It's Our Time (Carolina Rebels 3)

“Okay. Go make sure she’s not wearing flip-flops or sandals. Tell Logan I’ll talk to him later. Thanks for taking them.”

“No problem.” He takes my plate, kisses me sweetly, and then leaves me behind.

I slouch in bed, pulling the covers up to my chin, and close my eyes, listening to the distant voices as they get ready to leave. This feels so wrong, but I’m going to enjoy it. A day almost all to myself! I can’t believe it! The spa sounds nice. Maybe get my nails done and get a massage. Do something to my hair. Oh, the options are endless! I should get a move on actually. The day will fly by.

After a long shower, I first go to the hairdresser. Lucky for me, walk

ins are welcome. I tell her she can do whatever she wants. I’ve come here before, so I trust her. My hair has gotten long, so she cuts it almost as short as it was when Ian reentered my life. She puts some highlights in it and then I’m off to get my nails done. I get shiny silver and navy colors for the Rebels.

The massage is ultimately my favorite thing. I may have really indulged by getting one that’s two hours long. I feel even more guilty when I make a stop by the mall and do a little shopping with Ian’s card. I’ve never had the freedom to spend money willy-nilly, but Ian suggested I go shopping, so… Here I am. I find Savannah some cute clothes and a new set of sheets and comforter.

When we moved to Ian’s, the only sheets I had were for a twin bed since that’s what she slept in at the apartment. But now, she has a full and her sheets and comforter are not exactly kid-friendly. I want to change that. Oh, I wonder if Ian would let me redecorate that room to make it kid-friendly. That could be part of her birthday present. She’s never had her own room. The one back at our old apartment wasn’t great because we weren’t allowed to do anything as far as painting. Not to mention, I was in there too. Half of the room looked like a kid’s room while the other half was clearly adult. Hopefully, Ian will let me spend his money on redoing that room.

For myself, I buy a few new clothes since it’s been forever since I last did that. And because I’m spending Ian’s money, I make sure to buy a few sexy things to wear for him. I don’t know if he particularly cares for those kinds of things because so far in my experience with him, he just wants me naked as soon as possible. This very well may be a waste of money. I’ll find out tonight.

“Sydney! Come sit!” Sylvia pats the seat between her and Meredith the moment she spots me.

I walk through the throng of people in the box until I’m able to sit down. It seems like there are more people in here than normal. Lizzy pulls her headphones away to say hello, which makes me wonder why she’s wearing them to start with, but no one seems to think it’s unusual.

“We hear you want to learn the game,” Meredith says.

“Yeah. I guess it’s time I turn into a fan.”

“You know absolutely nothing, right?” Sylvia asks.

“Right,” I confirm. My cheeks redden. “I’m not even sure what Ian does.” Sylvia’s jaw drops and Meredith’s eyes widen. “We never talked hockey,” I add.

“Okay, first, Ian is a defenseman,” Sylvia starts as the guys line up on the ice. She briefly identifies their position as we stand for the anthem. Afterward, she explains each of their positions and what they do.

As the game begins, Sylvia and Meredith alternate on explaining the game as it happens. It’s a wonderful thing when all that movement and bumping into one another and penalties start to make sense. That jumbled mess I saw before doesn’t look so jumbled or like a mess for that matter. It’s cool to watch Ian block shots. At one point, he falls to the ice to stop the puck. All I can do is wonder if that will leave a bruise.

I like watching him help guard the net, too. Their captain, who I learn has the nickname Captain Hook, gets a penalty and Ian is one of the lucky ones on the penalty kill. Ooh, look at me learning all of this new terminology. Ian may keel over if I start using any of it and actually know what I’m talking about on top of it. Granted, I only know the basics. Ian helps clear the puck and shave off some time. Sylvia’s husband, Scott, is supposed to get the puck, but it hops over his stick.

At least it clears our zone. The first period comes to a close and I start to get antsy over the fact that no one has scored. Imagine that! Me getting antsy over sports! It’s a miracle.

“Have you ever been to Pittsburgh?” Meredith asks.

“Ah, no.”

“Are you excited about going?”

What? “I’m going to Pittsburgh?”

Sylvia swoops in to grab my attention. “She’s getting married, remember? She and Noah are from Pittsburgh. Ian will be invited, which means you are invited, which means you get to go to Pittsburgh.”

“Oh. Then, yeah, I guess I’m excited. I’ve only ever been here and to Minnesota. So, the guys are close enough to invite each other to weddings?”

Meredith raises an eyebrow. “One of the guys has been around your daughter, right? I’d say they are close. Not all of them are close to everyone, but in the words of Noah, we’re like a family. They are like a family. They spend too much time together not to be.”

I nod in understanding. “Do y’all come to all the games?”

“I try to come to as many as I can,” Sylvia starts. “I like coming and Scott likes having me here.”

“Noah likes having me here, but I’m not here as often as Sylvia. I do come often, though,” Meredith answers.

Lizzy has removed her headphones for the moment, so she heard my question. “I come either when I want to talk to the girls or when Marc asks me to come. Of the three of us, I come the least, but I have issues on occasion.” She holds up the headphones, but I’m not sure what that means.

Sylvia leans in and whispers, “She has panic attacks sort of related to the game. When it’s a rough day, she listens to the broadcast of the game.” Oh. Okay. That makes sense, I guess.