the source of her shaking becoming visible—she was laughing. Oh boy, was she gonna get it.
“Gotcha,” she declared, triumphant. Outstretching an arm, she held a hand out to Lucy, who promptly gave her a high five.
Everyone stared at her in stunned silence, but the anger radiating off Liam could likely be felt all the way down at ice level. He looked like he was going to explode.
Glowering at his wife, his voice boomed, “Amy Michaels.” Yeah, my best friend was a badass who’d kept her maiden name even in such a high-profile marriage. “If youeverpull a stunt like that again, you won’t like the consequences. Say goodbye to any semblance of freedom. Do. Not. Test. Me.” Those final words were issued through gritted teeth.
“Yeah, you’re not wound too tight,” Preston said under his breath.
Amy didn’t cower in fear at her larger-than-life husband, who looked like an angry bull ready to charge. Throwing hands on her hips, she narrowed her eyes. “Listen up, LiamRemington.”
If Liam saw the glass as half empty, then Amy saw it half full—and she was even-keeled to boot. So, when she dropped her husband’s full name in that tone, it only meant one thing: it wastime to grab the popcorn and pull up a seat. Shit was about to go down.
Before continuing, Amy took a deep breath in preparation for whatever verbal tongue lashing she had planned for Liam. “I’m already tired and cranky, and you’re driving me fucking insane! What is this ‘freedom’ you speak of? Because you barely allow me to use the restroom by myself as it is. I have at least four more months of this, so unless you want us to have one and be done . . . Back. The. Fuck. Off.”
Damn, the way she mirrored the end of his threat with her own was beyond classic. Leave it to Amy to dominate a mental game of chess.
Her rant was more than enough to shut Liam up, but he was still worked up enough that he turned on his heel, storming out of the suite and slamming the door open with enough force that it banged against the wall.
“Come for the hockey, stay for the live fireworks in the box,” I joked, trying to relieve some of the tension after Liam’s departure.
Natalie shook her head at Amy. “That wasn’t very nice. You scared the living daylights out of him.”
Lucy disagreed. “He deserved to be taken down a few notches.”
“He doesn’t do well when he feels out of control,” Natalie countered.
Amy sighed. “Well, he needs to get used to it. Life is unpredictable. If he thinks he can control exactly how any of this is going to go, he’s got another thing coming.”
Smirking, I chimed in. “You have to admit, it’s more than a little amusing seeing Liam flustered.”
“Yeah, I’ll probably pay for that tonight,” Amy mused.
Lucy leaned in close enough that Preston couldn’t overhear. “Sometimes that makes it worth it.” Her nose wrinkled when sherealized who she was talking to. “Scratch that. I forgot you’re married to my brother.”
“No need to worry about that,” Amy remarked. “Even if I was in the mood—which I am not—he’s too afraid to touch me. Worst he’ll do is withhold a foot rub.”
“If it wouldn’t scar him for life, I’d share with him how resilient these little guys truly are.” Lucy affectionately rubbed her belly.
