by Toni Aleo
“Dad, let’s be real. My wedding would never cost what Shelli’s is.”
He nods. “Which is why you’re my favorite.”
When he turns, my brothers are there. Quinn glares at him. “You have five kids. You can’t pick favorites.”
Evan nods. “Especially when you told me I was your favorite yesterday.”
Owen looks at Evan and then Dad. “What the heck. You told me I was your favorite this morning.”
“I don’t like any of you. I only love your mom.”
He looks back at Mom, who is grinning from ear to ear. She fist-pumps, and we all beam at her. “Right back at you.”
They all head to my room as I lean on the counter again, and Mom’s eyes meet mine. “I love you the most.”
I snort. “You tell all of us that.”
“I do,” she agrees, cupping my hand. “I hate that you’re leaving me.”
“I’m legit moving nine minutes away. You act like I’m gone for good.”
She exhales hard. “Still, it hurts.”
I squeeze her hand. “Don’t let it. I love you.”
“I love you,” she says, her eyes soft and full of adoration. “How are your meds doing?”
I thread my fingers with hers. “Okay, I think. I don’t know. I don’t feel like I want to sleep, but I still feel a bit off. I go back in a couple weeks.”
She nods. “Please stay on top of that. You don’t want to get sick.”
“I know,” I agree, and she smiles.
My mom then turns her phone toward me and lays it on the counter. “Read this.”
I move the phone to where I can read it. It’s an email.
From Maxim.
Elli,
I hope this email finds you well. I miss you greatly and hope everyone is doing good. The reason for my email is that I’ve been trying to get in contact with Posey, but I haven’t been able to. Can you please give me her contact info or have her contact me? I want to speak with her, please. Thank you for your time.
Maxim
I bite into my cheek as I turn the phone back around to her. I wait for the wave of affection I once felt for him, but all I feel is the sting of rejection from seeing Stella at his house. Or how he said I was like a sister to him. Why would I care about a dude who says that when I have a man who tells me I’m gorgeous every day? “Don’t give him my info.”
She deletes the email. “I figured.”
“I’m good without him.”
“I know. You’re doing so well, honey. I’m so proud of you.”
I look at her in surprise. “You are?”
“Oh, my baby, I am. You blow me away daily. So strong, so amazing. You remind me of your daddy every day.”
My lips quirk. “Funny… I was channeling my inner Elli Adler.”
Her eyes fill with tears. “You’re the perfect mix of us both, Posey. I love you very much, and all I want is for you to be happy.”
My heart swells, and I want to tell her about Boon. I don’t want to lie, I don’t want to hide him, but I can’t throw that news out there yet. I don’t want anything to get in the way of the success of the team, and I don’t want my dad’s angina doing something funky to where he can’t walk my sister down the aisle.
I’ll totally be blamed for that, and there goes my page in the Wedding Book from Hell.
Hmm… I might be on to something here.
“I am happy, Mom.”
“I know,” she says, patting my hand. “It sucks that leaving us makes you happy,” she teases just as the guys come back into the house.
Quinn sets me with a look. “We all know why she’s leaving.”
I bring in my brows. “Because I want to live on my own.”
He shakes his head. “Nope. She’s got herself a boyfriend.”
Dad’s eyes widen, and Owen and Evan grin. “For sure. She hasn’t listened to that pull the carpet out from under me song in like forever,” Owen says with mischief in his eyes.
“I hear her on the phone with him all the time,” Evan jeers, and I glare.
“You do not. Shut up,” I throw back at them. “I hope y’all know I’m not scared to take out your knees.”
Dad looks over at me. “You’re not with someone, are you?”
“Dad—”
“I think she is. She’s too happy,” Evan says then. “This is the first time she’s threatened us in a while.”
“Two months, to be exact,” Quinn adds, and I look back at my mom.
Before I can say anything, though, Owen says, “Watch. She’ll move out, and then all of a sudden, she’ll have a boyfriend.”
My gaze narrows as I meet my mom’s eyes. “Mom, tell them to leave me alone.”
