“So you’re good with me visiting?”
“Just…stay away from Nicklas.”
“Nicklas?” she asks, a playful edge in her voice.
“You know exactly who I mean. Nicklas Walton.”
“You should know by now, when I’m told not to do something, it makes me want to do it all the more.”
I grip the wheel a little harder, my jaw tightening. Damn her. “Fine, you can’t come.”
Her chuckle warms me. God I miss her. Miss home. “Fine, I’ll stay away from Nicklas.”
“Good,” I grumble.
“Okay, bro. I’ll fine-tune the details and send them to you. Can’t wait to see you, and your friend who wants to be a lawyer.”
“Kate,” I warn.
Her laugh fills my chest with brotherly love. “Love you, Tuck.”
“Love you too.”
I hang up and grin, my chest lighter. I can’t wait for her visit, can’t wait to introduce her around. Like I said to Maria, I’m sure they’ll get along. They’ll have so much to talk about, so much in common.
I drive the short distance to Jaxon’s and pull into his driveway. The sky hangs heavy, dark and overcast, rain threatening on the horizon. I step out, the chill of the evening brushing against my skin, and walk up to the door, rapping my knuckles.
It flies open. Rowyn stands there, radiant, her face glowing. God, she looks so happy and I’m genuinely thrilled these two found each other after all those years as childhood friends.
She winks at me, one hand resting protectively on her belly, the other poking my chest. “Hey…heard you were ugly.”
I scrub at my scruff. “Jesus.”
She laughs. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re very handsome. Why you’re still single is beyond me.” She pulls me into a hug. Her big belly presses against me, and for the briefest heartbeat, my mind flashes back to Ben. My chest tightens.
What would he look like now?
Would he even recognize me?
Does he watch me play hockey?
I push those thoughts back with a hard mental shove and plaster on a smile. Not tonight. Not here. Rowyn pulls back, grinning as I hold the wine out to her.
“Non-alcoholic wine for the beautiful mother-to-be.” She frowns and I raise an eyebrow. “You don’t like this brand?”
She takes it from me and sighs. “I like it. But I miss wine.”
I chuckle, shutting the door behind us, and follow her into the kitchen where Jaxon stirs something aromatic on the stove.
“What smells so good?” I ask, setting the beer on the counter. I pop open two and hand one to Jaxon.
“Scallop linguine,” he says, the rich scent curling into my nose. “My speciality.”
I breathe it in deeply. “Man…I need to learn to cook.”
Jaxon arches a brow. “You’ve been a bachelor for how long now?”
“Not long enough,” I say, my stomach twisting slightly. “Which means I’ve still got time to learn how to cook.”
