I skim the texts in the group chat I have with the guys.
Xander: Just saw on sports news that you got married. That’s gotta be a joke, right?
Blomdahl: It’s a joke. We all know Connors isn’t the marrying type
Ryker: If Connors is married, then my dick is made of vanilla pudding
Del: ???
Xander: Oh shit, I just saw the photo online. It’s not a joke!
Theo: Wait, you’re married? Seriously??
Xander: You and Ellie got married?! Like, legally married?
Del: Looks like you’ve got a vanilla pudding dick, St. George. Your new nickname is vanilla pudding dick
Ryker: Call me that and I’ll deck you
Blomdahl: Well, shit.
Sam: I didn’t see this coming lol. Congrats, man
Blomdahl: *champagne emoji*
I look up at my teammates and huff out a breath. I grin and shrug. “I got married. Surprise.”
Blomdahl tosses his sweaty towel at me. I make a grossed-out face and throw my Bashers hat at him, but he catches it. Fucking goalies and their reflexes.
“Dude, you have some explaining to do,” Blomdahl says.
“Seriously. You always said you’d never, ever get married,” Xander says.
I tell them what Ellie and I agreed to tell our friends and family.
“I never wanted to. But then Ellie and I reconnected,” I say. “I had a huge crush on her as a kid. She was the one that got away.”
They’re all quiet as they stare at me. My nerves kick up. I really, really hope they buy this.
“When we met again as adults, I didn’t want to waste any more time being apart. She’s it for me.”
I hold my breath as I wait for them to say something.
Xander’s face splits into a grin. He walks over and hugs me. Sam and Blomdahl are smiling too. So is Theo.
“Dude, I knew it. You’re just like me. A manwhore until you met the right woman,” Xander says, slapping me on the back.
I chuckle and glance up at Ryker and Del, who give me nods of approval.
“Congrats,” Ryker says.
“Thanks, guys. And sorry we didn’t invite you all to the wedding. We wanted it to be private. Plus, Ellie’s really shy and being in front of a crowd kind of freaks her out.”
I feel bad for lying to my teammates, but I need to make our last-minute wedding sound convincing.
“It’s okay. We get it,” Xander says.
“It’s your wedding,” Del says. “You guys can do whatever you want.”
