It does feel like a lifetime ago, but I’m so ready. Those were some of my favorite days, and I’ll never forget them.
This time… I get to be here for Maddison’s pregnancy, I’ll be here for every single moment.
“I can’t wait to see your belly get big and round with my baby.” I groan, “Just thinking about it turns me on.”
Maddison grins, rising on her knees and crawling over to the edge of the bed where I’m standing, “You know, I’ve been so ridiculously horny for the past few days. That’s a perk of pregnancy.”
I smirk, sliding my arms around her waist and pulling her to me until she’s pressed tightly against me, “That so?”
She nods.
“You remember how I told Olive that I was going to marry you when she was just a baby? Guess I need to give you my last name sooner than later so I can satisfy my wife throughout her pregnancy.”
“Hmm. Is that a proposal Briggs Wilson?”
“Well, the ring I’ve been hiding in my sock drawer for the past six months… I think it’s about time that the woman I love and want to spend the rest of my life with to wear it. Marry me Maddison. I need to spend the rest of my life loving you the way that I have since the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“Are you serious?”
I laugh, “Of course I’m serious. It’s not like I haven’t been dying to ask you to marry me since the day I promised our baby girl that I would. I just had to wait until you were ready. Say yes. Please.”
“Yes, of course, yes I’ll marry you, you crazy man!” She laughs through a sob, throwing her arms around my neck.
I fell in love with Maddison the first time I ever saw her, and maybe I didn’t know right then what our future would hold but I think some part of me always knew that she was it for me. She was a breath of fresh air into my lungs after I had been barely breathing for so long.
Her and Olive, and now our baby… they’re my world.
They’re everything I’ve wished for. Everything I dreamed of.
My happy ending.
One I fought for, and one I would never give up.
* * *
You guessed it… Graham’s book is next. Coming late Spring of 2022.
Enemies to lovers + a surprise trope I’ll reveal soon!
You’ll LOVE his heroine.
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Make sure to preorder below before the price increases!
Also By Maren Moore
Turn the page to read Chapter One of Reed and Holland’s book, Change on the Fly, Book one of the Totally Pucked series.
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An enemies to lovers, sister’s best friend sports romance.
Reed
There are a lot of perks to being a professional hockey player. Hell, an athlete in general. Besides the money, the fame, the endorsements. The free shit that sports companies throw at you.
And one of those perks is currently perched on my lap, trailing her hot pink manicured finger up my chest.
Her name is Elizabeth. And honestly, I'm surprised I even remember her name because our entire interaction at Liam and Juliet's wedding lasted about fifteen minutes in a cramped bathroom stall and there was definitely no talking done. Or any talking during any of the times after that.
You see, I'm the kind of guy that enjoys the finer things in life…without all of the complications that people seem to add. Why make anything hard when it's already sweet? I'm twenty-eight and living my dream, playing hockey for one of the best teams in the country. I've got the most beautiful women at my fingertips, fans who adore me, and then I have my ma and my sister Emery. Nothing to hold me back and no one to answer to. And that’s exactly how I want it.
Seriously, life is good.
"Has anyone told you tonight that you are the most beautiful girl in the entire room?" I say to the busty blonde in my lap. Her plump, bright red lips stretch into a wide, confident grin. It’s not a lie, she is gorgeous. It’s just part of the game. You say what they want to hear, and everyone’s happy.
"That's because I'm the only girl in the room, Reed Davidson." She giggles before tossing her long, sleek hair over her tan shoulder that peeks out from her sleeveless dress.
I grin cheekily, revealing the dimple that always seals the deal. Just as I'm leaning in, Briggs, my best friend, walks up and flops down onto the couch next to us. I shoot him a look that says "get the fuck out of here, cockblocker," but Briggs being Briggs, doesn't pick up on the signal.
"Tonight sucks," he mutters. He's nursing a still full beer, and moping around the bar like he's lost his puppy dog.
Sighing heavily, I nudge blondie from my lap and thankfully, she takes the hint and scampers off back toward her group of friends, leaving me alone with Briggs.
"Alright, what's up? What are you cryin' in your beer about?"
His jaw clenches at my jab, but he just shakes his head, staring off into the distance. Best forward in the NHL or not, the guy is dramatic and broody as shit. I’ve just learned to live with it, and fuck with him any chance I get.
"Briggs."
"Just some shit."
Another blasé answer. A Briggs’s specialty.
I pull my phone from my pocket and swipe away the unopened texts from puck bunnies who text me weekly for a hookup, and instead, I go straight to my other best friend, Liam's text and open it. He's sent a photo of him, Juliet and the girls on the beach. The girls are posing next to a sandcastle as big as they are, and it brings a genuine smile to my face. Liam and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember. We played hockey together, until he became the coach of the Avalanche last year. Now that he’s married to Juliet, he’s coaching high school hockey and I miss seeing him and the girls as much as I used to.
They've been in the Bahamas for over a week, while I'm stuck here babysitting Briggs. I can't wait for the girls to get home to tell me all about their vacation.
I love those two sassy girls. Being their uncle Reed is one of the best things in my life. But me as a dad? The last thing I could ever see myself as is a father or a husband, or anything even close. As much as I love Ari and Ken… I love bringing them back to Liam at the end of the night, so I can go out with the boys, catch a game, enjoy the single unattached life.
I’m a perpetual bachelor, and that’s exactly how I plan to stay.
Which is why Broody Briggs, myself, Asher, Hudson and Graham are at a bar on a Tuesday night… because, why not? We’re all single, hot professional hockey players with no one to go home to, so why not spend it out on the town with a few beers? We all play together for the Chicago Avalanche, and it’s the best job on the damn planet.
When people say, “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life,” it’s true. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that I get to wake up and play hockey for a living, but at the same time, I busted my ass to be here. I worked from sun up to sun down to be the player I am today.
To celebrate another great practice, we decided to come out tonight for a night of bunnies and booze. Except, as of late, things have been… less exciting, since Briggs is walking the straight and narrow or he’s off the team. He’s been in more fights the past six months than I have in my entire hockey career.
So, to make sure that he stays out of trouble, that he doesn’t find himself in front of a pap’s camera, or worse, stuck in a jail cell for another night, I’m stuck babysitting until further notice.