Face-Off at the Altar Read online

  “There we go, Big D!” he cheered, and Dawson burped in agreement, which made everyone laugh. “Do I look amazing?”

  Baylor laughed as she pulled her phone out of her back pocket, taking a picture as Markus posed in a silly way, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. “Perfect.”

  As she kissed Dawson’s head, Avery said, “You know most guys hate that.”

  Markus scoffed. “Why? This is awesome. Me and my dude, I don’t even have to carry him. He just hangs. You know, because we’re hanging out,” he said with a chuckle, and Mekena couldn’t help it, she laughed.

  He noticed too and flashed her an even bigger grin that she quickly looked away from. She shouldn’t feel this way, she shouldn’t think he was funny, but apparently, her heart wasn’t listing to her brain.

  “You’re such a loser,” Lucy teased, and Markus stuck his tongue out at her.

  “Hater.”

  Baylor laughed. “Okay, so everything is in there. He should fall asleep as soon as you start walking, and call if you need me.”

  “We won’t,” he said, kissing her temple. “Enjoy your spa time. All of you enjoy. You deserve this, you beautiful ladies you.”

  Everyone grinned as he turned away, heading out the door with a baby bag on his arm and a baby strapped to him like he did this in his sleep. Even with the hatred she was supposed to feel and the fact that she was supposed to ignore him, she still had to admit it was supersweet.

  “He’s such a great guy,” Lucy said, and everyone nodded—except for Mekena and Avery, of course.

  “He loves Dawson something fierce, but he’s like that with all the kids,” Baylor mentioned, and Mekena noticed that Avery smiled.

  “He painted Ashlyn’s toes yesterday and had a tea party with her. That’s Markus, though, he loves kids,” she said, but when she noticed Mekena was glaring at her, she looked away. “But, so what?”

  Lucy laughed. “He did what he did, and I won’t make excuses for him. It was wrong and disgusting, and he knows I think he is a pig for it. But besides that lapse in judgment and stupidity, we all can agree he is a good guy, can’t we?”

  Everyone nodded. Even Avery did because Lucy was right. Markus was a wonderful guy. Good with kids, loyal to a fault, and would give the shirt off his back to anyone.

  Mekena had seen it done firsthand. A guy on campus was sleeping under a tree, no shirt or shoes on, and Markus gave him his shirt and shoes, along with fifty bucks to get something to eat or a place to stay. There were all kinds of moments like that. He was the first to organize the volunteering efforts the Bullies undertook to help the community. The many food drives he did, and how he went to read to the kids with cancer at the local hospitals. Markus was giving, that was his love language, but still, he’d broken her heart. Could that one act cancel out all the good he had ever done?

  The fact that the answer wasn’t clear bothered Mekena to no end.

  “I know I used to go up the middle a lot back at Bellevue, but I don’t here. I’ll carry it in, but I usually pass it up. We can’t be reckless. We have to support our goalie but also give our forwards some opportunities. If you have an opening or a shot, take it, but be smart.”

  Markus nodded over at Jayden as Dawson kicked his legs, leaning his little head against Markus’s chest. As much as he wanted to pay attention to his friend and captain, he couldn’t get the sight of Mekena out of his head. He tried to play it off; he tried not to make it seem like he was drinking in every detail of her. The tight black leggings she wore with the oversize shirt and some nude pumps. Her hair was down, a braid down the side, tucked behind her ear. The thing that stunned him the most was that she didn’t look like the girl he had known. No, she looked like a gorgeous, successful, and professional woman.

  One he was dying to touch and whisper to that she was beautiful.

  She wouldn’t even acknowledge him, though. He wanted to ask if she enjoyed the pancakes, if they were as good as she remembered. He wanted to know how her morning had gone, what she was getting done at the spa. Hell, he wanted to know everything. He just wanted her to talk to him, not scream, but talk. Had she finished Gilmore Girls? What about Game of Thrones? Did she finish the books? What else had she been doing in the last two years?

  But most of all, he wanted to make her smile.

  It was killing him, but he had to put that aside when Jayden said, “I think you did great today.”

  “Thanks, Cap,” Markus said, pride filling his soul, and Jayden smiled.

  “I knew you could do it. Always knew that, but seeing you out there, man, I’m really happy I fought for you.”

  Markus laughed. “Me too. I needed this opportunity.”

  “Yeah, and we’re gonna kill it,” he said, holding his fist up, and Markus knocked his to Jayden’s as Dawson cooed happily. Laughing, Jayden said, “I’m surprised he isn’t asleep.”

  Looking down at his little buddy, Markus agreed. “Yeah, Baylor said he should knock out as soon as I started walking, but he is wide awake.”

  “He’s crazy like his momma. Huh, little guy?”

  Markus smiled at the googly eyes Jayden had for his son, just as Benji, Jude, and Jace walked toward them. Standing, Jayden threw his hands up. “Finally, assholes.”

  “Sorry, I had a call,” Jude said, and even Markus could tell something was up.

  “You okay?” he asked, and Jude shook his head.

  “Apparently, they want to trade me to Minnesota.”

  “Minnesota? What the hell? Why?” Jayden asked, his face scrunching up. “Who could they get for you?”

  “Two awesome defensemen and a first- and fourth-round pick.”

  Benji whistled as Markus hissed, shaking his head while Jayden said, “Oh, well, I guess we’ll see you in Minnesota.”

  “Yeah, it isn’t final, but it will probably happen, and Claire is already upset. She can’t get out of her contract, so we’re really going to be living apart now.”

  Nodding sullenly, Markus looked up from Dawson. “Too bad that Vegas team isn’t ready.”

  “For sure,” Jude laughed, shaking his head. “I’m just ready to have my wife at home more than not, you know? It’s annoying, but we’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah, you will be,” Jace said confidently. “You guys are like mac and cheese.”

  “Peanut butter and jelly,” Markus added with a grin, and Jace grinned back playfully.

  “Pickles and ice cream.”

  “Toast and jam.”

  “Are you two done?” Jude asked, and they both shook their heads.

  “Tuna and mayo!”

  “Ketchup and mustard!”

  “Let’s go. These idiots will be here forever,” Jayden said, walking away toward the golf carts as Jace slapped Markus on the back.

  “Did I tell you that you look like a loser with my nephew strapped to you?”

  Markus shrugged as Dawson looked up at him. “Did I tell you that you look like a doofus, ’cause you do?”

  That had them both laughing as they hurried to catch up with the guys, but a question lingered in Markus’s heart.

  Did Mekena think he looked like a loser with Dawson strapped to him?

  “There is my sugar! Come here and give me a big ole hug, Markus Reeves!”

  Markus’s face broke into the biggest grin as Autumn Moore and her husband River came toward him, wrapping him up in their arms, careful of Dawson who had decided he wanted to stay strapped to Markus. Not that he was complaining.

  As she took his cheeks in her hands, Autumn’s eyes were full of love and she exclaimed, “Your face!”

  “I ran into an umbrella.”

  River scoffed. “That’s gonna be a good story for the kids when we’re older and looking back at these wedding pictures.”

  Markus laughed as Autumn nodded. “Other than that, how are you?”

  “Good, tired. I got called up.”

  A hard slap came to his back from River as he gushed, “That’s great! You couldn’t call?”