18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

T oday is a surprisingly sunny day, which I am thankful for. It sounds like the team always throws a Fourth of July cook out, and I am required to attend. Mac and Dean stayed behind with me while the others left for the party already. It's started to feel weird calling them Oli and Lewi in my head, let alone out loud. They don't feel like Oli and Lewi when we aren't at work. To be honest, it's beginning to feel weird calling any of the guys by their nicknames, now that I've built a friendship with them.

I'm not exactly nervous about the cookout but, at the same time, I am. I'm about to meet the whole team's significant others, not just the guys I'm in charge of. Who am I kidding. I'm beyond nervous about meeting my guys' wives.

A knock sounds on the bathroom door, and I'm jerked out of my thoughts. "Yes?"

Mac laughs and asks, "Are you almost ready? We got back from the rink three hours ago."

I snort a laugh and open the bathroom door. I went light on the make-up, but I'm wearing a soft blue sundress, considering how warm it is. Washington doesn't get hot often, but today is one of those rare days that gets above eighty degrees and sunny.

My gaze collides with Mac's wide eyes as he takes in my outfit. I run my fingers through my loose waves as my nerves take over. Does he like the dress?

When his eyes finally meet mine, he's grinning. "Tu es rayonnante."

My cheeks heat as I reply, "Thank you."

Dean darts around the corner from the living room. "Is she ready yet? We need to..." his words die off when he sees me.

I twist my hips to let my dress swish around me. "I'm ready."

After another moment or two of staring, he shakes his head. "Yeah—um—you—"

Watching him trip over his words has a smirk pulling at my lips. "Yes?"

Mac chuckles. "It seems you have shocked my brother speechless, Chérie."

Dean grunts and growls at him. "Fuck off. I'm just trying to find the right words."

I slowly walk over to him before peering up at him with a smile. "And what words are those?"

He jerks his eyes from Mac to land back on me. There's a tinge of pink on his cheeks as he says, "Still haven't quite found them yet."

I chuckle as I rise on my tiptoes to place a chaste kiss on his cheek. I couldn't help myself. These two make me feel more beautiful and cherished than anyone else I've encountered. Which is a shame, considering I'm not allowed to date them. But maybe a little flirting when no one else is around is okay. "I look forward to hearing them when you do," I whisper before brushing against him as I walk around him toward the front door. I look over my shoulder with a smirk. "We are going to be late if we don't leave now."

Mac follows, hooking an arm around Dean's shoulder and tugging him along. "Let's go have some fun and make sure our girl has an amazing night."

I snort as they pass me. "Your girl?"

"Amuse us for the night, Chérie," he says as he opens the passenger side door for me.

I slide in with a smirk. "How exactly am I your girl if no one is supposed to know? We could get in serious trouble if anyone on the team even thinks are together."

He rolls his eyes playfully as Dean gets into the backseat. Mac closes the door before rushing around the vehicle to slip into the driver's seat. Dean leans forward to say, "No one on the team will care if we are together."

I arch a brow. "I'm pretty sure the documents I signed when I was hired say otherwise."

Mac blows out a raspberry. "Upper management is who makes you sign that shit. No one from upper management will be there."

"It's still such a bad idea," I argue with a huff.

"What if we are subtle about it?" Dean asks from the backseat.

I can't help but laugh. "Subtle? I don't think you know what subtle is, Dean."

His brow knits, and he pouts. "I can be subtle."

I hold out a hand in his direction. "Bet?"

His eyes sparkle with mischief as he smirks and slaps his hand into mine. "Bet. What do I get when I win?"

"So sure of yourself?" I snicker.

He nods, releasing my hand. "I'll be the best subtle boyfriend ever."

My body heats at that, and Mac chuckles. "I want in on this bet too."

I roll my eyes, but the flush of my body betrays my nonchalance. "Fine. What do you both want?"

Mac hums. "Oh no, Chérie. This is a separate bet. We are lumped together. I get a separate prize if I win."

I shift in my seat as I grow flustered. Good lord. I sigh and say, "Fine. Dean what do you want as your prize?"

He leans forward, so his lips are next to my ear. "I want a kiss. A real kiss."

Mac groans. "Yes. I want that too! That's my prize too."

"You both want a kiss?"

They agree and Dean falls back into the seat. "What do you want if you win?" he asks casually.

