Blue shrugs, a silly smile on her face. “I really don’t care if we have a wedding or not. I’d be happy going to the courthouse the way Regan and Dax and Legend and Pepper did. I never imagined any of this would ever happen. I never considered I would have a marriage or a baby because of Billy, but Erik is just so damn supportive of everything. He makes me believe that all things are possible. I can do life on my own, but Erik makes it so much happier and easier. He’s a true partner in every sense of the word, and I’m so excited about having a baby together. I think the wedding is mostly moot at this point.”
I mull over her words. There was a time in my life when I dreamed about a huge wedding with a fabulous gown, beautiful flowers, and my family and friends there to share in my joy. Once those visions were crushed, I’d never thought of them again.
But listening to Blue right now, and seeing how happy Regan and Dax and Legend and Pepper are, I realize those sorts of things are just trappings. If love is true—the kind that is genuine, messy, and fabulous all at the same time—I can see not needing such a big display just to prove commitment.
“Or just do something hassle-free the way Bishop and I plan to,” Brooke suggests with a smile.
Brooke and Bishop are doing a destination wedding at the end of June, which I received an invitation to. While it’s going to be at a fancy resort, she said she gave up control of planning to the people there. This includes picking her cake, flowers, and food for the reception. I’m seriously impressed by her ability to give up that type of control as a bride.
“Well, if we were going to do a wedding…” Pepper says as she grabs another taco off the platter. “We’d do it the same way. We never wanted a big affair, but traveling off to an exotic locale with friends and family seems fun.”
Regan gives a bit of a breathy sigh, her lower lip stuck out slightly. “I always wanted a big wedding. Of course, I never thought Dax would be carting me off to the courthouse and demanding I marry him so he could give me health insurance. It wasn’t the most romantic event, but he says all the time he’ll give me a big wedding if I want one. It seems kind of silly now, though.”
“Nonsense,” I exclaim. “It’s a great idea. I’ll help you as long as you don’t make me wear a tacky bridesmaid dress.”
Regan’s eyes light up, and she sits a little straighter in her seat. “Really? You think we should? And it would be a maid-of-honor dress.”
I’m caught off guard by the gooey, sentimental churning in my belly that she would want me to be her maid of honor, but I recover quickly. “Absolutely. You deserve it. You married my brother after all, so really… you deserve everything.”
Everyone laughs, and Regan turns to Nora. “What about you and Tacker? Will we be hearing wedding bells for you two?”
Nora chuckles, her voice low and husky. “It’s way too soon for us. Everything is so new and wonderful with Tacker, but a wedding is the last thing we’re thinking about.”
It goes a bit silent around the group as we reflect on the fact Tacker’s fiancée had been killed on their way to try on her wedding dress. It’s a somber reminder that not all wedding affairs end happily.
“What about you, Willow?” Blue asks, and everyone focuses on me. “What’s the deal with you and Dominik?”
My entire body freezes, my eyes nearly bugging out of my head at having the spotlight turned on me. I’m way too new to this group to be sharing my personal stuff.
Play dumb, Willow. Keep it vague. “What do you mean?”
Brooke rolls her eyes. “Oh, come on… everyone knows. Just dish it up already.”
I look around at the group of women. Every one of them are looking at me with encouraging smiles and a light in their eyes that says they have my back no matter what I might reveal.
With the exception of Regan, whom I’ve known all her life, I only met these women anywhere from a month to a year ago. And yet, I feel a kinship with them for some reason. Maybe it’s because that first margarita was pretty strong, or because they so freely share with each other, that I feel a bond.
Before I know it, I’m divulging. “I’m not sure what to make of it. I wouldn’t mind help with some clarity.”
“So there is something there?” Nora asks.
I nod, a little chuckle escaping. “It didn’t start out as anything besides sex. We had very defined boundaries. Somehow, though, it slowly turned into something more.”
