Forever PUCKED (Pucked #4)

by Helena Hunting

  “Alex!”

  When she grabs for it, I stand up and hold it over my head. I’m just playing. I won’t actually invade her privacy, even though I know she’s hiding something. She’ll tell me. She’s not very good at keeping secrets.

  She puts a hand on my left shoulder and tries to jump up and grab it from me. Violet’s close to a foot shorter than I am, and she has almost no vertical, so she can’t even get close to her phone. But her boobs are rubbing on my chest, so I’m not all that inclined to stop being a dick.

  Her phone buzzes again, so I glance up at the screen. The name Daisy comes up with the number eighty-seven beside it in brackets. It’s followed by another text from Mom with the number eighty-two bracketed beside it.

  “Why do you have over a hundred and sixty texts from our moms?”

  Violet stops jumping and rests her forehead against my chest. Actually, she bangs her head three times and sighs. “They’re discussing wedding venues.”

  “Why? I’m taking care of that.”

  “Because they’re excited that we’re getting married, and they want to plan everything—just like they did with the engagement party.”

  “And that warrants more than a hundred messages? Why aren’t they messaging me? How long has this been going on?”

  “That’s since I got home. They’ve been going back and forth all day.”

  I pass her the phone. “Can I see, please?”

  She pulls up the messages as three more come in and hands me the device. I scroll through them, trying to get to the beginning. It’s not just about the venue; it’s about bridesmaid’s dresses, Violet’s dress, my tux, what we should eat, where we should go for our honeymoon. The list is endless.

  “You weren’t going to tell me about this?”

  “I was. I would have.”

  “When? After they booked a place on our behalf?”

  “I wanted to enjoy the afterglow of awesome, dirty sex for a while first because I knew you’d be upset about this.”

  “Of course I’m upset, Violet. I don’t want our moms to railroad you into thinking we have to invite the entire world to our wedding. I know that’s not what you want.”

  She fists my shirt and looks up at me. “What about what you want?”

  I cradle her cheek in my palm and kiss her. “Don’t you get it? I don’t care where we get married. We can do it on a raft in the middle of the ocean and have the service presided over by a damn Wiccan for all I care.”

  “I don’t think it would technically be a legal marriage then.”

  “You’re missing the point. You are what I want.”

  Her bottom lip trembles, along with her chin.

  “What’s wrong, baby?”

  “I love you.”

  “So you’re crying?”

  “I’m crying because I’m relieved and because you’re amazing.”

  I wrap her up in a hug. “I have a really great idea for the wedding location.”

  Violet sniffs. “Where’s that?”

  “The Chicago cottage.”

  “There’s a lot of room for chairs and people there.”

  “That doesn’t mean we have to fill the space with bodies. We can keep it as small as you want, Violet. Like I said, it’s not about the wedding, it’s about you being my wife.”

  “Your mom isn’t going to like this.”

  “The question is, do you like this?”

  “I love this.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do. I’ve already made a few calls; it shouldn’t be hard to get it all organized, especially if we’re keeping it close friends and immediate family.”

  Violet runs her hands up my chest and links them behind my neck. “Why are you so good to me?”

  “I just want you to be happy.”

  Violet’s phone buzzes again with more messages from our mothers.

  “Should I message them back?”

  “I’ll deal with it. I’ll bring out the big guns if that’s what it takes to make my mother see reason.”

  “Okay.”

  Her smile makes the shit conversation I’m facing worth it. My mom will deal. She has her own daughter; she can plan something for Sunny. I’m sure Miller will propose sooner or later—hopefully sooner, but not before Violet and I get married.

  Violet kisses the bottom of my chin. “Want to go upstairs and play hide and seek with the Super MC and my beaver?”

  “That sounds like a lot of fun.”

  Violet takes my hand, and I follow her upstairs. This time I don’t love her hard; I love her softly and slowly and sweetly.

  -&-

  “Alex? Are you awake?”

