I squint an eye, debating if she is just riling me up or if she is dead serious.
“Already married,” I say one-toned.
“But don’t you want a princess wedding dress?”
I look to my father for help and to simmer her down. He gets the clue and touches my mother’s arm. “Relax. Tonight is just dinner, no party talk.” I mouth thank you. “So, what’s the plan, kiddos? For the rest of the summer before hockey season? With the summer show out of the way, you have fewer dance classes to teach.”
“I just want to take it easy,” I say before taking a sip of my wine.
Connor squeezes my other hand that he hasn’t let go of. “We should go somewhere for vacation. I’m thinking island, tropical, cocktails, bikini—”
“That’s my daughter,” my father adds on the list in a stern voice.
I can’t control my grin because these two together are kind of hilarious. A perfect team if they allow it.
“We’ll see. Also, depends on if we adopt a dog or not,” I add.
My mom holds up her hand. “I’m all for babysitting the pooch, but we’re just not keen on getting a dog right now.”
“I know. Besides, I could use some company when Connor is off on the road for games. Maybe a dog is exactly what we need. If he’s calm enough, then he can come to the studio with me.” I flash my eyes at Connor, as I’m sure that news will make him happy.
I can see the hint of a victorious wry smile on his lips before they wrap around the rim of his beer bottle.
Looking around, I feel lucky in this moment. Or at least content. We’re all enjoying the little things in life, with some form of elation on our faces. It’s a perfect night too, as we can see the stars.
“Hadley, come on,” my little brother groans from the patio door.
I stand, holding onto my wine glass because no way am I forfeiting this delicious vino for a biology project. “I’ll be back. I promised to look at his project for summer science club,” I announce.
I quickly lean down to kiss Connor’s cheek and leave them to talk amongst themselves. I hear the mention of visiting a casino for the bachelor party, and it only makes me grin more.
Walking into the house, I head straight to the sofa where Ashton is scrolling on his tablet. I flop onto the cushion next to him and prepare myself for a doozy.
“All right, show me your wizardly knowledge,” I tell him.
He begins typing away with his finger. “I need your blood type,” he orders.
“Oh, uh… I don’t know… wait, actually, I do know. I had bloodwork done recently for my allergy tests.” I grab my phone that’s resting on the charging station on the side table. “Can I see what you’re working on?” I ask, curious.
“Nothing special. We’re going over blood groups and pairings. I’m filling out a family chart. I’ve just been waiting on you, but you’ve been too busy being married.”
I roll my eyes because he loves Connor. Who wouldn’t want a superstar hockey player as their new brother-in-law?
“Mom told me hers, and dad’s I found in his wallet,” he further explains.
“You were snooping again?” I call him out on his admission.
He is quick to defend. “So? It’s educational.”
I shake my head as I pull up blood test results that produced nada on the allergy front, which is a good thing.
“I’ll be back, nature calls.” He hands me the tablet and disappears down the hall.
My curiosity gets the best of me, and I begin to look at the chart. There is a list of possible and impossible combinations. Huh, interesting. I remember studying this all back in middle school, but it is purely a blip in my memory.
Reading between the tablet and my phone, I search for my blood type then return my sight to the scientific table on the screen. I double-check then triple for good measure.
But my face falls, right before my heart quickens and an uneasy feeling stirs in my stomach. I freeze, and it feels like a crack is forming somewhere.