Apparently, to make sure we’re on the same page when it comes to my past disaster of a relationship, Regan pipes up to inform everyone, “She got burned really bad by her former fiancé. He cheated on her. So, Willow just decided she was never getting involved with another man again.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “I can tell my own story.”
She snickers. “You’re not the greatest about opening up and getting stuff out there. Plus, this first margarita has gone to my head. Alcohol tends to make me run off at the mouth. You’re welcome.”
“So you what… just declared you were never going to be in a relationship again?” Blue asks. “I mean, is that even feasible? You’re just asking for fate to throw you a curveball at that point.”
I shrug, wiping a bit of salt off the edge of my glass and bringing it to my mouth. “Something like that.”
“But what exactly changed?” Brooke asks, picking up the pitcher to top off our margaritas with the exception of Blue’s, of course, who is now sipping on some ice water.
Before I can respond, Regan pipes up again. “Yeah… Please tell us what is so magical about him because I never thought I would see you fall for someone. I mean, he is beyond gorgeous.”
“And sexy,” Brooke adds.
“Smart, too,” Blue supplies.
“And rich,” Pepper says with a laugh. “That never hurts.”
Those are indeed all nice qualities, but I’ve had those before. They didn’t get me very far. I give them my most honest assessment of what might be happening. “Dominik didn’t give up on me. When most men realize I don’t want anything more than a romp, it doesn’t tend to last long. It’s the way I like it. But damn, Dominik is persistent, bossy, and demanding—”
“Oh my God,” Blue says with wide eyes. “She’s fallen for a true alpha.”
The women start chattering at the same time, and I can barely keep it all straight.
“Someone who won’t take her shit.”
“Guaranteed to get an independent woman’s attention.”
“Surefire way to make her succumb.”
I hold up my hands. “No. That’s not it. I’m not succumbing to anything. He gave me an ultimatum—said I couldn’t continue in my job because it was too dangerous—but I didn’t cave. So there. He doesn’t have any power over me.”
They just stare at me with knowing smirks.
“What? Why are you looking like that?” I demand.
Regan, who sits to my right, gives me a friendly elbow in the ribs. “Because you’re still with him. Even after he demanded that of you. You’ve been with him longer than you’ve been with anyone else since your fiancé cheated on you, and when you talk about his alpha ways—”
“He’s not the alpha in our relationship,” I growl. “I am.”
Regan ignores me, continuing with a twinkle in her eye. “When you talk about his alpha ways, you get a dreamy expression on your face.”
“Do not,” I insist.
“Do so,” she says, sticking out her tongue. “And girl… it’s hot. Is he an animal between the sheets? I kind of suspect he is, which is probably why you’re really sticking around.”
She’s teasing, of course, but my jaw drops as I stare at my sister-in-law incredulously, my face heating slightly. “Who are you? Just a couple of months ago, you couldn’t even look at me and talk about sex with guys. Yet now you’re wanting to know if the man I’m with is an animal between the sheets?”
“Well, is he?” Pepper presses. Apparently, it’s a question they all want me to answer.
Before I can do so, Regan gives me
a pointed look. “Look… he’s a good man. A great guy. He possesses all the qualities any woman would want, and you are crazy about him. You might not admit it, but—”
I throw my hands up once again, this time in surrender. “Fine. I’m crazy about him. But I’m still scared shitless I’ll get hurt. The fact I’m crazy about him makes it almost assured I’ll end up hurt when this doesn’t work out.”
Nora scoffs, ever the therapist trained to challenge belief systems. “Why do you think you’ll be hurt?”
“He’s a player,” I mumble.
Blue shakes her head. “Was a player. He’s with you now, so it takes him off the market. And trust me, I know players can reform. Personal experience and all.”
Erik was notorious in the league before Blue tamed him.
Brooke picks up her margarita glass. “All of our guys were players to some extent.”
“Not my guy,” Nora says with a bark of a laugh.
“That is true.” Pepper gives Nora an apologetic smile. “Tacker was an asshole. No offense.”
Nora nods. “None taken. That’s a fair assessment.”
