“I mean that Cruz has to show Vivian he’s there for her, not just say it. All these things—taking her on a trip and buying shit, cooking for her, me moving Hana in with me—those are our way of showing that we care.”
“Great.” I slumped down in my seat. “He can’t do that easily. And by the time we figure it out, Keelie’s going to be smirking at me during their wedding.”
We all stared glumly out the window. Naese heaved a sigh. Coach scratched his head.
The clock tick-tick-ticked toward our doom.
“We’re shit at this,” Maxim said. He stood and began to pace.
“No, we’re not,” Stolly said. He rose and confronted Maxim. “I love my wife, and I tell her that often. I love my daughter, and I tell her even more often. This isn’t about our ability to have and…and show emotions, it’s that…that…”
“We’re shit at creating the kissing scene from The Little Mermaid?” Coach suggested. At our looks, he shrugged. “Trixie went through a huge Little Mermaid phase. I’m pretty sure I know all the words to all the songs.”
I pointed at him. “That right there. That’s the dedication we need.”
“Serenade us, Coach,” Maxim said.
“Yeah, sing for us. Maybe it’ll get us in the mood,” Stol said.
To my surprise, he did. I winced when he went flat, but Coach had a decent voice and could carry a tune.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Cruz roared from the doorway.
Coach trailed off. Naese groaned.
I jumped up and pointed at Cruz’s sweatshirt. “Dogs!”
Chapter 24
Chapter
Vivian
* * *
I glanced around at the other women, my heart thumping against my ribs.
“Don’t put her on the spot, Naomi,” Lola chided. “I’m here, and that has to make it hard for her to talk candidly. Plus, she doesn’t know you all well.”
Naomi pouted. “But I want to see that boy of yours happy, Lola. He deserves it.” She looked at me. “He’s helped out each of us, more than once, when our men were… How do I say this diplomatically?”
“You don’t,” Ida Jane said. “When they had their heads up their butts.”
“Fair assessment,” Hana said with a nod. She smiled.
“Lennon has always been a sensitive soul,” Lola said. She took a small bite of food, humming happily as she closed her eyes.
“But I don’t get why you all want to get us together,” I told them.
Hana’s smile widened. “Oh, that’s easy. One, you were falling hard for him last September. Ergo, you’re perfect for each other. And two, our guys all seem to think so, too.”
“Really, we’re doing everyone a favor by getting y’all together,” Ida Jane added.
“We’re even going to let them take the credit for this one,” Naomi said with a wink.
“Because it was their idea,” Lola agreed. She’d taken another couple of bites, and I was thrilled to see a gleam in her eye. Though I wished it wasn’t directed toward me.
"Pax noted that you were Cruz’s perfect woman,” Hana said with a dreamy expression. “That man is so thoughtful and observant.”
