Page 6 of Top Shelf
She grins, running her hand over her bump. “I hate every minute of it and cannot wait to get this baby out of me, but other than that, it’s wonderful. Everything is growing appropriately, and with any luck, I’ll deliver in the next week or so.”
“Launching a companyandhaving a baby in the same week?”
“She’s superhuman, huh?” says her best friend Lilah, softly nudging Auden out of the way to hug me. “Good to see you again, Locke.”
“Congratulations on the business, Lilah. I’m so happy for you.”
“Happy enough to be a client of ours?” She raises her brows at me as she pulls away.
“Bet his nieces and nephews would love a pool too,” Fox says, elbowing his way in next. He wraps me in a hug that can only be described as warm and accepting before pulling away, patting my cheek with a proud grin. “Missed you, bud.”
It feels like a family reunion, complete with that one crotchety member who never wants to be touched. I nod at Rory, whom I know better than to try to hug. It will never cease to amaze me how she and Lawson ended up together, especially since they’re total opposites. I grin at her, then look back at the lawn, Lawson still running after Keller.
Hayes pulls into the driveway with a quizzical look on his face as he enters the scene. He steps out of his SUV and lets out a loud whistle that would have even the unruliest kids listening.
“Enough!” he hollers, sounding every bit like the dad he is, and they come to a halt, both leaning over to catch their breath.
We all snicker. Nobody ever expected Hayes, known for being a bit of a wild card, to settle down with his own family, but that’s precisely what he has done after getting guardianship of his niece. Quinn climbs out of the other side, Flora coming to stand beside her, Pickles by her feet as I suspected she would be.
“Are they playing tag? Can I play too, Just Quinn?”
I grin at the nickname Flora hasn’t let up on. Apparently, it was a sarcastic moment that turned into an inside joke, and it has continued since.
“Sure. Go on. Try to catch Uncle Keller and give him lots of huggies. He loves those.”
“Roger that!” she shouts as she takes off toward the grown men.
Once they spot her, they take off as well, trying to catch her as she giggles and darts away. It’s adorable, and maybe the most animated I’ve ever seen Keller.
It makes me miss my nieces and nephews instantly. As much chaos as they are, they’re so fun to be around, and I hated havingto leave them and the rest of my family behind. Even though I love hockey and can’t imagine doing anything else with my life, I don’t exactly love the instability it can bring, which is part of why I’ve never bothered to settle down. I don’t want to put that burden on my partner, having to figure out shit like moving during a school year or missing all those little moments with my kid. First steps and first words. Kindergarten graduation and recitals.
If I’m going to have a family of my own, I want to be present for all of it, not just some of it. So, until I hang up my skates—something I don’t plan to do for quite a while—single is what I’ll remain.
Everyone laughs, pulling my attention back to what’s happening on Hutch’s front lawn, and I look just in time to see Flora skid to a stop, turning the tide on Lawson and Keller as she begins chasingthem. The guys play along, letting her “catch” them, and I swear I see Keller actually smile. It’s brief, but it happens, and it’s kind of unsettling. Just as quick as it comes, it’s gone, and they’re all three trudging back to the porch, out of breath as Lawson carries Flora on his shoulders.
“I gave Uncle Keller lots of huggies like you said, Just Quinn!” the little girl announces with a big grin.
She snickers, either ignoring or not caring about the glare the hockey player throws her way. She just reaches up and high-fives the kid before we all head into the house. Everyone gathers in the expansive kitchen except Flora, who scampers off to chase Pickles around. Lilah passes out flutes of champagne as everyone chatters about their summer.
Hutch and Auden obviously got engaged and have been planning for the baby. Hayes and Quinn talk about spending time with Flora, and Lawson goes on a ten-minute diatribe about how much he learned about dogs and their anal glands…again. His fascination is concerning, but Rory just looks at himlike he’s the most amazing man in the world. Keller says nothing, which is no surprise to anyone.
“Let me guess—family time for you, Locke?” Lawson says.
“Yep. Spent my time in Vancouver, except when we went to Disneyland. Might have overspent a bit. When’s hockey starting again?”
We all laugh, but I’m only slightly joking. It’s what I do, though. Each offseason, I always take my nieces and nephews on a vacation of their choosing. I figure it’s the least I can do since I can’t be there for them during the season. I’m always exhausted afterward and spend far too much money, but it’s well worth it. Those are memories they’re going to cherish for a long damn time to come.
“Well?” Auden says, looking at her best friend. “Shall we?”
Lilah smiles nervously, reaching for Fox for reassurance. I’m not even sure if she realizes she’s doing it, but the goalie is right there in an instant, wrapping his arm around her waist, and soothing away all her worries.
“I’m ready,” she says, her concern nowhere to be found.
We move to the dining room where a laptop sits open in front of anIt’s a girlbanner that’s been crossed out and replaced withIt’s a Maddison Sinclair Designs!in some of the worst handwriting I’ve ever seen. I’m guessing that was all Fox and Hutch’s doing.
We gather around, Lilah and Auden in the middle. They both take a deep breath.
“Three, two, one!” Lilah counts down, then slams her thumb down on the space bar, and just like that, they’ve launched their luxury design company that caters to building you the perfect home from the ground up, including the interior.