She beams, her eyes teasing. “Well, they’re not wrong.”
“They are wrong. I’m completely the same as I’ve always been.”
“It’s okay to have a boyfriend, Posey.”
“Can you stop telling her that?” Dad says, grabbing his chest. “I can’t breathe.”
I let my head fall back as the boys laugh. “You guys are such dicks.”
“She has been in a good mood, just how Shelli was,” Dad groans, and Owen snorts.
“’Cause she’s getting laid.”
My eyes grow so wide they hurt, and my dad whips his head to my mom. “She’s having sex?”
“Owen, really?”
“I’m out,” I say, needing to escape. I head to my room to grab my purse and a few little bags before walking back into the living room where my mom is rubbing my dad’s back, trying to calm him down. He’s looks stricken, but I refuse to acknowledge his childish behavior. I am a twenty-one-year-old woman who is having really great sex with a really awesome guy. I will not apologize for or admit to that.
“I’ll call you,” I holler, mainly to my mom as I pull my keys out of my bag.
“Don’t you need our help with moving everything in?” Owen asks, and Evan laughs.
“Or is your boyfriend meeting you at the apartment?”
The three stooges crack up, and then Quinn says, “Probably, so he can move in too.”
“Boys! That’s enough!” Mom yells as my dad clutches his chest.
Dad looks to Mom and shakes his head. “Elli, call 9-1-1. This is it. The girls are putting me in an early grave.”
As I go to shut the door, I hear my mom say, “Oh Shea, don’t be dramatic!”
I slam the door shut, leaning into it and closing my eyes.
What is wrong with these people I call family?
“He did not.”
I’m riding on the end of the cart as Boon pushes it. We’re both sipping on our second unicorn slushies. He told me if I tell any of the guys he drank one, he’d kill me. But I know, and it tickles me that I got him hooked on them.
“Boon, I kid you not. He clutched his chest and acted as if he was having a full-on heart attack! I had to call my mom later and ask if he was okay.”
“Is he?” he asks, and I can tell he is worried for my dad. It’s sweet.
“Yeah, he’s fine. Just dramatic. I could kill Owen.”
He chuckles. “I don’t have brothers, but I have teammates, so I feel you.”
I laugh along with him as we make our way down the housewares aisles. I need to look for things for my kitchen, but I’d rather stare at Boon. He looks so damn good. He’s wearing the hoodie he made me give him back with some fitted jeans. His ball cap is low on his head since he doesn’t want to be noticed. It’s good, too, since I don’t want anyone taking our picture and putting it on social media. I made him meet me at the Target that is almost an hour away just so we wouldn’t run into anyone. As he sips on his slushy, lifting up a cookie jar shaped like a dog, I can’t help but grin.
He’s so adorable.
Without looking at me, he asks, “So, you don’t think we should tell them?”
I get off the cart and walk up beside him, leaning into his side. “I don’t. Do you?”
He shrugs, putting the co
okie jar in my cart. “You need this,” he informs me, and I grin. “I hate hiding the fact that I’m with you. I want to kiss you all the time, and it’s getting mighty annoying not being able to.”
He wraps his arm around my waist, and I look up at him. “It’s just not a good time. Shelli getting married, me moving out. My dad needs a minute. Plus, I don’t want the attention or the questioning. I just want you.”
He kisses the tip of my nose, and his lips linger, his eyes staring into mine before he whispers, “You got me.”
“Oh, I know,” I tease, rubbing my nose against his. His eyes darken, and then he takes my mouth with his. I wrap my arms around his waist as he envelops me in his embrace. Our kiss is slow, deep, and utterly perfect. When we part, our eyes meet and I smile. “I like our shopping date.”
“I do too,” he says, but I feel like he’s saying more. We don’t break apart. Instead, we move so that I’m in front of him as we push the cart. He kisses my ear. “My mom will be here next week. We’re still good for dinner, right?”
