Chapter 40

CHAPTER FORTY

ZACH

" A thousand dollars says this will be Zach and Luna in the next six months." Jensen stands eyeing himself in the reflection; his jet-black hair and deep-brown eyes complement his dress suit. I'd tell him he's a good-looking guy, which he is, but his head is already big enough for the both of us.

"Do you think she'll wear white?" Jon comes to stand next to him as they both pose, and I roll my eyes.

"Of course she will," Jensen scoffs.

"I don't know." Jon fidgets nervously with his bow tie. "Once she gets something in her head, she's like a bulldog. I just have this feeling she's going to go with something different."

Jensen turns, still eyeing him through the mirror. "Don't get me wrong; I get that all of this is important and all, but as long as you both say, ‘I do,' then that's really all that matters."

Panic races across Jon's face. "What? You think there's a chance that she won't?"

"I don't think that's what he's saying, bro." I look over at them both as I inspect the choice of bow ties, which are really only black and gray. Jon wants to go black tie for their wedding.

Jensen remains quiet, which is not helpful, especially given the rising alarm on my best friend's face.

"Fuck, you don't think she's getting cold feet, do you?"

I walk over and place a palm on his shoulder. "Over a stud muffin like you? Fuck no. I'd marry you in a heartbeat."

He laughs. "Maybe we should do a switch. Felicity said she and Luna plan to marry if all this doesn't work out."

Jensen clears his throat, and we both look over at him.

"What? I didn't say anything?" He shrugs.

Jon tips his chin at Jensen. "What's going on with you anyway, man? You're what, thirty-two and still haven't settled down. Don't go my route; it's fucking lonely."

Jensen shifts from one foot to the other, running a hand across the nape of his neck. "Look, I'm happy for you both and all, but weddings and love, they aren't for me. A few dates and a fuck with a pretty girl are more my wheelhouse."

"So, you have no plans to settle, like at all, ever?" Jon asks, clearly struggling to get his head around Jensen's logic.

He shakes his head. "Nope. Sounds like a whole lot of trouble and heartbreak to me."

"Well, this is fucking cheerful when we're picking out suits for my wedding."

I nod. "Tell me about it. I hope the girls are having more fun."

Puffing out a breath, Jensen comes to stand beside Jon, his hands in his pockets. All three of us are now standing in front of the giant mirror in the dressing room, staring at each other. "I'm not here to put a downer on anything. I'm happy for you. She's everything you wanted and needed. You were a fucking wreck before you met her."

"Not helping," I chime in.

"But all I'm saying is, it's just not for me. The ‘happily ever after' thing."

"I thought that once," Jon counters.

"Yeah, when you were a rookie, and then things changed for you. It's never changed for me, and I'm cool with it."

"Your sister gets married next year too, doesn't she?" I ask.

Jensen nods. "Yeah, summer is gonna be hell on earth wedding season."

"Add Zach's wedding to your roster as well."

I eye Jon. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Does she not want to get married or something?" he replies.

I can't prevent the shit eating grin that spreads over my face as I recall last night, and the first time I gave her my last name, other than stamped across her back while I fucked her into oblivion. "She wants to get married one day."

"What's the delay then?"

I physically turn to Jon. "I haven't even shipped her things from her place to ours yet. Plus, she's only just agreed to move in and uproot her life. Give me a fucking second, man."

Jensen snickers and eyes our captain. "You're unbearable these days. It's kind of disgusting if I'm being honest."

Looking at us both through the mirror he huffs out a frustrated breath. "Well, this entire experience of picking out wedding suits was really magical. Thanks. I'm going to settle up and go find my wife." He saunters back to the dressing room.

Jensen's shoulders vibrate with laughter. "Not quite."

He flips the bird over his shoulder. "Fuck off."

Walking into one of our favorite Italian restaurants, my subconscious instantly searches for my girl, and when I land on her, she smiles back, illuminating me from the inside.

Seattle is in full holiday mode since we're only a week away from Christmas, but I feel totally unprepared. I haven't bought anything for her yet. Sexy lingerie, perfume, a spa day, skincare, none of it seems to make sense. Buying her a second telescope for our place isn't even a possibility, since I bought one for myself when I returned to Seattle just before preseason. Call me a simp, but each night I'd watch the stars, wondering if she was viewing the same ones.

