Okay, dude, don’t get ahead of yourself.
She smiles up at me and glances around, her brow furrowed. Is she wondering where all the cars are and that maybe she messed up the date? With the sun low on the horizon, we follow the path to the backyard, and just as I suspected, when we get there, everyone jumps out and screams surprise. I put my hand on my chest. No way am I ruining this for Harper. I pretend they all scared the shit out of me.
I turn to find Harper grinning from ear to ear. “Surprise,” she says. Unable to help myself, I lean down and press my lips to hers.
“You were behind this?”
“Not really,” she says, her lashes blinking as she glances around, dictating that she just might know how much I hate this. “Were you surprised?”
“Very,” I tell her. I make a point of not lying but I’m not going to burst her balloon here. I kiss her again, and someone screams “Get a room!” and I whisper in her ear, “Not a bad idea.”
She chuckles. “First, you enjoy your party.” I lift my head and glance around, but her hand on my arm has me turning back to her. “Liam.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay with this?”
My heart squeezes so tight it’s almost impossible to draw in air. Seeing her concern, knowing she understands more about me than I ever thought she would, I nod. “As long as you’re here with me, I’m fine.”
“Okay, let’s go get you a drink.”
“How about you drink, I’ll drive.”
“Nope, it’s your birthday.” She goes up on her toes, and despite the audience, puts her arms around me, and says, “You’ve been taking care of me, and now it’s my turn to take care of you.” She kisses me and everyone chuckles as she goes back on her heels.
“Sounds like you have something planned for later.” She blinks and begins to whistle as she looks around innocently. “Come on,” I say, my heart light and happy. Hand in hand, and with her by my side, we mingle with our friends, and when a beer is thrust into my hand, I accept, and spend the rest of my time nursing it. I’m not sure what she has planned, but I want to stay sober so I can savor every second of it.
Harper eventually excuses herself as the women break off and begin chatting. Every few seconds, I glance at her, and my heart soars as she laughs and shares stories with my friends—her friends now too.
The guys and I all hang out over the food table, snacking on sandwiches and potato chips. We mostly talk about hockey and the upcoming season. As the guys talk, Cole puts his hand on my shoulder and in a low voice says, “I know you don’t love these things, but Nina was itching to get the gang together before we take off, and your birthday was the perfect excuse.” I glance at my buddy, and it’s clear he too can see who I really am.
“It’s fine. You should have seen Harper trying to keep it a secret,” I say and that’s when I notice the smirk on Cole’s face. I glance around to find all the guys smirking at me. “What?” They continue to grin. “Fine. I like her.”
“No shit,” Alek says. “You can’t stop looking at her and thinking about her.”
My gaze flies to Harper’s again, and she’s smiling at me. “I’m fucked, aren’t I?” I say and the guys all start to laugh.
“Never thought I’d see the day,” Cason says. “But it looks good on you, buddy.”
Just then the team’s newest rookie comes around the corner. Jesus, were we all that fresh faced once? Rider waves him over, and Cole hands him a beer. He’s a little shy, like most of us were when we were first recruited. It’s not easy walking into a room full of professional players.
“Sorry I’m late,” he says, glancing around like he was worried this was some hazing party for him, but we’re not assholes like some of the guys on the other teams. “Stuck in traffic.” He takes a big swig of beer. “So, this is really a birthday party for Liam?”
Cole laughs. “Relax, Wes, enjoy yourself.”
Just then Jules calls Rider over, and for a minute I’m worried she’s going into labor, but no, it appears she just wants to tell him something. As she talks with her hands, very animated, everyone breaks off and the group begins to mingle as one again. I watch her for a second and the sudden image of a pregnant Harper, carrying my child, floods my brain and it’s not a scary image at all.
With a smile on my face, I excuse myself to make a quick trip to the boys’ room. I glance at Harper, but she’s too distracted, punching something into her phone to even know I’m headed inside. Who the hell is she texting? I shake all worry from my brain. She’s a single mother for Christ’s sake. Of course, she’s just checking in on Gavin. By the time I come back, the rookie is chatting up my girl.
My girl?
Damn right she’s my girl. Needing to lay claim, show possession in some ridiculous caveman style, I walk up to them, and slide my arm around Harper’s waist, pulling her against me. Her body is soft, warm and pliable as I hold her to me, her soft curves meshed against my hardness as she puts her hand on my chest, right about the vicinity of my pounding heart. Wes just gives me a grin—yeah, I know I’m being an asshole, and maybe someday he’ll understand. I chuckle at that, because I was once like Wes, grinning as my friends all fell in love and thinking it would never happen to me.