“Yes,” I say, trying to mentally prepare to meet my first boyfriend’s mom. “What do I wear?”
“Nothing.”
I look up at him as he beams down at me, waggling his brows. “Because that’s a great first impression. Hello, Ms. Hoenes, this is my bare puss and huge tits.”
Heat fills his eyes. “Wait, you shaved?”
Then his hand is in my pants as I giggle loudly, trying to get away. “Boon!”
“Stay still, you!”
I get away, but then he’s chasing me down the aisle. I’m laughing like a child, and the look in his eyes is so possessive it makes me giddy. I head back down the aisle where we left our cart, but somehow, he grabs me, picking me up in his arms and then turning me like I’m a rag doll. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he holds me close. “You’re really not gonna let me get a feel?”
I shake my head. “Not in the middle of Target.”
He glares. “In the car?”
“Totally. Only if you load up all my stuff.” I bat my lashes at him, and he grins at me.
“Done.”
I lean down, capturing his mouth, and he squeezes his arms around me. I get lost in his kiss, so much so that soon, I’m grinning against his lips. When he smiles too, I pull back to admire his beautiful face. I love his eyes. I love the way he smiles and how his lips move when he talks. He’s a dream. My heart races as I stare into his eyes. I know we’re standing in the middle of the aisle, me in his arms with my legs around his waist, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I sure as shit don’t care who is staring, because I’m only looking at him.
“Tell me something,” he says, walking with me in his arms.
I laugh. “You’re not going to put me down? I’m not a toddler.”
“Nope, you’re my koala,” he challenges as he grabs the cart, sitting me on the handle as he pushes. “But how long is this lease?”
I make a face. “My lease? A year.”
He groans. “So, I’ll need to pay to break this lease to move you in with me, huh?”
I try not to grin. “Boon, come on.”
“No, I’m being serious. This summer, it’s on.”
I get excited. “This summer?”
“Yup, we’re getting a billboard, telling the world we’re together. We’re moving in together, and we may even get a puppy.”
I giggle. “A puppy?”
“Or maybe a cat since our pet needs to be independent with how much we travel.”
“A cat is way smarter.”
“Agree. And then we’ll set up for Christmas the day after Halloween since you love it so much. I’ll even get a little tree to take on road trips with us.”
Lord Almighty. My heart is singing for him, but I eye him playfully. “You planning our future?”
“As long as there is an our future, I’m planning it,” he says, his eyes serious.
I curve my lips as I cup his face. “You’re too good to me, Hoenes.”
He leans into my hand. “Right back atcha, Adler.”
The cart stops as his mouth is on mine once more. I slip my hands around his neck, pulling him in closer with my legs as our tongues slide together. He pulls back, only a breath away, and his lips are still moving with mine. “Just so you don’t fight me when we get to the register, I’m paying for all this.”
I shake my head. “No, you’re not.”
“I am. It’s my housewarming gift.”
I scrunch up my face. By the way he’s looking at me, I’m guessing I can’t fight him on this. He seems very determined. With a sigh, I say, “I was hoping you’d wear a bow on your cock for my gift.”
“That was the second part of the gift,” he says with a teasing grin. “I was trying to surprise you. Rude.”
“So rude. I’m awful.”
“Terrible.”
“A pain in your ass.”
He nods eagerly. “Definitely that.”
I pinch his shoulder, and he laughs as he lifts me into his arms, kissing me once more. When he starts to sway with me in his arms, I pull back to look at him. “Are we dancing in the middle of Target?”
“Yup.” His eyes hold mine as he nods. “I love this song. It reminds me of you.”
I listen closely, and then I recognize Ryan Hurd’s “To a T” playing on the TVs in the electronics department. My heart throbs in my chest as he sets me to my feet, and then we’re swaying. The only time I have ever seen a couple dancing outside of a dance floor is my mom and dad. They dance in the kitchen all the time, but now I’m doing it. In the middle of Target. Boon parts from me, taking my hands in his before spinning me out and then back in. I giggle as he touches his forehead to mine, staring into my eyes, the sweetest grin on his face. He spins me out again and then back in, and I rest my head on his chest as we sway, his lips moving against my hair. The soft timbre of his voice sends chills down my spine as he sings the words.
