First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes—

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Look, I don't know who made up that stupid saying but I am not in love with Ella Montgomery.

Sure, she's my best friend and has been since we could walk. Sure, I offered to let her move in with me when she moved cross-country to apply for the open position as our hockey team's new mascot. That doesn't mean I'm in love with her!

Now, did I get a little antsy when she mentioned future relationships and bringing random men back to my home? Maybe. Did I completely panic when she met a man and went on a date with him? I mean, I might have. But when that date went sour, did I come to her rescue and kiss her the way she deserves to be kissed?

Oh. Uh..hmm…yeah, I guess I did do that.

Actually, I did much more than that.

I didn't just cross the line with my best friend, I erased that line altogether. The line no longer exists.

She enjoyed it as much as I did and now I can't stop thinking about the next time will feel like, and the time after that and the time aft—oooh no,

I think I'm falling my best friend.

First comes love, then comes…oh crap…I'm in so much trouble.

I was the first one on the team to get married.

I was the first one of us to have a kid.

I was also the first one of us whose marriage went up in flames, making me the team's first single dad.

Yeah, not one of my better saves.

Not that I'm complaining. My daughter is my life. I'd do anything for her but let's be real, being a single dad to a four-year-old and the star-goalie for the Chicago Red Tails is no easy feat. If my parents weren't around to help out I don't know what I would do, but they aren't getting any younger. The season is about to get into full swing and Elsie is starting preschool which means I need a new plan.

So, when my teammates suggest a full-time nanny, I'm open to the idea.

The best candidate for the job is kind, energetic, compassionate, and fun. But fate is testing me because she's also smoking hot. I can hardly keep my eyes—much less my hands—off of her. I have to though because she's perfect for my daughter.

The problem is…

I think she might also be perfect for me.

I'm just the guy with the goat.

I keep to myself and have ever since I moved to Tuft Swallow. I have no interest in making friends. I came here to escape my life, not fill it with nosy neighbors who want to know everything about me.

Is it lonely? Yeah. It is.

But after more than ten years, I'm used this punishment.

I get by just fine.

That is, until a complete stranger shows up at my front door, soaking wet and lost.

Paige Starling.

She's like a feral pigeon. Docile. Curious. And not afraid of a stranger.

The more I see her, or spend time in her presence, the more I'm attracted to her. Her sense of humor, her compassion for others, her genuine smile, and her proclivity for finding herself in compromising situations reminds me of the life I once had. The life I've grieved for years.

Paige is the breath of fresh air I've been longing for.

She's my pigeon. I know it in my soul.

But she's only in town for the summer, which means if I have any hope of a future with her,

I have to let her in. I have to share my past, forgive myself, and be willing to let go and move forward.

I can't lose her.

I won't.

No Egrets.

I can do this.

I think…

I fell in love with a woman on her honeymoon.

Sounds all sorts of wrong, right? I swear it's not what you think though. I didn't break up a marriage. It was over before it even started.

She was all dressed up with nowhere to go when her fiancé ghosted her on her wedding day. I would have thought an experience like that would leave a woman heartbroken and sobbing into a tub of ice cream for days on end, but not Scarlett Dayne. After attending her reception and partying into the night on her fiancé's dime, she posted to social media in search of a travel companion for her upcoming honeymoon.

I don't know why I let my teammate talk me into it.

As if being set up on a blind date isn't bad enough, a blind date with a jilted bride on her honeymoon seems all sorts of crazy. But from the moment I met Scarlett at the airport I knew she was someone special. She's adventurously fun with a great sense of humor and I'm enjoying every moment with her.

It's way too soon to make a move, I know, but what if after one remarkably memorable day, my mind is made up? What if she's it for me? Can two people fall in love in just one day?

Is it wrong to fall in love with a bride on her honeymoon?

#askingforafriend

It's me. I'm the friend.