Page 92 of Instigator

Farther down the row, Bex and Vanessa huddle together, giggling quietly. Audrey, Rachel, Mel Easton, and Riley Gonzales are all child-free for the night, all their kids having a sleepover with the nannies. Bex already informed me, in no uncertain terms, that Aidan and I will be joining the guys at the bar.

“I know your dude is kind of a recluse,” she said, “but tonight we need to celebrate you two getting together.”

I’d rolled my eyes, but I was secretly glad for their easy acceptance. Even if it means I now have the monumental feat of convincing Aidan to go out.

Usually, when my friends go down to greet their men after the game, I slip out and head home. Tonight, I get to go with them. The security badge Aidan gave me grants me access to the behind-the-scenes areas leading to the family lounge, where we wait while the players shower and change.

Nick is the first one through the door. His entire face lights up when he sees Bex, and her heart eyes stare back at him.

Gonzo is next through, beelining for his wife and pulling her into his arms. He tilts her back, kissing her like an old Hollywood movie. A few of the women swoon, and I grin to myself.

Sven and Easton, Aidan’s linemates, walk in together, conversing quietly. They split apart as they reach Vanessa and Mel.

Jake and Seb laugh while jostling each other. Seb gets his goaltender partner into a headlock, giving him a noogie.

“Sebastian,” Audrey barks, and he immediately releases his teammate.

“Baby,” Seb whines. “You can’t use that voice in public. You know what it does to me.”

Jake shoves him away. “Do that far away from me.”

A few other players stalk into the room, greeting their partners in increasingly dramatic fashion.

And then all the air in the room seems to evaporate. All my attention narrows in on the man walking over the threshold, the beautiful redhead in a tailored blue suit.

Aidan’s face is ruddy and flushed, his hair wet from his shower. He’s talking to Ryan, but the second our eyes lock, he stops in his tracks.

His jaw drops. Heat floods his eyes.

And then he stalks across the room to me. His hand lifts to grasp my neck, curling around to cup my nape. He pulls me toward him, and I sway against his big, strong body.

The tip of his nose brushes against mine, a brief hello, before he kisses me. His kiss sears my very soul, ruining me for all eternity.

I am dead. Deceased. Floating away on a cloud of bliss.

His teammates erupt into cheers and whistles, and even though my face heats, I can’t be ashamed of this. Of us.

“Missed you,” he murmurs, before he kisses me again.

When we separate, he takes me by the hand. In a fog, I let him lead me to his car. I’m vaguely aware of Ryan and Hailey following us, their conversation inaudible.

It hits me, as the four of us drive to the bar, that this is it. His sister and her soon-to-be husband are going to be part of my life, whether I like it or not. It’s a good thing I like them; it’s a good thing we’re already friends.

Having breakfast with them this morning was comfortable. They made me feel like I was part of their group from the very beginning. Even though Wish and I are new, they accepted me with arms wide open.

How much of that has to do with wanting Aidan to find someone, versus me specifically, I’m not sure. I don’t think it matters. They approve of us together; that’s what’s important.

At the bar, Aidan rounds the car to open my door, and he takes my hand again, like he can’t bear to be apart from me. I feel exactly the same.

I’ve been here a few times with Bex and Nick, and we always hang out in the VIP section at the back. It’s a low-key vibe, comfortable and casual. There’s a section for dancing, and I’ve dragged Bex and Vanessa out onto the dance floor before, but most of the time, the group chills and hangs out in a place where they don’t have to be gawked at and gossiped about.

Most of the team has come out. All of my friends, plus the other couples I don’t know well. And, of course, the single guys too: Sinclair, Jenkins, Schwartz, Reynolds, and others I can’t recognize without their jerseys on.

When the waitress comes by, I order an amaretto sour, and Aidan gets a sparkling water with a splash of cranberry.

“Does it bother you if I drink?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “I don’t drink during the season, really. It impacts my performance too much.”