All three of us stand there awkwardly for so long that even I have to speak up rather than sit in the shit. “How’s the NHL treating you?”
“Good. I’m enjoying it,” Devereaux responds, lifting a shoulder. “Hate being away from my girl so much, but other than that, it’s good.”
I can’t imagine if I were still playing for the league and had to leave Maisie as much as I would have to. Pretty sure I’d be a miserable asshole.
Guess I really have gone soft, as these fuckers like to say.
Mostly Legros, since he has no clue what monogamy is, even if it slapped him in the face.
Or to be in love.
But Devereaux gets it.
“Wilder!” Doug, Maisie’s dad, says as he claps my shoulder, smiling brightly. “The house is looking wonderful, son. You two have done a beautiful job already.”
“Thank you.”
He gives me a quick hug and thankfully eases the awkwardness of standing here with these two.
It never gets old, hearing Maisie’s parents refer to me as their son. Nor the love and acceptance that they’ve given me, when they never had to.
Sure, at first, they were understandably hesitant about our relationship because of the age difference and the way we met, but once they realized how fucking much I love their daughter and that I would rather die than ever hurt her, they warmed up quickly.
And Doug has been a big part of Hawthorne Haven. He’s been there with full support from the beginning, offering his contacts and resources without batting an eye, and it means more to me than he knows.
It’s the first time in my life I have a family, and it’s family that chose me.
Not because of obligation or blood, but because they wanted to.
When I think about that, it makes my chest tight.
“We’ve been working on a few things at a time. Still have most of the boxes around here half-unpacked, but it’ll get there,” I say, and he nods, eyes softening at the corners.
“There’s no rush. If you two ever need us, you just have to call, you know that.”
Flashing him a smile, I say, “We do. Thank you, Doug. It means a l?—”
Suddenly, something hard smacks against the front of my shins, and I let out a grunt, nearly toppling over backward.
“Lily!” a small voice says through bouts of giggles. “Come back here!”
My lip curves into a smile when I find the source, the strings of my heart tugging.
“Sorry, WyWy.” Kori grins up at me as she wraps her arms around Lily’s waist and tries to pull her off my leg, where she’s currently wrapped around it with all four limbs, holding on like she’s protesting at a save-the-tree rally and I’m the tree.
“Almost took me out, Lily-kins.” I bend, carefully peeling her chubby little hands off my legs and picking her up gently in myarms. “You’ve got some power behind that hit, little bug. Might have to put you in peewee hockey soon.”
Kori giggles, her hand flying up to her mouth, but she nods too. “Cam says she’s going to be a linebacker.”
I scoff, rolling my eyes as I press my fingers into Lily’s soft belly and tickle her until she’s giggling and thrashing in my arms. “Like I would ever let her play football over hockey.”
“Actually, women can do whatever they want, you know. We don’t need a man’s permission,” Kori says pointedly, arching a brow.
I laugh. “Yeah. You’re right. And clearly, you’ve been talking to Cam lately, huh?”
She just shrugs.
Once I set Lily back on her feet and she ambles off toward the living room, Kori gives me a quick hug and a dimpled grin. “Thanks for inviting me today. I missed you guys.”
