“Don’t forget a salad,” Miranda teases.
“Yo, I’m sensing some food shaming.” He narrows his gaze.
She shakes her head. “Not at all.”
Her ease with everyone amazes me. She fits right in with the team and their chaos—effortlessly balancing humor with grace. Watching her laugh with them, I feel that familiar tug in my chest again.
I should be mingling, but I can’t stop watching her.
She laughs at something Cade says. She brushes her hair behind her ear and smiles that easy smile that never fails to hit me somewhere deep. Every time I think I’ve gotten over it—over her—I see that smile and realize I’m still standing at the edge, ready to fall again.
A knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts.
I open it to find Max, Delaney, and baby Caroline bundled in her pink coat and tiny beanie.
“Hey, man,” Max says, stepping inside. “Smells amazing in here.”
“Plenty of food left. Come on in. So glad you could make it.”
Delaney laughs softly. “Yeah, we can’t stay long. It’s almost Caroline’s bedtime, but we wanted to stop by and say hi.”
Iris’s screech comes from behind as she runs toward her best friend Laney and pulls her into a hug. “I didn’t know if youguys were going to come. And with the baby!” she squeals before kissing Caroline on the cheek.
Caroline babbles something incoherent and smiles. That baby loves attention.
“Come in, make yourselves at home,” Miranda says, appearing behind me with a warm smile. “I can hold the baby if you want to grab yourselves a plate.”
“Oh, I got it,” Iris says, taking Caroline from Laney’s grasp. “If you don’t mind? I’m having serious baby withdrawals.”
“No worries,” Miranda says. “I’ll get some time with her later.”
Miranda lays out plates for them while I hand Max a beer and settle in beside him.
“Still loving the dad life?” I ask.
He smiles and looks affectionately at his daughter, who is making the rounds with Iris. “It’s pretty great. Oddly enough, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Something about the way he says it—so sure, so steady—gets to me.
I glance across the room where Miranda is laughing with Anna, her head tipped back, the soft glow of the lamp hitting her face just right.
The door opens again, and Eddy, our equipment manager, walks in with a couple of the self-proclaimed puck bunnies—women who’ve practically made a career out of chasing hockey players.
They’re all legs and perfume, their laughter sharp enough to cut through the music. Eddy waves like he’s proud to have brought reinforcements.
“Ladies, this is the crew,” he announces. “We’ve got players, food, and beer. Pick your poison.”
Finn grins. “Guess that’s my cue to grab another drink.”
One of the girls beelines across the room until she’s sidled up next to me, brushing a manicured hand against my arm. “You’re Miles, right? Number sixteen?”
I take a polite step back. “That’s me.”
“I watched you play last week. You were amazing.”
“Thanks,” I say, forcing a smile. “Appreciate it.”
She twirls a strand of hair and leans closer. “Maybe you can give me a personal lesson sometime.”
