Petrov points at Tessa, triumphant.“And ifyou lose,”he drags it out,“Tessa picks.”
She looks at me, laughing.“Wait.I get to choose their Halloween costumes?”
“You do,” Petrov says.“And we will suffer.”
“And if the rookies win…” Anders smirks, flashing his phone, “Theypickyourcostume, Tessa.”
Her eyes widen.“Me?Why me?”
“Collateral damage,” McKenna says.“Team bonding....Pick one.”
“So good,” Petrov exclaims cheerfully.
Tessa laughs, a full, real laugh, and looks at me like she’s waiting for me to veto it.
Instead, I wrap an arm around her waist and nudge my nose against her temple.“You in?”I murmur.
She smiles at me, soft and wicked all at once.“I mean, I have no idea what you are talking about.I feel like I am in trouble any which way this pans out, but I am in.”
Petrov woops.Reeves comes up beside us, "Olivia and I are in too.She will be at the game and event with me."
And I swear the whole room feels like it exhales.Like for the first time in too long, it’s easy.We are just friends spending the holiday together.No pressure, no cameras, no GM, no PR decks ready to swallow us whole.
Just her and me.
I hold her a little closer without meaning to.
She leans into me, kisses my jaw, laughs when Petrov vows revenge against some perceived slight from Jensen, and fits against my side like she was carved out of the same rib my heart beats behind.
Chapter 30 - Tessa
I still have no idea how the Halloween bet actually worked.I don't even think it was a bet or a game or something that got lost in translation when Misha tried to explain it.Maybe it was something he made up.But it is all in fun and in the end for charity.So I am playing along.
It was announced that Marcus had won, which led Olivia, his seven-year-old daughter, to pick out our costumes.
Kenzie showed up at my house that morning, holding two garment bags and grinning like the devil.“Guess who’s a princess?”she announced.
“I swear to God...”
“And guess who gets to play sisters?”she added, sing-song, waving the second bag.
My groan probably could have scared the horses.
“I’m not wearing braids,” I said immediately.
“You literally wore one yesterday.”
“That was to keep my hair out of shit,” I snapped.“This is different.”
Kenzie wiggled the hanger at me.“Suck it up, Princess.”
So I do.
It actually wasn’t bad, the dress was pretty, soft blue, fitted bodice, floating skirt.Not too short.Not too tight.It had a romantic, Celtic kind of vibe that felt almost… like me.
Kenzie looked gorgeous in her Elsa dress, hair braided and dusted with silver glitter that was probably going to haunt my truck until next spring.We met Olivia at the arena, dressed in a mini Rapunzel gown; someone had straightened her dark curls and wove in hair to match the character.She threw a sassy hand on her hip and tossed her braid over her shoulder, saying, "You gotta be in character, play the part.If you don’t smile and give your best princess wave, I’m not giving you your candy bag.”
The fire in that little girl's eyes is a powerful motivator, and so is chocolate, so both Kenzie and I quickly displayed our best princess waves.
