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Blake represented comfort and safety and…well, she liked the person she was when she was with him. Most of the world looked at her and saw a strait-laced, no-nonsense doctor, someone who was a bit too serious and a lot not fun.
Those things went away when she was with Blake. With him, she was Erik. She hung out with hockey players, ate pizza, drank beer, kicked ass at Mario Kart, and had finally—FINALLY—gotten the puppy she’d always dreamed of.
So she’d reached out for him that night. Not only because she needed him but because she wanted him. Desperately. And all his speeches about not depriving herself had finally taken root.
She didn’t regret that night at all, but she sure as fuck regretted the morning after.
Ugh. This was all Blake’s fault. If he’d been just as boring in bed as the rest of her ex-lovers, she might have had a fighting chance, but he’d rocked her world. Not just physically but emotionally. Everything he’d done, every word he’d said, had sunk down deep, touching all the cold, lonely places and showing her what she’d been missing her whole life.
“Hey, Erika.”
Erika glanced toward the familiar female voice, smiling as Elio and Gianna Moretti entered the box. Usually when Erika attended Blake’s games, she sat in one of the general admission sections, so she’d been excited about sitting in the box, complete with its own bar, wait service, and comfortable seats.
She’d been nursing a glass of red wine, though she was thinking about dumping it and ordering a ginger ale, the alcohol making her feel a touch queasy as her stomach was still on the mend from the food poisoning. She put the glass down, reaching out to accept a hug from Gianna. Once they separated, Elio leaned in and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek.
“Good to see you again, Doc. You keeping our boy Blake in line?” he asked.
“Not sure anyone can keep him in line,” she replied, uncertain if Blake had told anyone about their night together and, if so, how he’d portrayed it. Until she knew for sure, she planned to spend tonight acting as if she and Blake were just friends and no lines had been crossed.
Elio chuckled. “I keep telling him and Tank it’s time to give up the puck bunnies and settle down.” He wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “I wasted way too many years as a bachelor.”
Erika smiled, hating how jealous she felt of the lovely couple in front of her. She’d certainly never felt that way before, but suddenly she kept imagining Blake wrapping his arm around her, saying the same sweet words. God, how she wanted that.
“How’s your daughter?” Erika asked, aware it was the perfect way to turn the conversation away from Blake.
Just as she expected, Elio’s phone was instantly retrieved from his pocket, and he was scrolling through pictures of their little girl. Erika had to admit, Elio and Gianna had made one adorable baby.
“She’s so stinking cute,” Erika gushed sincerely.
“Jesus. How long did it take him to pull the phone out?” Alex asked, as he and his wife, Charley, entered the box and joined them.
Erika and Gianna exchanged a glance, grinning.
“Three minutes?” Erika suggested.
Gianna shook her head. “Two minutes, tops.”
Alex slapped Elio on the shoulder, continuing to tease him. Perhaps his jokes would have held more weight if he hadn’t pulled out his own phone to show off his kids. He and Charley had two girls, and Charley mentioned Alex’s desire to have another. Given the way Charley’s hand surreptitiously slid to her stomach, Erika suspected that desire might already have been met.
Apparently, Alex insisted he wanted six, enough to outfit one line of a hockey team. Most women might have laughed that off, but Charley, a bestselling children’s author, acted like that was a totally normal request.
After placing their drink orders, they chatted for another twenty minutes until the announcer broadcast the starting lineups for each team, followed by the National Anthem. Erika, Gianna, and Charley claimed the first row of box seats, while Elio and Alex sat behind them. The game—against Pittsburgh—was an exciting one, both teams in it to win it.
Erika had sent her parents pictures of the box seats shortly after her arrival, and her dad had let her know a few minutes ago that they’d seen her on TV. Apparently, the camera had spun to their box—not surprising, since Alex and Elio were two of the Rays’ most popular former players—just as Blake scored the tying goal.
The goal was replayed on the jumbotron several times because it was such an incredible shot, Blake spinning around mid-shot in a way that seemed to defy gravity. The entire crowd in the arena had gotten to their feet to cheer, and the cameras had made sure to capture Alex and Elio’s reactions.
From Dad’s four exclamation marks following the words “I just saw you on TV,” it was clear he was less impressed by the goal and more excited about seeing her. God, she loved her dad.
During the break between the second and third periods, Alex and Elio stood, hanging out by their personal bar, while she, Charley, and Gianna remained in their seats.
“So, what’s new with you, Erika?” Gianna asked.
Erika started to offer a standard line. Something like “nothing much” or “same old, same old,” but she stopped herself.
She’d never been the type of person who had a lot of friends. She didn’t think she was unfriendly or anything like that. It was just that, for the majority of her young adult and adult life, she was always studying. Her social life had taken a massive backseat to her goals, so while other people were doing happy hours or club hopping, she was usually hunkered down in her apartment alone, her nose in a book, while living on takeout.
Blake was the first person since middle school who she actually called “best friend.” Probably because they’d met at the right time. She had passed the board, survived her first year of residency, and for the first time since high school, Erika had time for a social life. And Blake was more than happy to share his with her, introducing her to his teammates and the other people in his circle of friends. His friends became hers, which worked well because she adored the same people he did.
