“I’m his mother, and yes he does,” Debbie said, stepping up and putting her arm around me.
“My apologies, Mrs. Miknevicius,” Sydney said with a saccharine smile. “It’s good to see you again!”
“What was your name?” Debbie asked. Damn, Debbie. Way to put ol’ Sydney in her place.
“I’m Sydney Leroy.”
“Huh, I didn’t see Leroy play much tonight. He getting ready to retire?” Debbie asked. I instantly knew where Mikey got his diarrhea mouth. I stifled a laugh.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got other wives to chat with,” Sydney said, turning and walking back to her group.
“Don’t worry about her,” Kitty said with an eye roll. “She still doesn’t fully accept me because Guy and I aren’t married yet. She tried to start a rumor that I was still seeing my ex from SNL. Anytime I miss a game because of work, she goes on about it again. He doesn’t even live here and I haven’t spoken to him since we broke up.”
“Jesus, Kitty,” I gasped. “That’s awful. How do you stand it?”
She shrugged. “Guy’s worth it. We’ve been meant for each other since we met as teenagers. And half the time I don’t come in here until right before they’re out of the locker room so I don’t have to socialize.”
“Well, now you’ll at least have each other,” Debbie said, putting an arm around each of us. I felt like I could crap my pants from that statement. Everything I was doing was a ruse. The reason I was even standing in that room was so contrived, no one could ever believe it.
To review: My apparently cheating boyfriend of four years threw me out. I moved in with his next-door neighbor who happened to be an NHL player. I slept in his bed, snuggled him, let him buy me things, let him take me to work, kissed him to make said cheating boyfriend jealous, and was fake dating him to make it all believable for his mother.
I didn’t have too long to dwell, because another arm wrapped around my shoulders and a whiskery kiss met my cheek. Mikey inserted himself between Debbie and me, dressed in a gorgeous bright blue suit, his hair slicked back from the shower. I had to swallow down a “wow.” Obviously, I know that clothes make the man, but I’d only seen him in a suit before at Kitty’s engagementparty. He stunned in a suit.
“My ladies,” he cooed. “Y’all have fun?”
“Look what you’ve done to yourself, Benny,” Debbie scolded, touching her fingertips around the cut on Mikey’s cheek. “But did you get him good?”
“Yeah, Ma,” he laughed, then turned to me. “What’d you think of your first game, Sweet Cheeks?”
“You’re a nut, but I already knew that,” I said with a grin.
“You like me that way,” he said, yanking me to him and running his thumb along my jaw. My stomach tingled at the touch, my heart taking off. He sure did have a way of making me feel special, whether it was fake or not. It had been so long since Cole had been so affectionate with me. I linked my hands behind his neck. Mikey lowered his voice to a mumble, bringing our faces to almost touch. “You gonna let me have that kiss now?”
In a breathier voice than I anticipated, I said, “I think you’ve earned it.”
Despite the beers and shot, my nerves were off the charts. Kissing Mikey, there, in such a public venue, with people judging us everywhere. We had to make it count.
Before I could overanalyze, Mikey’s lips were on mine, first a quick smooch, then coming back for more. He bent me backward slightly with a tight hold on my back, a deep kiss with a tiny hint of tongue. That first kiss wasn’t a fluke: Mikey knew how to kiss, pushing the boundaries of propriety in a way that was thrilling.
I wasn’t supposed to be liking this. I was supposed to be moving on. This wasn’t supposed to feel magical. I wasn’t supposed to be giddy down to my toes, which were kicking up behind me like in an old movie. I wasn’t supposed to be wishing we were alone so we could keep going.
We pulled back, exchanging a dazed look. “I bet you’re tired,” I said.
“You woke me right up, Sweet Cheeks,” he said with a smirk and another peck on my lips.
“Hey, lovebirds,” came a French-accented voice. “You wanna go out and get drinks?”
Mikey looped his arm around my waist. “Jessie, you remember Guy.”
“I do. Hi.”
“I’ll try and not disrupt your sleep this time,” said the tall, dark, and handsome man with his arm around Kitty.
“Disrupt your sleep? Benny, are you having your loud parties while Jessie’s trying to sleep?” Debbie asked.
Eyes cut between Guy, Mikey, Kitty, and me as we worked out how to explain it all. Mikey blurted an answer. “My birthday party might have gone a little longer than what my Jessie Girl can handle. I’ve made it up to you, haven’t I, hon?”
Mikey pulsed a kiss to my temple. Our height difference was almost perfect for him to be able to do that, his lips right at my hairline. The booze had me all gooey-feeling. “Sure have, babe.”
