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I would protect what we had at all costs.
Chapter Three
Emily
“Big Daddy’s going away for the night.” I slid the overstuffed folder under the end table and curled up on the couch next to Bash.
His eyes darkened, a smirk curling his beautiful mouth. “I have another Big Daddy you could—”
I swatted at him and reached for my water, laughing as he nipped my neck.
We lucked out that our second-choice venue was available, but the stress surrounding the wedding was growing every day and I needed a break. I needed my two men and my best friend.
Right on cue, Mac opened the door, stepping aside for Roxie to enter. Both were loaded down with cartons of food. And both motioned for the two of us to stay seated.
“You’re always cooking for everyone. Let me have a turn.” Roxie set her load on the counter and wagged her finger at Bash when he tried to help. “Sit.”
Mac’s mouth ticked up in a delicious smile as he watched Bash get scolded—and take the scolding like a champ. If it was one of us telling him what to do, there’d be a lot more grumbling—and a hundred percent more spanking—than Roxie was getting.
I locked eyes with Mac, and his smile turned feral. Heat flooded my body and for the briefest second, I wondered how rude it would be to ask Roxie to come back in like an hour.
Who was I kidding? It wouldn’t take an hour. We were in a schedule-induced slump and could probably bust out a quick session in the bathroom. I pressed my legs together and Mac’s grin widened.
He knew exactly what I was thinking.
I walked the long way around the kitchen and grabbed the plates out of the cupboard before he could sneak up.
If he touched me at that moment, I couldn’t be strong.
He looked fresh and revitalized from being out on the ice. His blonde curls were slicked back, still damp from the shower, like he toweled off, jammed himself into his clothes, and rushed home.
But where he was rejuvenated, I was tired from running around filming and interviewing at the same arena.
Tired and proud.
I was so unbelievably proud of our team for making it all the way. After a whirlwind season that took me on more rollercoasters than I thought hockey could ever take me, they made it to the finals. With only two games to go, our life revolved around hockey.
Hockey and wedding planning.
It might have been easier if we worked at three different places and sometimes, I dreamed about what it would be like to have a job somewhere else, but I loved working with Mac and Bash and I was finally at a point where I could say I loved being the Evergreens’ social media manager.
When I first joined the team, I had no idea what I was doing, and it was hard convincing all the guys to get on board with the latest trends. A few of them butted heads with me from day one, questioning every dance, every lip sync, every quirky transition. But they eventually came around, thanks to Mac. He played a huge part in rallying the troops and I was so thankful for that as we headed into the last part of the season.
After seeing the success of going viral a few times, Coach Locke came up with a rigorous posting schedule that had me recording nearly every practice, every match, every team meal, and even a couple of birthday parties. Roman helped to get the rest of the team on board and kept them there despite the added work. We built a solid following in a short amount of time and Julie, Coach Locke’s wife and my boss, predicted we would sell out the arena
We were in Vancouver, but Washington instead of Canada. Selling hockey to this area was hard at first, but next year would have a lot of new fans thanks to the following I had built. We were doing so well, we were bolstering Vancouver’s AA league team, the Instigators. They were an older team than us but hadn’t thought of doing too much PR until the Evergreens started building momentum.
They made it to their finals as well, and for the first time in my life, Vancouver was flooded with hockey watch parties and celebrations.
So even though sometimes I contemplated what would happen if I found another job, I was happy where I was.
Finals would be over before I knew it and we would have a big chunk of vacation before the wedding. Most jobs wouldn’t be that flexible and I was grateful for that time. Practically salivating at the thought of it.
Or maybe at the scent of Roxie’s food.
I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. A whiff of curry swirled around me and I groaned. “I’m starving.”
“Me too,” Mac breathed against my neck.
