Fucker.
Oakley claps his brother on the shoulder and then goes back to getting ready. Meanwhile, Logan’s gaze falls back to me, and he reaches up, brushing his thumb over the bruised spot over my collar.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize—”
“It’s fine,” I whisper, shaking my head. “I’ve had worse done on the ice.”
He bites his lip and nods, and I can read a thousand questions in his eyes, each one crawling its way from the fissures in his irises. But now isn’t the time or place to discuss any of it, what with my friends lurking—
“Goddamn, you could cut the tension with a kni— Get away from me!”
My gaze shoots over to where Holden is currently hiding behind Phoenix, likely because Theo is attempting to give him another slap upside the skull.
“Need I remind you of the wayyoutwo fuckers—”
“Okay, okay,” Phoenix chides, interrupting as he keeps the two of them separated with his palms. His attention flicks my way before he adds, “We better get to our seats. Maybe being around other people will force them to behave.”
“Fat chance of that ever happening, but, yes, please get the hell outta here. Except you, Loge.” A wry smirk sits on his lips when he adds, “Don’t need you disappearing again before the main event.”
I stifle a laugh and I nod before taking a step toward the door—and away from Logan, whose blush has deepened to nearly red now. His eyes hold mine, though, and I can still see all those unspoken emotions etched into his expression as he watches the four of us leave.
We hustle out to the lawn area where the seats are set up with a pergola for the ceremony—with the city and Lake Michigan as the backdrop—and I notice most of the chairs are already full. Not that there were many to begin with, only room for maybe thirty people. Apparently Oakley really meant it when he said the wedding would be just close friends and family, and everyone else would come for the reception.
I say a quick hello to Louis, who is already seated with his wife, before joining Theo, Holden, and Phoenix in the back row.
“So who’s in charge of keeping this one on a tight leash allnight? Because he clearly needs to be,” Holden says to Phoenix and Theo while motioning toward me with his thumb.
I frown. “I’m right here.”
“Yes, you are. And it’s gonna stay that way,” comes from Theo, only for him to drop his voice conspiratorially. “I have AirTags. Don’t make me use them.”
I snort despite myself, but Holden snaps his fingers with excitement while pointing at us.
“Oh, better yet: Put a bell on the door of his hotel room like he did for Oakley back in the day.”
“Fuck that. I’ll just sleep on the floor in front of the door. He’s not getting anywhere then,” Theo muses with a shit-eating grin.
I gape at him. “Don’t you have a date to keep you occupied instead of planning ways to be a human chastity belt?”
“His flight got cancelled. Some big storm after their game in Sacramento. Which means you’re my date now.” A sardonic smile appears as he claps me on the shoulder. “I hope you enjoy getting cock blocked all night.”
“Who’s getting cock blocked?”
I glance down the row at the sound of a familiar voice, only to find Kason dropping into the seat beside Phoenix.
“Hey! I didn’t think you were gonna make it with training camp starting today,” Phoenix says, a huge smile on his face.
“Coach let it slide when I promised to be back in time for our morning lift tomorrow. I’ll probably have to head out right after dinner, but it’s better than missing the whole thing.”
I catch Holden’s brow hiking up in surprise as he laughs. “Kase, that’s a seven-hour drive. One way.”
“You can make it in six,” Phoenix and Kason rebut at the same time, only for them to laugh and fist bump.
“I hate when you two do that,” Holden mutters with a grimace. “Six or seven hours, it doesn’t matter. I just don’t understand why you’d drive all that way for a wedding you aren’teven in.”
“Because Hayes is in it,” he says simply before shrugging. “We do stupid shit for the people we love, all right?”
A set of brown, cracked irises come to mind, and I find myself nodding.
