Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
She stands in the doorway, studying me with eager eyes.
“So you like your men to wield hockey sticks and hammers?”
“Yes. Yes, I do,” she says.
“Good. I’ll keep doing both.”
We bring over Roxy’s collection of bandanas and set up a cubby for her by the front door. Then, I indulge and buy her a literal fuck-ton of beds.
Yes, it looks much more like home with a dog bed in every room. But the little critter still manages to sleep on the Alaskan king every night. Smart girl. It’s just more fun to stretch out in a big bed.
Once Ivy’s out of her apartment, Jackson’s boyfriend moves in, and I know it makes Ivy happy that her friend wasn’t left hanging with the rent. As for Hayes’s place, I’ll find someone to lease the penthouse to soon. With that rooftop garden, and all the opportunities it affords for naked sports, it’ll go fast.
For now, when I come home from the arena after games with Hayes and Ivy, my house no longer feels empty. Neither do my nights or my days.
ANOTHER EPILOGUE
THREE OF A KIND
Ivy
“What do you think?”
I show my shimmery, ruby-red dress to my trusty fashion sidekick.
Roxy watches me eagerly from her spot on the floor in the main bedroom, probably with the hope that I have a secret burger stashed somewhere. Her tail twitches, a telltale sign where her heart really is.
“Fine. I’ll take your silence as two paws up.”
She wags her tail harder. Wow, she really thinks I have food for her, the cute little beggar.
I gather the silky-soft material of my dress and bend to give her a scratch under the chin. But she offers me a tongue in return. Okay, maybe she did want a kiss.
“I love you too,” I coo, giving a soft kiss to her even softer little nose. Then I rise and let the dress fall against my legs, the material swishing as I leave the bedroom in my gala finest, my girl trotting beside me, decked out in her red-and-white holiday bandana with illustrations of dog bones on it.
Before I even reach the living room, though, I hear the debate.
“You are the raccoon on meth,” Hayes accuses.
With a confident chuckle, Stefan says, “No. It’s Ivy.”
I stop and listen, my lips twitching in amusement.
“No. She’s organized. You just appear to be,” Hayes says.
“Pfft.”
“Just admit it.”
I stifle a laugh.
“I admit nothing,” Stefan says, and I imagine he’s leaning back in a chair, casual and easy, holding a tumbler of scotch.
Hayes is relentless though. “In every home, there’s one person who stacks the dishwasher like a Scandinavian architect and the other like a raccoon on meth.”
“Obviously, I’m the architect. Isn’t that what I’ve been all along?”
Stefan makes a good point, and it sounds like case closed.
Roxy and I proceed, and when we turn the corner, warmth flows over me. My men look so good, relaxed at home. They’re both wearing tailored suits. Stefan lounges on the couch, decked out in a dark blue suit that matches his gorgeous eyes and hugs his strong frame. In one hand, he holds a tumbler of amber liquid. Hayes, dressed in a dark charcoal suit, leans against the mantel where stockings are hung with care. Roxy barks a hello, announcing our presence.
In tandem, the men turn to me and jaws drop.
“Wow.”
“Gorgeous.”
“You look...”
“Incredible.”
Their praise feels like champagne bubbling through my body, but I hold up a hand. “I have a confession.”
Concern flashes in Hayes’s dark eyes. He stares hard at me, asking silently, Are we doing this right now?
But I need to set the record straight. “I’m the raccoon on meth,” I say pointing to my chest.
Stefan’s grin stretches across his handsome face, and he looks pointedly at his teammate. “Told you so.”
Hayes shakes his head like he’s disappointed in me. “I stand corrected.”
“It seems we have two architects and one feral trash panda,” I say.
Hayes’s expression softens. “But you’re our trash panda.”
“I am.”
Stefan pauses to linger his gaze on me. “And you look absolutely stunning, sweetheart.”
“I don’t know how we’ll last all night at the gala,” Hayes adds in a gravelly rasp, his eyes not leaving my body.
They look like they’re about to upend all of our plans this evening and take me here on this couch instead.
“Just think of tonight like foreplay,” I suggest. I’m helpful like that.
“Fair enough.” Stefan sets down his glass and gestures to the door. “Should we go?”
Not so fast. We have a surprise for him.
I turn to Hayes, anticipation bubbling up in me. I give him a quick nod, and he crosses to the U-shaped couch. Roxy’s sitting on the floor next to me. “Actually, Ivy and I have an early Christmas gift for you,” Hayes says as I scoop up the dog and set her on the couch.
Stefan furrows his brow, but amusement coasts across his lips. “Is that so?”