  I pry open one eye. Violet’s long hair tickles my cheek. She’s kneeling beside me.

  “Yeah?” My voice is sleep-graveled. I clear my throat and glance at the clock on the night table. It’s the middle of the night. “Is everything okay?”

  “I can’t sleep.”

  “Do you wanna have sex?” My brain might be slow to fire up, but my dick is already getting excited about the idea.

  “Not right now. Maybe. It depends.” She wrings her hands like she’s nervous. I don’t know what could be wrong. We had all that awesome sex, and we decided where we’re going to hold the wedding. After that we had more awesome sex, followed by another shower, and then bed. All in all, it was a great night, so her sudden middle-of-the-night anxiety puts me on high alert.

  I turn on the bedside lamp and blink against the brightness. Her eyes are bloodshot. “Baby, what’s wrong? Have you slept at all?”

  She shakes her head and focuses on her hands. “I have a question.”

  “It must be an important question if you needed to wake me up to ask at three in the morning.” I’m hoping to get a smile out of her, but she brings her fingers to her mouth, like she’s about to chew her nails. I take her hand in mine. “Talk to me, Violet. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  “I’ve been thinking about how you’re going to want a pre-nup—”

  “Whoa! Wait, what?” If I was still half-asleep a moment ago, I’m definitely not now.

  She lifts her eyes slowly. She’s biting her lip. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? You want to protect yourself.” She gestures to the room. “This.”

  Three o’clock in the morning is a super shitty time to have this discussion, but clearly it’s something she’s been thinking about for a while. “I’m not going to make you sign a pre-nup.”

  “You’re not?”

  Her surprise is almost offensive.

  “But you’ve worked so hard for everything you have, and I make less than one percent of what you make a year. Logically you should want one.”

  “Did my mom say something to you?” I’ll be seriously pissed if she did.

  “No.”

  “But someone must’ve.”

  She drops her chin again. I sit up, because I can’t stand it when I can’t see her face. I urge her chin up with a finger. “Baby, look at me. Who said I wanted a pre-nup?”

  “Dean might’ve mentioned something—”

  “That dick knob you work with?”

  “He has a point, Alex. At first the idea kind of hurt, but I would understand if you wanted one. You have a lot of money, and you’ve worked hard for it. I just…”

  I sit back against the headboard and pull her with me so she’s straddling my lap, facing me. “Listen to me, Violet. You and me, we’re meant for each other. Do you agree?”

  “Well, yeah, of course. The Super MC and my beave are soulmates, so logically that means the rest of our bodies are soulmates, too.”

  I laugh, because this is one of the many reasons I love her. There is no one else in the world who compares to Violet. “And soulmates are forever, right?”

  She nods.

  “So that means I’m yours, and you’re mine. I don’t need a pre-nup to make you question my faith in us. I’m going to spend the rest of my life loving you, Violet Hall.”

  She smiles. “An
d my boobs—don’t forget them.”

  “They were already included in the package deal.”

  “I’m sorry I woke you up in the middle of the night to ask you a stupid question.” She presses her lips to mine.

  “It wasn’t a stupid question.”

  “It was a stupid time to ask it. I could make it up to you?”

  There isn’t anything to make up, but if she’s interested in sex again, I have a semi brewing that could easily turn into a full hard-on with the right amount of coaxing. “What do you have in mind?”

  Violet pulls the night shirt over her head. “I’d like to go for a Super MC ride, if you’re interested.”

  -&-

  Despite this auspicious start to our planning, the weeks that follow are challenging, though not because of the wedding stuff and Violet. Well, mostly not because of those things. My mom is still an issue. While she seemed fine with our chosen location for the wedding, she hasn’t given up on alternate location options. She’s also struggling with the concept of small.

  It doesn’t seem that difficult to understand a number less than a hundred, but she keeps arguing that all these people came to the engagement party, so they should attend the wedding as well.

  I keep reminding her how that whole event turned out, but apparently downplaying the severity of Violet’s hives to a tiny allergic reaction is her go-to defense.

