Page 140 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

“I’ll be thinking about you all night in those fucking jeans,” Lachlan said.

“I don’t know if he meant to say that out loud,” Roxie laughed. “But they’ve got it bad, girl.”

“I do, too,” I admitted, blowing them a kiss that Lachlan caught with a goofy smile.

We all burst out laughing before climbing into the SUV.

True to her word, there was a built-in champagne bucket full of ice with two bottles that had already been popped.

Three glasses were waiting, and Lana poured the bubbly liquid into each one. Mine was the only alcoholic one, but I didn’t mind. It was another new experience.

“I’ve never had champagne before,” I mused as I leaned in to sniff it. It tickled my nose, the bubbles going crazy. I took a tentative sip.

It was a little sweet and perfectly bubbly. Honestly, I loved it.

“This is amazing.”

“I knew you’d fit right in,” Roxie said with a wink, taking several long sips of her own juice. “Not quite the same but it’ll do for now. Oh! We’re going to D’Angelo’s downtown. How do you feel about that?”

“I’ve never been. I’m here for it, though.”

“Looks like we’re getting all of your firsts,” she teased. I loved that they weren’t being careful with me. We already felt like old friends.

“Speaking of firsts,” I said, “this is my first heat, and I’m freaking out. I already mentioned that the other night, but it’s still driving me crazy.”

“I, for one, am looking forward to your heat because I get to spoil my nephew rotten while you’re gone,” Lana grinned.

“Thank you for that,” I said emphatically. “Truly. He deserves it. The kid hasn’t had a lot of good in his life.”

“Oh, shut up. He’s had you,” Roxie said. “That kid thinks the world of you. There wasn’t a dry eye in that courtroom.”

“Speaking of that... has she tried to contact you?” Lana asked.

“No.” I shook my head. “Last I heard she was moving to Vegas.”

“Not a smart move,” Roxie muttered. “Seeing as they’re definitely going to be investigating that little bubble of depravity.”

“Good. Maybe she’ll go to prison for longer,” I huffed.

“And as for the heat,” Lana said, giving me an eyebrow wiggle. It made me giggle and take another sip of my champagne to hide my embarrassment. “It’s going to be amazing. Trust your omega. She’ll tell them exactly what she wants and take the lead. You’ll get a little foggy and your instincts will be high, but you aren’t going to forget things.”

“What if I’m not good at it?” I mumbled. It was hard not to have insecurities. My experience was barely there.

“Oh, trust me, you’ll be just fine,” Roxie promised.

“What she said. And we just talked about bonding and bites and all of that beforehand, and you guys should, too. They’ll find you somewhere amazing and it will be so much fun. Just enjoy it.”

“They said they were going to find a cabin,” I admitted. “I ended up falling down this whole rabbit hole looking into rental cabins, and honestly, the amenities would be perfect to be surrounded by all the time.”

“Do you think you’ll move out of the city?” Lana asked.

“I love our pack house,” I said shaking my head, “but I wouldn’t mind having a cabin to escape to for heats and to get away from here now and then. Honestly, decorating would be the best part. There were so many fun themes. They could use something other than wood paneling in the mix.”

“Oh my god,” Roxie gasped, sitting forward too quickly and nearly spilling her juice. “You guys should buy some cabins. Start small with just one or two. Make them your dream cabins and rent them out. There’s even property management companies that’ll handle all of that if you want them to.”

Her idea had something sparking inside me. I sat up a little straighter, too, giving it real thought.

“I don’t know that I’d want somebody else to manage it. Honestly, I like to control things in my life, so maybe that would be something perfect for me. I could coordinate the renovations. I could handle the check-ins and organize the logistics…“