Sweet Victory: BTU Alumni Series Book #3

by Ciz, Alley

  The main living space was made up of a huge open kitchen, dining room, and living room with hallways branching off on either side.

  The hardwood floor shined, the kitchen was all granite countertops and stainless steel. She noted there were two refrigerators and remembered Gemma saying she was a personal chef and did meal preps for the fighters from the gym as well as a list of other clients.

  Kyle and Lyle’s place was decorated with an eclectic, modern feel, unsurprising considering how colorful Espresso Patronum was. This place was obviously a female domain, with the chrome and hot pink acrylic bar stools and pink and animal print throw pillows on the dove gray, tufted, microfiber sectional. The shaggy area rug, a few shades lighter than the couch, looked comfortable enough to stretch out on. And the white wood furniture and twinkle light accent wall lent to the feminine feel.

  The best thing about the apartment, though, was that no matter how nicely it was decorated, it felt homey and like people lived in it. It was pretty much the exact opposite of her old life.

  She loved it.

  “Hey, girl,” Becky greeted with a smile.

  “Hey.” She gave a small wave, then cursed herself for being awkward.

  “Hungry? I have extra.” Gemma held up a bowl.

  These two women had been nothing but nice since they met, yet Holly couldn’t help but feel intimated by them. Having grown up in a world where image was everything, being faced with these two effortless beauties made her feel like she didn’t belong.

  Gemma was mean-girl-from-a-teen-drama pretty, her messy bun stylish even leaning slightly to the left but it was most likely due to her tossing it up without a care, if the leggings and loose cotton tunic with the picture of a pizza cutter and the words 'This is how I cut carbs,' she wore were any indication. At least it seemed like she might be her funny t-shirt spirit sister.

  Then there was Becky, with her fire engine red bob, green eyes that missed nothing, and the overall take charge personality you couldn’t miss.

  These girls knew their place in life, and it made her the tiniest bit—okay, North Pole sized—jealous. She wanted to be like them when she grew up. Maybe living with them would cause some of their awesomeness to rub off.

  A girl could dream, right?

  “Okay, you’re all set, Hol,” Ryan said as he and Jake reentered the kitchen, the casual nickname only Kyle and Lyle used catching her off guard. She had grown accustomed to the formality of her old life. “Oh, whatcha makin’, Gem?” He reached out as if he was going to take some of the food she was preparing.

  “Not for you.” Gemma smacked his hand out of the way. “I’m prepping meals for your brother so Nick and Damon can drop it off for me when they go to the game later.”

  “This is Jase’s?” Jake asked.

  “Yup. So keep your grabby hands to yourself.” Gemma leveled them both with a narrowed-eyed stare, pointing at them with her wooden spoon.

  Unperturbed, Ryan wrapped a hand around the spoon, bringing it to his mouth while he took a selfie, Jake jumping into the background of the photo and miming maniacal laughter.

  “You know Rock is going to be pissed you’re messing with her bestie,” Becky said dryly as they watched Ryan post the picture to Instagram.

  @CaptainRyanDonnelly9:

  Hey @EnforcedByJaseDonnelly13 me and @BrickWallDonovan30 call dibs on this food @GemCooksForYou made. #SorryNotSorry #Nomnomnomnom #GetInMyBelly #JoeyDoesn’tShareFood

  “Nah. Rock loves messing with him as much as I do,” Ryan replied.

  “I swear, there are times I think Sean is more mature than the lot of you.” Gemma shook her head in disgust. “And he’s nine.”

  “Oh, and Jake,” Becky called out before wrapping an arm around Holly’s shoulders. “Your wife told us to tell you to drop the dogs off at your parents' because you guys are watching the game here tonight. Holly here needs a proper welcome party.”

  Holly was happy enough to have a new place to live, but now these people she barely knew wanted to celebrate her moving in, for no other reason than to make her feel welcomed. It was such a contrast to her old life.

  “You don’t have to do that. I’m probably going to spend most of the day unpacking and everything,” she tried to beg off.