  Yesterday she texted me three alternate locations, none of them available on the date we’ve chosen. It’s driving me mental.

  Violet’s been going to the office more often now that I’m back to training with the team. I like that she has that flexibility, and that I can count on morning blow jobs or sex on the days she stays home. She’s a lot more relaxed about the work situation. It’s progress.

  Today is one of her office days, and I’m off to the gym to train with Darren, so I’m not too disappointed. I plan to keep her up late tonight since she’s not going in tomorrow.

  Darren picks me up. It’s good to be seeing him on the regular again. Me being off the ice and out of the training routine has cut into guy time. We’ve been tight for the past six years, so it’s another thing I’m glad to have back to normal.

  Training with the team is good and bad, because I can see how much ground I’ve lost being out the past six weeks.

  Coach wants me to have realistic expectations, as does my team of doctors and the physical therapist. My right shoulder is weak, and reconditioning is going to be slow. But I didn’t get where I am by taking things easy, and I definitely don’t plan to start now. At least there’s no figure skating required for rehab.

  Next week I’m allowed back on the ice for practice, but on game days I’ll continue to sit my ass on the bench and watch everyone else doing what I should be.

  The team dynamic has shifted; Ballistic seems to be a new favorite. He’s getting lots of ice time and scoring goals almost every game. He’s an excellent player, and the team is solid. Playoffs are on the horizon, and it looks like we might make it. And that would be primarily because of him.

  I really want to hate him. Part of me does because he threatens my position, but the other part of me is glad he’s meshing with the team and we’re not lagging behind as bad as we were in the middle of the season. We’re still not in a great place, though, so who knows what will happen. If we make it far enough, I might have a chance to play at least a couple of games. Maybe. If I’m lucky.

  “You all right, man?” Darren asks.

  “Eh?” I realize I’m staring out the window.

  “You’re awfully distracted. You okay?”

  “Yeah. Fine. Just thinking.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “I don’t buy that for a second, but nice try. What’s the problem?”

  I shrug.

  “You worried about rehab?” He’s going to push me until I talk. That’s why we’re tight.

  “Yeah.”

  “Wanna give me more than that, Waters?” He stops at a light, watching me carefully.

  “It’s the same concerns. Nothing new.”

  He taps the steering wheel. “I think you need to stop focusing on what you’re not accomplishing and start looking at what you are.”

  “I know I’m lucky it’s not worse than it is. I get that, but Ballistic is running the game out there, and I’m on the sidelines watching it happen.”

  He nods, and the silence extends, which isn’t unusual with Darren. He weighs his words before he uses them. “You also need to consider that all this time watching is giving you a different perspective on the team. When you’re back on the ice, you’re going to know what to expect and how to plan for it. Randy’s not going to usurp you because he’s had one good season.”

  He’s right, but it still sucks. I run a frustrated hand through my hair. Soon I’ll be able to make one of those man bun things like Ballistic if I don’t get it cut.

  At my silence, he continues. “Just take it slow, Alex. You don’t want to push too hard too fast and end up setting yourself back.”

  “I just want to be with my team.”

  He pats my shoulder. “I know, man, and you will. It’s just not gonna happen as fast as you’d like.”

  Everything he says is true, but it doesn’t make me feel better.

  I prepare myself for the back pats I know are coming when I join the team in the training room. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been at it for a while now; every training session is hard. Especially since I’m unable to keep up with the rest of the team.

  Miller drops down beside me on the bench while I do forearm curls with weights Violet could probably use.

  “How’s it goin’?”

  “All right.” My prior hockey injuries have been minor compared to this, with rehab being limited to weeks, not months before I was back in the game.

  “This isn’t easy, huh?” He gestures to the weight I’m holding.

  “It’ll get easier.” I change the subject to avoid discussing how long recovery is going to take and what I’m going to miss out on because of it. I’m lucky this isn’t ending my career, I remind myself. “How’s my sister doing this morning?” I haven’t had a chance to check in with her today, though that’s become a habit.