I slide up next to her and wrap an arm around the back of her chair, planting a kiss at the corner of her mouth. "Hey there, Rocket."

"Hey. Get what you need?"

I eye Jon, who has his face buried in Felicity's neck, probably triple-checking she isn't getting cold feet.

"Yeah, got the suits. Any luck with the dress?"

"She found a couple, but nothing that said, ‘ the one.' She did ask me to be a bridesmaid though. Kate's her maid of honor."

I knew she was being asked since Jon can't keep a secret to save his fucking life. "Oh yeah, that's awesome. Any idea about the color of your dress?" I lean closer to her. "Maybe black. You know how I feel about that color on you."

"Emerald." Jon shouts across the table.

Darcy's, Kate's, Jensen's, Luna's, Felicity's, and my head all dart to him. "You were asking about the color. It's emerald. Adam chose it."

Felicity pulls Jon in for a hug. Clearly, this is new information to her too. "I love it."

I turn back to my girlfriend. "That will look gorgeous on you."

She flushes slightly, and I follow it all the way down her neckline and past the hot-as-fuck, low-cut, red sweater she's wearing.

"What do you want to do on Christmas Day? I was thinking a movie binge followed by fucking you on every surface," I say low enough so the others can't hear.

"Yeah, I heard that," Kate says around the breadstick she's eating. She points the remaining half between us. "I'm reconsidering my award for the most sickening couple. You two are giving these two a real run for their money," she says as she points to Jon and Felicity.

"I second Kate," Darcy adds. "It's kind of gross."

Felicity scoffs. "Oh, excuse me, young lady! How many times have I had to scurry out of the room since your tongue is stuck down Liam's throat?"

Darcy blushes hard.

"Don't worry about it. We've all been there with our parents." Luna tries to reduce her embarrassment.

"Oh, have we now?" I say with one eyebrow raised. I'm joking, but really, I'm insanely jealous. The thought of Luna with anyone else makes me want to tear the world down. It also makes me want to haul her into the bathroom and fuck her just like we did at the bar. But that plan is soon put on hold as our food is brought to the table.

"What's the plan for searching for schools then?" Jensen asks Luna.

"Jeez, give her a minute, will you? She just moved across the country three days ago, and her things are in shipping containers," Kate responds, giving Jensen an unmissable dead eye.

"Fuck me, I was only asking," he replies with equal animosity before sitting back in his chair and taking a swig of beer.

Glossing over that exchange, Luna drums her purple fingernails on the table. "I actually saw an opening for an Art and Design position at the local high school only five blocks from where Zach lives."

"We live," I correct her.

"We live." She smiles. "I might apply for that during the holidays. I have nothing to lose I guess."

"Might as well. But there's no rush to find anything," I add.

"There is. I'll get bored and then be even more of a pain in your ass."

"You're only a brat some of the time," I say, leaning down to kiss behind her ear. Goddamn, I can't keep my hands off her.

I don't want to keep my hands off her.

"You know what, babe? I think you're right. Those two are the couple to beat." Felicity points at us both.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hang on a—" Jon holds up a hand.

But his protests are met with a garlic knot to the cheek courtesy of Jensen. I swear that guy has the hand-eye coordination of a god. "Give it a rest, guru."

Felicity snorts a laugh and wipes the garlic butter from his face with her napkin. "Ignore them, petal."

"Yeah, ignore them, petal ," I mock, taking a bite out of my ravioli, which incidentally is nowhere near the same level as Luna's.

Narrowing his eyes, he pins me with a glare. "It's not too late to reconsider my choice for best man."

I point at Jensen with my fork. "The world's greatest goalie is always an option."

Kate snorts loudly, almost choking on her pizza. "I think not."

"Why not?" Jensen winks over at her, and there's a definite hint of flirtation to his otherwise sarcastic response.

"Because." She pauses with her wine glass to her lips. "That would involve coming within ten feet of you." She smiles sweetly as the rest of us busy ourselves with our meal.

I take another bite of ravioli but steal a glance at our goalie, who grips his beer glass so hard, I'm surprised it doesn't shatter in his hand.

Well, shit.