“I did my time in the NHL, I watched my baby do her time there, and I’ll one day watch my grandchildren there. I’m good. Don’t worry about me. I’m happy.”

“He’s stubborn and says someone has to teach Dawson how to play,” Autumn teased, and Jayden pointed to himself.

“I’m actually sorta good, don’t know if you know that,” he said, which everyone scoffed at. “I’m the captain of an NHL team, and I won the Norris.”

“You suck,” Jace called. “Like big donkey dick.”

“Wouldn’t it be horse dick? It’s bigger,” Lucy said, and Jace nodded, pointing to her in agreement.

“Horrible defense, I don’t even know how you won the Norris for your shit play,” Jude teased.

“I don’t even know what you’re doing on the ice. I basically have to play for you,” Markus joined in, and Jayden glared. “It’s good that I’m there now.”

“It’s okay, baby. You’re great in bed,” Baylor added, and Markus sputtered with laughter. Soon, everyone was laughing again. Even Mekena. Her eyes were bright, beautiful, and he swore he had never seen anything so mesmerizing.

He kept staring boldly, with no cares. That was until Autumn pulled his attention away. “So tell me the goods. Anyone special?”

Markus looked away smiling as Lucy teased, “Come on, Mom. You know Markus is enjoying that single life.”

Markus laughed. “Eh, not so much enjoying it.”

“No?”

He felt Mekena’s gaze on him as he looked down at his plate, shrugging. He wasn’t lying; he hated being single. The different girls, the shitty dives where he found them. Never really knowing if they’d have his back, or if they were out for the money he didn’t have. In a way, he didn’t feel single—he felt empty.

Looking up to his pseudomother, he smiled. “Yeah, I mean, I’m single, technically, but my heart is owned by someone I don’t deserve.”

He felt everyone’s gaze on him as he wet his lips, glancing across the table where Mekena was looking very interestedly at her plate. He had known that she was special, that she had meant a lot to him, but at that moment, he realized she owned his heart—completely.

“Is that right?” Autumn asked.

He nodded just as Mekena looked up, his eyes locking with hers. He hadn’t meant to say all that, but it was true. Beyond true. True as it may be, though, he knew that no matter what, he had fucked up and he would not get another chance. No matter how desperate he was to have one. God, he just needed another chance.

Not that he deserved it, but man, he sure wished he could have it.

“Yup, not sure I’ll get it back anytime soon either.”

He looked down at the top of Dawson’s head just as Autumn asked, “It isn’t Lucy, is it? You know she’s getting married.”

It was like time stopped, and when he looked up, Lucy was choking on her drink as he looked back to Autumn, horror in his eyes.

Oh, crap.

“What? Why would it be Lucy?” Benji asked, just as confused as everyone else at the table.

Autumn, never the wiser to the tension in the room, just laughed, “Because they had that thing.”

Lucy was choking on her wine, and Markus didn’t know what to do, what to say as his best friends, aka Lucy’s brothers, who all looked at him in confusion along with some anger.

“What thing?” Jace asked.

“You had a thing with Lucy?” Jayden asked as Baylor snorted with laughter.

“Oh, my God! Mom!” Lucy complained.

“What is she talking about?” Benji asked, and Markus looked down, knowing this was not going to end well.

“It was nothing, really. Just one time,” Lucy said and Markus scoffed.

“I mean, it wasn’t nothing. We had fun, made love, but then we realized we were better as friends,” he said simply for his pride’s sake. Sex with him was good, dammit, and not nothing.

“Markus!” Lucy snapped. “You’re not helping!”

“Wait! You slept with my sister?” Jace asked, and Markus shrugged.

“Like a million years ago,” he said and Jayden glared.

“You and Lucy?”

“It’s really not a big deal, people!” Lucy cried, her face turning red as Benji looked at her in disbelief.

“You never told me you slept with him,” he said, and Lucy laughed.

“I didn’t tell you about a lot of people I slept with! It was after I left Rick. It was one time, I was lonely.”

“And so was I,” Markus said with a shrug. “And we all know Lucy is hot.”

“Markus!” she snapped, and he looked at her, confused.

“What? You are!”

“Excuse me, asshole, that’s my wife!” Benji exclaimed, and Markus laughed, holding his hands up.

“No offense, bro. Just saying.”

“This is insane. Thanks, Mom,” Lucy said, covering her face as Jude looked around, eating a piece of steak from his salad.

“Wait, you guys slept together?”

“Oh, my God,” Lucy groaned, but Markus just laughed.

“It’s really not a big thing.”

“Yeah, ’cause you basically sleep with everyone.”

The room went quiet as he looked across the table, meeting Mekena’s eyes. They were full of heat, and if his declaration before had maybe helped a bit, it was now totally forgotten. All she saw was that he slept with someone else’s sister. It wasn’t even like that. The thing with Lucy was over before it started—one time and that was it, but Mekena was looking way too much into it.

Clearing his throat, he held her gaze, not letting her escape like he had before. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You sleep with everyone, apparently.”

“Um, I haven’t slept with him,” Baylor said, raising her hand.

“Me neither,” Claire and Avery added.

“He never offered,” Autumn said, and the table went silent.

But then everyone was doubled over with laughter.

Well, everyone but Markus and Mekena.

Instead, their eyes stayed locked together, hers burning into his and his begging for a chance to even speak to her.

“I didn’t sleep with you, did I?” he said matter-of-factly, and her eyes widened, her face flushing red as the laughter around them died down. “So, in reality, I haven’t slept with everyone.”