  “Good. Great.” He moves to the edge of the bench and gets into position for triceps dips. “The morning sickness phase has finally passed. I don’t know why they call it that. I mean, the barfing isn’t limited to the morning. It was, like, all day, every day for a while. Anyway, she’s not hurling anymore, so I’m glad about that. Apparently Skye barfed every day with Vi, so it could be worse, right?”

  This really isn’t a conversation I ever expected to have with Miller. At least not this soon. “I’m glad that part is over.”

  “She’s feeling great these days. Lots of energy. Horny as he—” He cringes. “Sorry.”

  “Violet says a lot worse.”

  He nods. “Dude, I heard all about the kitchen incident.”

  “What? She told you about that?” I need to talk to her about what she shares with Miller. There has to be a limit.

  “She was talking with the girls when she was over the other day. I was unfortunate enough to overhear. I guess it’s good you’re keeping her happy, right?”

  “Uh, yeah. I try my best. It’s a lot easier now that I have the use of both arms again.”

  We both blow out a breath. This is a very Violet-overshare kind of conversation.

  “Anyway. So, uh, the wedding stuff is going okay? Vi seems a lot calmer these days.”

  This is a much better topic. Safer. We’re less likely to want to punch each other over it. “Yeah. She hasn’t broken out in hives recently. I just need to get my mom off my back about the guest list, and we’ll be fine.”

  Miller rubs the back of his neck again. “Yeah. Sunny’s kinda worried she’s gonna pull the same shit when we get married.”

  I’m pretty sure my eyebrows almost shoot off my forehead. I shouldn’t be surprised. This was bound to happen. “Is tha
t happening soon?”

  “I’mma propose to her soon. I just need to find the right ring. I’ve already talked to your dad. We considered maybe getting married before the baby comes, but she’s starting to show, and, well, I don’t care about that, but I think maybe she does. Anyway, I’m cool with whatever she wants, before or after. Either way. If you ask me, I think she doesn’t want to steal your thunder.”

  “That sounds like Sunny.”

  “Yeah. She knows you’ve been waiting for this for a while.”

  I hate to admit it, but I’d really like to get married before my sister. I know it’s not a competition, but I want to be first for this. Which sounds assholey. Because it kind of is. But Violet was right. I’ve spent most of my life being the center of attention, so I shouldn’t be put out that Sunny is going to be a mom before I get to be a dad. I figured I’d go first and be able to guide her through like I always do. But this time she’s first, so I won’t have any advice to give. I don’t know what I’ll say.

  “Alex?” Miller asks.

  “Huh?” I’ve zoned out. I need to stop being so self-centered. The world doesn’t actually revolve around me.

  “So you’ll stand in the wedding party? I mean, it’s gonna be a small thing—I think, anyway. Close friends and family probably, the same as what Violet wants.

  “Yeah, of course,” I say absently, then finally clue in to what he’s said. “Wait, you want me to stand in the wedding party?”

  “Well, yeah. You’re Vi’s fiancé—husband by then. And of course Sunny’s gonna ask Vi, but if she’s not cool with it, that’s fine. Vi’s got some wedding hang-ups, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

  “That’s great. I mean, not the hang-ups part, but about Sunny asking Violet. I’m sure she’ll want to be part of things.”

  “Maybe. We’ll see.” Miller doesn’t look quite so convinced.

  “Was it really that bad?” I hate to have to ask, but I have a feeling Violet’s given me the abridged version of the events.

  Miller regards me dubiously. “You mean she still hasn’t told you?”

  “She’s told me. But I think I have the watered-down version.”

  “For fuck’s sake.” Miller shakes his head. “What did she say?”

  “That she ruined the cake and messed up her speech, and that there was an issue with her dress. But she was a teenager, so I can’t imagine it was that bad. Maybe if I have the full story, I can explain better to my mom why Violet doesn’t want the entire world at our wedding.”