  “Of course we do.” Becky shot her an incredulous look. “Do you have any idea how long we looked for someone to fill Rocky’s room after she ditched us for Gage?”

  “True story,” Gemma added.

  “You’re the first person we clicked with.”

  “You better hope your crazy doesn’t scare her off.” Ryan chortled.

  “Don’t start, Captain America.” Becky gave him epic side-eye.

  Holly snorted at the nickname, trying to cover it with a laugh. He did look a lot like the Marvel hero.

  “Nah, man. She’s gonna fit right in,” Jake said, clapping him on the back.

  After the guys were gone, Becky and Gemma gave her a tour of the apartment. Both of their rooms were down the left hallway while hers was to the right. Each room boasted its own attached bathroom with an additional powder room across the hall from her room.

  Her bedroom was already furnished with a dresser, king-sized bed and matching end tables. How was rent so cheap? Yes, living here would get her out of her friends’ guest room, but she didn’t want a handout.

  Both girls waved off her concern, saying that they actually owned the apartment and when everything was split three ways, it really was that affordable.

  Instead of getting hung up on the money, she decided to embrace her good fortune and got to work on settling into her new life. A life she controlled.

  Fourteen

  Coven Conversations

  From the Group Message Thread of The Coven

  PROTEIN PRINCESS: Is it wrong to have a crush on our new roommate?

  PROTEIN PRINCESS: Asking for a friend.

  YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Fuck that. I have a HUGE lady boner for this chick. She rocks.

  MOTHER OF DRAGONS: The boys got her all moved in?

  YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Oh yes. Your fine AF husband and brother were so efficient they only needed one trip to get all her stuff here.

  MAKES BOYS CRY: I hope you put them to work while they were there.

  PROTEIN PRINCESS: I fed them.

  THE OG PITA: Gem you’re such a softie.

  QUEEN OF SMUT: Question?

  QUEEN OF SMUT: Also asking for a friend…

  QUEEN OF SMUT: Does she know Vince lives across the hall??

  MOTHER OF DRAGONS: Book research?

  QUEEN OF SMUT: Always. Neighbors/Roommates is one of my favorite tropes.

  YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: No, she doesn’t know.

  PROTEIN PRINCESS: Should we tell her?

  ALPHABET SOUP: NO

  ALPHABET SOUP: WAY

  ALPHABET SOUP: I NEED to be there for when this goes down.

  QUEEN OF SMUT: OMG me too. I’ll bring my laptop and take notes.

  QUEEN OF SMUT: *GIF of Elle Woods taking notes in class*

  THE OG PITA: *GIF of girl spitting water laughing*

  THE OG PITA: ^^what you just made me do, Madz.

  ALPHABET SOUP: Vin has been a MESS all day. Griff knocked him around the ring like Griff was Clubber Lang and Vin was Rocky in Rocky III.

  YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: *facepalm emoji*

  MAKES BOYS CRY: I smell a Coven meeting, as the boys would say.

  MAKES BOYS CRY: *GIF of a girl rubbing her hands together*

  MOTHER OF DRAGONS: This isn’t Gilmore Girls. You can’t smell a Coven meeting like Loralie smells snow.

  MOTHER OF DRAGONS: *GIF of Loralie Gilmore saying “I smell snow”*

  MAKES BOYS CRY: Shut up. You know what I mean.

  THE OG PITA: Hell yeah we do. Guess we know where we’re watching the Storm game tonight.

  QUEEN OF SMUT: Fuck that. Who needs hockey when we have REAL LIFE drama to watch.

  QUEEN OF SMUT: *GIF of a guy pulling a tub of popcorn off the floor and settling ba
ck onto a couch to watch*

  Chapter Fifteen

  Holly spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and putting away her belongings. It was nice to feel completely settled in place for the first time since she made her escape. Even while staying with Kyle and Lyle, there had been a sense of limbo keeping her from truly unpacking—this was home.

  She mentally added another checkmark to her list.

  Escape the clutches of her family. Check.

  Get a job. Check.

  Find a place to live. Check.