Brooke taps on the granite countertop with her fork, and we all look her way. “The point is powerful men can be players, but they can just as easily settle down. And it seems he’s really into you. I mean, the man pursued you relentlessly from what I’ve heard.”
My tone is grumbly in nature as I admit, “And he’s told me as much. That he’d like to give this relationship a serious go.”
Regan puts a hand on my shoulder. “Then you need to give him the benefit of the doubt and go for it. You’ll regret it if you let him get away.”
Everyone nods and murmurs their agreement to Regan’s advice.
She’s not telling me anything I had not already reasoned out in my mind. I just have to figure out if I’m brave enough to go all-in or if I’ll continue to withhold a part of myself in reserve so I can stay protected in case it all goes to hell.
CHAPTER 19
Dominik
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have accepted an invitation to a night out with the first line of my team, since I wouldn’t want it to appear to anyone there was any favoritism, although I am generally not the type of man who cares what others think. But we’re in the playoffs now, so I do have to be a little more careful in weighing all my decisions.
Ultimately, I accepted the invitation to join Dax, Bishop, Erik, Legend, Tacker, and Wylde for a barbeque at Erik’s house because of Willow. She’d been extended the same invitation except with the female counterpart to this group of men, and I encouraged her to go.
You see, I’ve figured out a lot of things about Willow during the past several weeks, and one is she doesn’t have nearly enough friends, particularly of the girl persuasion. She travels so much, with no home base to settle into, that she relies solely on her family for her social community. And while I can say her family is quite lovely from what I can tell, a person should have more.
Or rather, Willow should have everything.
So I accepted the invite because I knew she would do the same.
It’s worked out nicely. Willow is getting much needed downtime with a group of wonderful women, and I’m eating grilled ribeyes and drinking premium scotch with dudes I happen to like, too. But I keep myself in reserve for the most part, always aware there is a line between us.
I’m their employer, they’re my employees, and it makes no difference if I’ve crossed that line a couple of times over the past year by extending personal help to a few of them. I certainly don’t count my unmitigated harassment to get personal information from Dax about his sister, though. That was in jest most of the time, because I knew I’d be able to get through to Willow one day.
The point is I am the boss, so, in essence, I can sort of make the rules up to fit me as I go.
At least that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it tonight.
Most of the talk centers around the playoffs. As a bunch of professional athletes with a championship within reach, what else would they talk about?
We’re currently out on Erik’s back patio, the evening temperature at a delightful sixty-seven degrees. Dinner has been finished, and we’re sipping our drinks while lounging in cushioned chairs around an unlit fire pit.
“Enjoying that scotch?” Wylde asks from my right.
I roll the glass, letting the amber liquid swirl as I contemplate it. “It’s not bad.”
Actually, I was impressed by Erik’s selection of liquor. The scotch is one of the brands I stock in my own home.
“All scotch tastes like dirty socks to me,” Wylde replies with a wrinkled nose. He’s drinking domestic beer, so what could he possibly know about the finer subtleties of flavors?
Chuckling, Dax shakes his head. “Dude… you are about as unsophisticated as they come.”
Wylde shrugs. “I’m just a blue-collar man stuffed into a professional athlete’s body.” He shoots Dax a wicked grin. “Besides… I’m sophisticated where it matters.”
“Oh, you mean with the women,” Erik jabs with a smirk.
“Don’t be all jealous now that you’ve lost your reigning crown as the team’s playboy,” Wylde retorts with a grin before pulling on his beer.
We all laugh but then Bishop asks a sobering question to Wylde. “You heard anything else from Rafe?”
The mood around the dark fire pit instantly turns somber. Yesterday, we found out Rafe’s father had died. Wylde had kept in close contact with Rafe since his move to the Cold Fury as he’s apparently been through something similar with a parent, although I’m not privy to those details.
Wylde shakes his head. “Nah… he said he’d text me details about the service when I talked to him last night.”
“Pass those on if you don’t mind,” I say, intent on doing something nice for Rafe’s family. A personal gesture outside whatever the team will do as figured out by the front office.
