Pizza and junk food sounds amazing, and I find I’m not ready to go home. I want to spend more time with these women who are quickly becoming a lifeline here in this new city. “I’m in. As long as I get home by ten. I don’t want Reed alone too long after his friend drops him off.”
“Of course,” Mira says. “One of us will drop you off before that. I’ll text Griffin about the pizza. What does everyone like?”
We rattle off our orders, pile back into Mira’s sunshine-yellow car, and I flip through my new book, my thoughts on hockey, Logan, and what it would be like to truly be one of these women. Not just as a friend, but as a wife or girlfriend.
It sounds like a dream. I’m just not sure it’s one that’s actually available to me.
twenty-five
LOGAN
The ladies areall curled up under blankets on Griffin’s couches when we file in, carrying stacks of pizza boxes. Isla and Lexi don’t look surprised to see us, but Blair’s pretty brown eyes widen, and I’d bet money the girls didn’t tell her they’d be getting company of the hockey-playing variety.
Will she be okay with us being here? Even though I want a chance to spend more time with her, I don’t want to ruin her night, either.
“Ladies, your pizza has arrived,” Griffin says with a flourish. He sets his boxes down on the coffee table before leaning over and pulling Mira in for a passionate kiss. “Hey, sunshine. Missed you.”
They’re disgustingly cute together. Normally, I’d feel a quick little pang of annoyance at their PDA, but tonight, I’m straight-up jealous.
I must be losing my damn mind.
Maddox and Ryder greet Isla and Lexi in much the same ways while Bash says hello before making his way into Griffin and Mira’s kitchen to grab a stack of plates and some napkins.
“Hey,” I say to Blair. “It’s good to see you.”
“Oh, um, yeah. You too.” She twists a springy curl between her fingers and shifts so her feet are no longer tucked beneath her on the couch.
I chuckle. “You had no idea we were showing up, did you?” When her full lips curve into a tentative smile, something inside me loosens. If she seemed upset by our presence, I’d leave. But I don’t want to.
“No, but I should have known.”
“Bad surprise?” I ask.
“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that, really. I just…”
“It’s okay,” I reassure her, chuckling as she stammers in an effort to make me feel better. “I get it.”
“It is good to see you, though.”
Bash sets the stack of plates down on the coffee table, and I take one. “What kind of pizza did you order?”
“Sausage, black olive, and feta,” she says. Her voice is quiet, all the fire she shines with when we’ve verbally sparred before tempered into something hesitant and shy. It’s cute, but I want to fan those flames again. I love her fire.
Before she can protest, I grab a few slices of pizza out of the box and hand it to her.
“Thank you.”
“That looks delicious,” I say. “I don’t think it’s a combination I would have chosen, but it smells good.”
“Help yourself. I don’t mind sharing.”
I consider it for a moment, then grab one slice of hers before adding two slices of the everything pizza I prefer. When my plate is piled high, I turn, surveying the couches. Blair is tucked into a corner seat, the spot next to her open. But do I take it? Does she want me to sit next to her?
Sebastian catches my eye and gives me a subtle nod, telling me to go for it.
Seriously, how have I gotten to this point? When have I ever been scared to sit next to a beautiful woman?
Maybe when you started caring about more than just having sex.