  Figure out a plan for the future. Yeah, that was the one she was still working on.

  She got along with her new roommates like she’d known them forever. Gemma cranked up Bruno Mars to ear-splitting volume, all of them bobbing around as they lent a hand either with Gem’s meal prepping or her own unpacking. When she questioned if they were worried about the neighbors complaining they told her it wasn’t an issue—they knew everyone on the floor, and the people who lived above them were at work.

  She'd never really had close girlfriends before. Hell, who was she kidding? Aside from Kyle, she didn’t have any real friends, regardless of their sex. The people from her old life would stab you in the back faster than you could blink if it meant elevating their social status.

  Just the memory of how Gemma and Becky looked at her when she asked what she should wear for the party had her smiling.

  “Why would you need to change?” Becky asked.

  “You said it was a party. Shouldn’t I be dressed for the occasion?”

  “No way. Stay comfy. We’re only going to be watching hockey. No need to be fancy,” Gemma agreed.

  True to their word, neither one changed.

  The door to the apartment opened and she recognized the gorgeous, raven-haired woman who entered as Vince’s sister, Rocky. A part of her perked up at seeing yet another person connected to Stud Muffin—the dumb part that was all for ignoring the smart thing to do in favor of getting naked with him.

  “I don’t know if I’m going to survive this pregnancy working in the gym,” Rocky said, plopping down in one of the armchairs in the living room.

  “Well, seeing as you still have to bake that baby for another six months or so, I would say that is something you need to figure out, Rock.” Becky laughed as she entered the living room with glasses of wine for her and Holly.

  “Do you have any idea how much my sense of smell is heightened right now?” Rocky scrunched her nose as if sniffing something pungent.

  “I thought you said you liked the way Gage smells after a workout?” Gemma asked, carrying in trays of food to put on the coffee table.

  “I do.” Rocky’s tone turned dreamy as she stared into space for a minute. “But having to be around the six of them as they train, not to mention anyone else in the gym, might just kill me.”

  “Could be worse. Jordan has to go into locker rooms,” Becky reminded her.

  “True.” Rocky spotted Holly on the couch for the first time, her gray eyes widening when she did. “Oh my god. I forgot you were moving in today. Pregnancy brain is no joke. I’m Rocky—nice to officially meet you.”

  She shook her outstretched hand, returning the greeting and smiling at the way Rocky’s words seemed to tumble out on top of each other.

  “I guess I should thank you for moving out so I could have a place to live.”

  “Please, girl.” Rocky pulled her feet underneath her, rubbing circles on the slight swell of her belly. “I pretty much moved down the hall a year ago. I was out long before I made it official.”

  Before she could learn more of that story, people started to trickle into the apartment. Leading the pack was a tall, pretty strawberry blonde in the middle of a conversation with another good-looking girl with light brown hair that faded into a rose gold ombre—were all their friends attractive?—carrying a baby who looked about a year old.

  Behind them were Gage and someone he had to be related to based on the matching dark brown hair and bright blue eyes.

  “Seriously, man. It’s all your fault for bringing The Coven into my life,” the shorter guy said to Gage. “You move out here, marry a girl, and now I’m the one who has to pose half naked for a charity calendar.”

  “Oh, puh-lease, Wyatt,” the strawberry blonde said as she poured herself a glass of wine. “You and all the other guys at the firehouse were vying for one of the twelve spots we have open for the Men in Uniform charity calendar. You are lucky we picked you to represent the firefighter in it.”

  “Oh my god, is Wyatt still bitching about being objectified?” said a short blonde who walked in with Jake Donovan, two mini versions of her toddling ahead of them.

  “Hi, I'm Skye," the strawberry blonde said with a wave toward Holly before turning back to the woman with Jake. "One hundred percent. Makes me rather work with Tucker’s diva ass than have to listen to him complain.”

  “Oooh, no good, bro. Those are like fighting words coming from Skye.” Jake laughed and dropped to the floor, dumping a box of blocks from one of the shelves onto the rug for the twins.