“Sure thing,” Wylde replies softly.
“I hate it for him,” Tacker mutters. “He’s had such major changes going on… his dad getting sick, moving to a new team, playoffs, and now his dad dying.”
It’s a lot for sure, and yes, the Cold Fury is deep into the playoffs, too. They had the first game of their conference playoffs for the title to the Eastern Conference last night, same as us. They’re going up against the New York Vipers, a tough opponent, but one they are expected to defeat. As it stands, most everyone thinks it’s going to be a showdown between the Vengeance and the Cold Fury in the Cup finals, but I never assume anything. Instead, I put my head down and push forward as hard as I can until I accomplish my goals.
The great thing about this team is I stacked it with men who have the same philosophy.
We chat about Rafe some more, and the guys make tentative plans to perhaps pay him a visit over the summer. Legend puts a call into the babysitter watching Charlie to check in, and drinks are refilled.
I decide to bring up a subject before we get too drunk and I simply forget. It’s a simple matter, really.
“Listen,” I say, and that one word gets their attention. “I have some special guests coming in for the game tomorrow. Kids, as a matter of fact, and they’ll be joining me in the owner’s box. I was hoping to get some of you to meet with them before the game. I have some jerseys and other gear for them. I know they’d love pictures and autographs.”
Every single one answers they’ll be there, which I appreciate greatly. I figured I could count on them. They’ve shown how easy it is for them to come together as a group in support of something, as they’ve done on countless other occasions when someone on the team has needed help.
“What’s so special about these kids?” Dax asks.
“They live in a group home in California that I donate a lot of money to,” I say.
“A cause near and dear to the heart?” he probes.
I take a sip of my scotch, savoring the smoky peat and hint of vanilla before swallowing. “It’s where I grew up durin
g my teen years.”
Dax’s eyebrows shoot upward, and I can sense everyone else’s eyes on me as well. It’s not a private fact, but it’s clearly not well known as I can sense the shock among them.
I go ahead and fill them in since I can see the questions written all over their faces. “Parents died when I was young. Lived with my grandpa. He died. Went into foster care, but I was too old to adopt. Ended up at a group home, then left when I turned eighteen. It’s that simple.”
“Nothing simple about that,” Bishop says in a low tone.
“I had no idea,” Dax says with a slow shake of his head. “And look at what you’ve made of yourself. Impressive, man. Cheers.”
He holds his drink up in a silent toast, and I nod back with a smile. I don’t need accolades or affirmations from him, but it’s nice to know he appreciates my journey, just like his sister does.
It’s probably a given that Dax and I have a bromance going on at this point. It started when we realized our mutual hatred of Willow’s career due to the dangers, and it blossomed from there. We had actually gone out for beers the night her family called her for an ill-conceived intervention. We continued to bond as we drank and freely complained to each other about his sister.
It’s definitely not normal for a team owner to be personal friends with a player—and this get-together here was probably pushing the boundaries—but I have to say… I like Dax. I think this friendship will continue to grow as long as my relationship with Willow continues to progress.
“Since you seem to be in a sharing mood,” Legend asks slyly, “what’s the deal with you and Dax’s sister? This thing going the distance?”
I shoot a look over at Dax, who just stares back blandly. He knows how I feel about her, so my answer won’t be of any benefit.
But I do find it curious that Legend—and presumably the other men looking at me expectantly—are interested in my love life. In my experience, men aren’t generally all that curious about such things.
Admittedly, though, this group is different. They’ve repetitively banded together when each man fell for a woman and became faced with obstacles. They rallied around Bishop and his fake engagement, Erik and his love of a woman with a disabled brother, Legend’s newfound fatherhood and his crazy baby mama who tried to kill Pepper, Dax and his seriously ill family friend whom he married to save her life, and finally… Tacker, the man who over and over again beat his teammates back from him and wouldn’t let them help until Nora opened his eyes.
Dominik Page 13