To me.
No one has ever sung to me, and my sister was a Broadway singer for a very long time. His voice isn’t Ryan Hurd’s, but I couldn’t care less; Boon’s singing for me. A song that is beautiful and so sweet. When his lips slide down my jaw and then over my chin, our eyes meet, and everything inside me freezes. His eyes are so dark, so intense and completely locked with mine as something inside me explodes. His lips move against my chin, the words so low and heartfelt. And right then and there, I know Ally’s statement was true.
Actions speak louder than words.
As our lips meet, I squeeze my eyes closed.
I love this man.
And I pray that this time, the man I love loves me too.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Boon
Posey’s apartment is real nice.
It’s a one-bedroom, open-concept apartment just off Broadway. The living room and kitchen are one, but it has a sick bar that Posey says is her favorite. Her room is huge, with a terrace and a “Shelli-size” closet. She doesn’t need that much room, but it works for me since she made me a spot. She wanted to be close to the arena so she could walk. She complains that I feed her too many carbs so she needs to exercise. I informed her that it’s colder than a witch’s tit right now, but she insists she’ll still walk. It makes me nervous since she hasn’t been feeling one hundred percent. I don’t want her getting sick.
I didn’t realize our road trips would take such a toll on her. I worry and almost looked into getting her an Airbnb wherever we go since she doesn’t like the hotel beds. Stupid documentary. But I’m unsure how that will go over. Not just with her but with the team. She isn’t a fan of assistance, but I don’t care. Like today, she insisted she didn’t need help unpacking and shopping, but I tricked her into thinking it was a date.
I think she might have seen right through it, but thankfully, she went with it.
And I’m happy.
Really happy.
Our relationship is fucking awesome. She fills my days with such purpose and bliss. Whe
n we’re not together, we’re on the phone. We have a routine. We FaceTime in the mornings while we’re getting ready. Talk on the way to the rink, and then we flirt endlessly in person. It feels like the first time I met her, every day. It’s insane and amazing all at the same time. I have never felt like this in my life. I had thought that Julia was the one for me. I was convinced we would get married, have a ton of kids, and be happy. But it wasn’t Julia who was put on this earth to make me ridiculously happy. It’s all Posey.
She sits up on her bar, unpacking the new silverware I made her let me buy her, and I’m unloading the dishes. She has a rustic style that I assume she got from her mom. Elli Adler is the epitome of country chic. “I love this stuff. Thank you for getting it for me, even though I could afford it.”
I look over my shoulder at her. “This way, you’ll think of me when you’re using them.”
She scoffs. “The only time I’ll use them is with you. So, duh, I’ll be thinking of you.”
“That was my plan all along,” I tease, and she beams as she puts the silverware in the little tray.
When her phone goes off, she glances at it, making a face. “I don’t know how my parents fail to realize that I’m independent and don’t need help.”
“Guess I’m chopped liver,” I throw at her, and she giggles.
“Well, I don’t need you to help. I want you to help.”
“I’d rather be wanted than needed.”
“Exactly,” she says as I step between her legs while she texts her parents. I run my hands up her thighs, and she leans her forehead against my lips. I kiss her brow softly, and she tosses her phone to the side. She runs her hands up my waist, to my chest, before scooting back to look at me. I adore how her eyes change all the time. When she is lusting after me, they’re a darker blue. But when she’s happy, they’re the brightest blue. She has the most interesting eyes I’ve ever seen. I cup her face, and she turns her head, kissing my palm before leaning her cheek into it. “I was thinking.”
“So dangerous when you think. Usually leads to new plays that kick my ass.”
She puckers her lips, and I have no choice but to kiss them. When I pull back, she wraps her arms around my neck. “By the way, I’m so impressed by you. You’re the one kicking the ass out of my plays. You make this girl super proud.”