  “I didn’t miss it, did I?” A girl with a riot of blonde curls who was a regular at the coffee house asked breathlessly as she rushed inside.

  “No, Madz, you’re good,” Becky answered as the blonde fell into a free corner of the sectional.

  “If you guys aren’t careful you’re going to scare off Gem and Beck’s new roommate,” Ryan Donnelly chided, joining Jake on the floor.

  Formal introductions were made, and Holly finally learned what, and who, The Coven was. Someone turned the television on, flipping through the channels until they found the channel for the NY Storm pregame show.

  It amazed her how they all treated each other like family and how much they genuinely seemed to like each other. They made her feel like she'd always been part of their group so seamlessly she nearly started to believe it.

  She learned that Jordan and Skye ran a public relations firm that specialized in athletes and they represented the hockey players there as well as the fighters from The Steele Maker. They congratulated Jake and Ryan on having their Instagram post from earlier trending.

  For the first time in what felt like forever, Holly started to relax.

  Then she heard his deep voice.

  VINCE ASSUMED EVERYONE was already at the girls’ apartment by the time he finished his shower since both Ray and Deck’s doors were closed as he made his way to the kitchen for one of Gem's protein shakes then searched the freezer for an ice pack. He wasn't surprised they went across the hall before him since he had to spend a few extra minutes under the hot spray rubbing one out to ease the perpetual state of blue balls he’d been in since Holly crashed into his life earlier in the week.

  Fuck.

  The swiftness with which he got himself off to thoughts of her was embarrassing. He needed a plan for when they finally got naked together because he was more likely to become Santa Claus à la Tim Allen style than last more than a minute or two with her at this rate.

  No ice packs in the utility closet either, and the cornucopia of bruises Griff’s beating inflicted were aching. He'd have to get one from Rock.

  But first…time to see Holly.

  Not bothering with shoes, he strode across the hall into 12A.

  His gaze instantly locked on Holly sitting on the couch when he entered the room. She looked so goddamn breathtaking with her cognac and purple hair tied into a stubby ponytail, leggings, fuzzy socks, and a loose cotton shirt, sleeves pushed up around her elbows.

  It wasn’t her looks that got him though—hell, he was surrounded by beautiful women every day between The Coven and fighter groupies. No, it was the funny little flip his heart did when he caught sight of her that told him this one is special.

  “Hey, Rock. Do you have any ice packs back at your place?” He kept his eyes trained on Holly as spoke. The way her eyes widened and the tempting O her berry mouth formed confirmed she wasn’t expecting him.

  Holly wasn’t th
e only one to jerk to attention at the sound of his voice. Like always, the Donovan twins abandoned their blocks to run to him, squealing, “Bin, Bin, Bin,” as they did.

  He bent to scoop the girls up, breathing in the bubble gum scent of their shampoo. He could see why people chose to procreate. He was only a pseudo-uncle and they greeted him like a conquering hero every time they saw him. It made him feel like he could slay dragons.

  He winced as Lacey’s tiny fist—the earring trick was genius—connected with his bruised side. He walked them over to their dad and uncle, setting them down to resume building their epic tower of blocks.

  “You sure you want to stop after this little guy?” he asked Jordan, placing a hand to her baby bump while dropping a kiss hello on her cheek. “I mean, I’d make an awesome godfather.”

  “No way. Jake is getting snipped after I pop this little guy out. No more pulling the goalie for him.” She sent a wink to her husband. To Jake’s credit, he didn’t even wince at the mention of someone going near his balls with a scalpel, he only looked at his wife like she hung the moon.

  “Besides,” Skye cut in, “what makes you think you’d be fourth in line? I think Sammy would beat you out after Tucker for the title.”

  “That cuts deep, Skye.” He mimed being stabbed in the heart.

  She shrugged. “You could always try and knock Tucker from his post.”

  He sent Jordan a hopeful look, but she shook her head. “He’s my BB3.”

  For as much as their friend was a playboy, prankster and a flirt, he had been a constant pillar of support for Jake and Jordan. He'd declared himself her third big brother, or BB3, in college. Can’t compete with that.