I nibble my lip as I try to think of something I want. At this point, I'm not sure if I want to win or lose. If I'm kissing them for a bet, then it doesn't count right? What do I want? I can't think of anything else now that they mentioned a kiss. "I'll let you know what I want when I win," I say mischievously.

"Spoil sport," Dean pipes up from the back.

"Well, she has me curious now," Mac adds as he parks the car.

Dean climbs out and opens my door. He offers me a hand to help me out. I smirk as I slide my hand into his, allowing him to help me. He looks around briefly before leaning in to press a kiss on my cheek.

With a wink, he pulls back and whispers, "I'm going to win this bet, Ice Princess."

His hand slips out of mine, and he begins to walk toward the crowded park. I can feel my cheeks heat as I catch Mac out of the corner of my eye. Our eyes meet, and he shoots me a teasing smirk and wink. "Good luck, Chérie. We plan to win that kiss."

Like a proper gentlemen, he offers his elbow, and I slide my hand around his forearm. "I didn't know a kiss was worth that much," I whisper.

He chuckles softly as we head in the direction Dean went. "You have no idea what we'll do to get a few moments with you, let alone a kiss, Chérie."

"Noted," I say, trying to get my flustered face back to normal before someone notices.

As we get closer, a wolf whistle rings out, and I look around to find Taz and Vicy making their way toward us. I can't stop the giggle that bubbles up in my chest when they give me dramatically wide eyes and gesture wildly to me.

"Damn, Roe Roe! Who knew our favorite AT was so drop dead gorgeous," Vicy says teases.

I shake my head with a laugh. "What does AT mean?"

"Athletic therapist. Much easier to say," Taz answers for him.

I hum as Dean comes over to us, holding three beers. He hands one to Mac, who opens it before handing it to me. I smirk and accept it with nod to them both in thanks. Dean smirks before taking a swig.

"Elizabeth!"

I jerk around, looking for whoever said my name. When I see Perri, Merc, Gilly, and Fenni walking our way, I smile. Slipping my hand from Mac's, I wave. "Hey guys!"

Perri is the first to greet me, and he leans in to give me a hug. Just a quick squeeze before pulling away. He gestures to his left and says, "This is my wife, Karen."

I hold out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

She waves a hand in the air but pulls me in for a hug. "There is no handshaking here, girl. We give hugs."

I chuckle and hug her back, then she pulls away, allowing the others to greet me. Merc is next, giving me a quick hug before shuffling the two wiggling children out of his wife's arms. "These are my kids, Sebastian and Savannah"—he then turns a wide smile toward the woman beside him—"and this is my stunning wife, Cheryl."

I wiggle my fingers at the kiddos, then hold my hand out to Cheryl. "It's wonderful to meet you."

She chuckles and grasps my hand before also pulling me in for a hug. "Karen did say we are huggers, right?"

I laugh but hug her back. "I wasn't sure if that meant everyone."

She pulls back with a grin. "We're a family, so that means we hug. If you are part of the Wraiths, then you are part of the family."

My cheeks hurt from smiling so much as Gilly and Fenni greet me together. They each lean in to press a kiss to my cheek before pulling away. "Hope the guys aren't driving you too crazy at the house," Gilly says with a laugh.

"You know just how crazy they are, Maxy," I say with a wink.

He grins and takes a step back for his wife to slip under his arm. "Liz this is my wife, Dannielle."

I smile as I take in her very pregnant belly. "Congratulations! I'm not sure if you want a hug, but considering I was just told everyone is a hugger..."

She laughs and shakes her head. "Hugging a pregnant woman is always awkward." She holds out a hand, and I take it with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth."

"Liz is fine," I say as I release her hand. Next, I turn to the woman under Fenni's arm. I point to her. "And that must make you Samantha."

She nods and holds out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Liz."

A clap sounds from behind me. Releasing Samantha's hand, I look over my shoulder to see Vicy cupping his hands around his mouth. "Let's get this party started!"

Samantha laughs. "I'm not sure how you handle all of them."

I shrug and watch Vicy and Taz rush toward the table that holds hundreds of fireworks. "I've been teaching kids how to skate for several years. It's pretty similar to that."

"So you're saying they are like children," Dannielle says with a laugh.

There's an explosion in the distance, and the guys around me groan but rush in Taz and Vicy direction. I snort and reply, "No. They are much, much worse."

