Page 81 of Stick With Me
“Well, my rescue is set to launch in about a month, and everything is finally coming together. The first group of dogs will arrive at the end of March, and the Kickstarter campaign is off to a strong start, thanks in part to all the buzz from that photo of Ryan and me at Paws Chicago.” I raise my glass to Ada with a grateful smile. “Good thinking on that one.”
Ada gives me a subtle smile, but Natalie frowns. “I’m sad my trip is so short and that I won’t be here for the launch party, but you know how proud I am of you, right?”
“I know.”
Ada's face lights up with an idea. “I’ll FaceTime you so you can still feel like you’re part of the big day.”
“Thanks, girl. And I hear the ex-hubby helped secure a killer space?”
I nod. “It’s perfect! You passed along my thanks?” I ask Ada.
“Of course. I’m just happy it all worked out.”
Natalie leans in, resting her chin on her hand with a pointed look. “Okay, now back to the matter at hand. You know we’re both cheering on your rescue, but we want the tea on you and Ryan.”
I sigh, setting my glass down before giving in. “What do you want to know?”
“His dick… Is it big?” Natalie blurts out, and the fact that it's top of mind concerns me. But it’s Natalie, so I shouldn’t have expected anything else.
I roll my eyes, and Ada laughs. “You really have no shame!” I take a sip of my mimosa. “I have no complaints.”
“So, you’ve seen it?” Nat asks, her voice pitching higher.
“Yeah, your not-so-subtle attempt to get us together worked. It worked really, really well.”
The waitress returns with our food, and an awkward silence settles over the table. But as soon as she’s out of earshot, Natalie jumps back in with more questions. “So, you guys had sex?”
“We didn’t do it, do it,” I attempt to explain without giving any explicit details.
“You can say you didn’t fuck, Han. So, oral,” Nat says, filling in the blanks. “But you guys are together now?”
I take a bite of my omelet before answering. “I mean, we haven’t talked about our status or anything yet. But I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page about wanting to see where this goes.”
“Good, good, good. Just remember what I told you last night at the game,” Nat says before digging into her plate of waffles.
“What did you tell her?” Ada asks, sipping her green juice.
“Trust in the power of good things,” Nat repeats, setting her fork down with a satisfied nod. “I think they’re coming for all of us.”
Ada lifts her glass again. “I can get behind that.”
A smile tugs at my lips, and for the first time in a long time, I believe Natalie might be right.
THIRTY-ONE
This road triphas been brutal, and we’ve barely been gone twenty-four hours. We flew into Calgary yesterday afternoon, and I spent the entire night replaying a post-game interview from Knolls. His words keep looping in my head, and even now, during morning skate, they cling to my thoughts. I push myself harder, pumping my legs like I can outskate them.
“You have your last match of the season coming up against the Saints. Should we expect more on-ice tension between you and Ryan Logan?”
He laughs sarcastically before answering. “Probably. If he knew how to stay in his lane, we wouldn’t have a problem. But he doesn’t, so we do.”
“There are rumors that your fiancée left you for him. Do you have a comment?”
“Everything will work out as it should when we’re all in the same place.”
This is the part I can’t get over. What the hell does that even mean? When are we all going to be in the same place? I try to brush it off, but my thoughts circle back to the contract extension I’m still waiting for and the looming trade deadline.
“Is there a possibility of reconciliation between you and your ex-fiancée? Fans are speculating about your lowered stats being driven by your split.”
