Holy fuck, what did the big guy say to her?
“Sorry,” TJ offered to Noah.
I cocked my head at both of them in confusion.
“You remember my sister, right?” TJ asked.
I nodded. Benny and Roxanne Desjardins’ fights were the stuff of legends. She usually had bleached blond hair that fell to her waist, but now she was sporting black hair shorter than normal, so I hadn’t recognized her at first. The darker hair made her look more like her twin. It suited her.
“I didn’t recognize her without the blond hair. What’s she doing in town?” I asked.
“Just moved here. Working for the Bulldogs,” TJ explained.
“Huh,” was all that came out of my mouth, and Noah raised his eyebrows playfully. TJ sighed and excused himself to go talk to his sister, who looked like she was about to storm out of here.
“They’re so gonna bone this summer,” Noah commented and handed me a beer.
“You think? Wait, isn’t she gay?” I asked and furrowed my brow. I was pretty sure that TJ had mentioned she had a live-in girlfriend. I also thought that was one of the reasons she told Benny often to “dream on.” She didn’t like men, right?
“No, Rox is bisexual,” Noah corrected me.
“Huh.”
I looked across the room at my wife and his girlfriend still entrenched in conversation. I was glad those two had each other and had this almost unshakeable bond. Fi had that effect on people, even if she thought everyone abandoned her. I was still mad at myself that our bond was shaken when I left for the NHL and it made her feel like I had abandoned her.
She caught my gaze and excused herself from Dinah to come over to us in the kitchen. Noah leaned down slightly to greet her with a hug.
“Oh, Noah, I’m so happy for you,” she blurted out as soon as he ended the hug. I put an arm around her waist and pulled her towards me with a smile. “I’m really glad you and D sorted everything out.”
Noah smiled at her. “I think I have you and whiskey to thank for helping us figure it out.”
“We’re happy for you, man,” I agreed and clapped him on the back.
Noah nodded, and I wanted to tease him about the tinge of red that crept up across his face, but then Dinah appeared beside him. Their height difference was kind of comical, but the way they looked at each other was how I thought Fi and I looked at each other. So blissfully in love. I wasn’t lying when I said I was happy for them. Everyone deserved love, and I was glad that I had found it with my best and first friend.
We stayed at Dinah and Noah’s for a while, talking with all my teammates and their significant others. I also got to meet a few of Dinah’s work friends and some other publishing people who Fi also knew.
When we got back home, I was exhausted, and so was Fi, as indicated by the way she flopped on our bed with her shoes still on. Gross. Sometimes I thought she did things like that to annoy me. I pulled the boots off her feet and threw them onto the floor.
She smiled up at me in a way that made my insides warm. I felt the ring box in the pocket of my jacket burning a hole there.
“So what’s the deal with Benny and TJ’s sister Rox?” she asked suddenly.
I shook my head. “Those two do not get along.”
She had a wicked smile on her face. “Maybe they need to bang it out and solve that.”
I laughed. “I don’t disagree with you, sweetheart, but I think she’d rather make-out with a skunk.”
“Not with the way she was looking at him tonight.”
“She looked like she wanted to punch him in the dick like she always does,” I argued.
Fi raised an eyebrow. “No, she looked like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to punch him or suck his dick. They’re gonna fuck!”
I laughed. Her and D had definitely gotten into the sauce a little bit tonight. “God, I hope you’re right because those two living together is gonna be a trip.”
“You know they’re gonna have a knockdown fight and fuck!”
I shook my head at her. “How drunk are you?”
She held her thumb and finger together but gave me a sly smile. “Just a bit.”
I grinned at her and laughed.
Fi laughed with me. “Anyway, why are you still wearing your jacket?”
“What?” I asked.
“What’s with you tonight? You look like you need to tell me something.”
I wanted to sigh at her. I should have known keeping things from her was too much of a difficult task. She knew me a little too well.
I reached into my jacket pocket and placed the small black box into her hands. “Here. I wanted to give you something.”
She looked confused and opened the box to see the ring inside. “Aaron, what the fuck is this?”
I smiled but ran a hand through my too-long hair. “Um…so we did all of this backward, and I never got you an engagement ring.”
She stared down at the silver ring in the box with the petite diamond, vines wrapping around it, and little emerald accents. “Aaron, you…why…I really don’t need this.”
I took the ring out of the box and pulled her left hand into mine. I slid the new ring onto her finger where her wedding band was already secured. “I know, but I wanted you to have it. You wouldn’t let me buy you a nicer wedding band, so let me give you the engagement ring I should have given you a long time ago.”
Her eyes were getting misty, and I pulled her into my lap to kiss her gently. She curled her head into my neck. “Oh, Aaron. I really love it. Is that bad? I shouldn’t be into fancy jewelry like this.”
I smirked and kissed the top of her head. “I knew you would.”
“You’re perfect.”
I smiled at her. “No, you’re perfect.”
“Ew. Are