Karen and Cheryl link arms with me, Dannielle and Samantha following behind as we slowly walk in the direction of the others. Cheryl leans in with a soft laugh and says, "I'm not sure I should have let Corin run off with the kids."

My eyes widen when I see Corin, his twins in tow. They look about three, which I have to admit is an adorable stage. They walk next to their dad, each holding on to his pointer finger. He tugs his son along and veers to the left, which is where the other children and parents are. His little girl squeals in excitement as she tries to pull him to walk faster. "Seems he knew only trouble would be in the direction the others went."

"Smart man," she says with a chuckle. "Though, I'm sure the twins will cause him just as much trouble as Vicy and Taz."

I laugh. "No argument there."

The night quickly flies by as I enjoy my time with the team and their wives. I didn't meet a single girlfriend for the other players, and when I asked, Perri sat on the ground in front of his wife and looked up with a smirk. "They don't want puck bunnies anymore. Seems you've made them all want wifey material."

I snort out a laugh. "Wifey material? I don't think I'm much of an example of wifey material."

He points to Vicy and Taz in the distance as he says, "Those two were the worst with puck bunnies. I haven't seen the guys give them the light of day once over the last few months." He chuckles. "Though, that may have something to do with a certain single mother they met at the rink during one of your ice-skating classes."

I sit up in my chair, interested in this new information. "They have eyes for one of the moms?"

He nods as he replies, "I think it's the mom that you've been talking to. The one who will be your assistant for now, so she can take over when the season starts."

I furrow my brows before the realization hits. "Daisy?"

He nods. "She's the one with the little girl who always has pigtails, right?"

I nod with a grin. "Aspyn is the little girl's name. Daisy used to skate professionally until she got pregnant. She loves the ice, so I'm excited for her to take over for me. I know she'll do a great job."

Merc plops his daughter in Cheryl's lap beside me and joins in on the conversation. "Didn't she recently get divorced?"

I laugh. "How did you guys find out this information?"

Merc grins as he joins Perri on the ground with his son. "You do realize the moms there are full of gossip."

I roll my eyes. "Well, if you must know, her and her husband have been separated for a few years now. But the divorce wasn't finalized until a few months ago." A bottle of beer is suddenly in front of my face, making me jerk back in surprise. Looking up, I find Mac hovering behind me, a smile on his face.

"Figured you were short on refreshments," he says with a smirk.

"Thanks, Mac." Our fingers brush as he hands it over with a wink, and I try to keep the butterflies from flying away with my stomach. Damn, I forgot about our bet.

Mac nods as he leans back onto his elbows between Cheryl and me. She arches a brow before looking between him and me. I must not have kept my blush at bay because she sends me a knowing smirk before miming that her lips are zipped.

My blush is made worse when Dean plops down in the grass between my legs. He looks around before asking, "What are we talking about?"

Perri grins when he sees the others closing in on us. As Taz and Vicy get closer, he says loudly, "We were talking about Daisy and her daughter."

Vicy and Taz look up when the names are mentioned, somewhat startled. Fenni and Gilly smirk to themselves as they find spots near their wives. Tuck and Ozzy join the circle on the grass as Vicy and Taz ask in unison, "What about them?"

I can't hold back my laugh when I see their eyes, hungry for information. "We were just talking about Daisy replacing me once the season starts." Their shoulders drop, and I can't help but give them a little hope. "I may have also mentioned that she may need some help with a few of the classes when I'm not available. You know how that group of kids can be."

They share a look between them before giving me a hopeful look. "We can help," they say at the same time again.

I nod. "Sure. I'll mention it to her."

They give each other a fist bump before joining the others on the grass. Bonfires are lit around us as the sun sets, and the show begins. I gaze above me as explosions of color spread through the sky. A finger slowly caresses my shoulder, and when I look, I find Mac staring at me instead of the sky.

I jerk my gaze back to the sky when I feel another hand caress the bare skin on my calf. My cheeks heat, but I don't look down because I know it's Dean. They are doing this because no one will be looking at them. All eyes will be on the sky, which gives them free rein to look at me.

I suppose this means they won the bet. But I can't say I'm upset with losing. I've never looked forward to a kiss, but with them? It seems my heart won't stop beating in anticipation for this night to end. I won't admit I'm hungering for a kiss with the two of them. Not out loud anyway.