Victor (Chicago Blaze 3)

Victor: Great, I’ll text you tomorrow. Have a good night.

Me: You too.

I lay back down in bed, wondering what the rest of his night will involve. I can’t help but hope he’s not one of those men who combat heavy emotional situations with sex.

I sigh, rolling over onto my side, and try to focus on the fact I’m hanging out with Victor again tomorrow. Ari wont have time to help me get ready. This time will be just like the first night I met Victor—what he sees is what he gets. Belinda Noelle Boring, just as I am.Chapter FourteenVictorAnton’s been staring out the window for most of our flight home. He’s even quieter than usual, and though I understand why, I nudge him anyway.

“You okay?”

He turns to me and nods. “Just thinking.”

“Does Jonah have people there with him?”

“Yeah. He said he’s surrounded by his family and Lily’s. He actually wants to be alone, but doesn’t know how to tell them.”

“I get that. Do you think we should go over to his house? Do we need to bring…I don’t know, a casserole or something?”

He hikes up a brow. “Like you know how to make a fuckin’ casserole.”

“I can buy one, asshole.”

“I’m sure Jonah’s got plenty of that stuff.”

“Yeah.” I shrug. “It’s not really about the casserole, though. It’s about letting him know we’re here for him.”

“Okay, Dr. Phil.”

“Go back to staring out the window, you prick.”

His smile reaches his eyes for the first time since we found out about Lily.

“Mia’s taking care of sending flowers from the team and our memorial contribution to the hospital in Lily’s name.”

“Good. Let me know how much money you need. Is the foundation doing something, too? Lily was a big part of the foundation.”

“Shit. I didn’t even think of that. I’ll talk to Mia. This whole thing is just…Lily is the one who handled all of this. Every time.”

It’s a brutal truth that silences us both for a moment. None of us ever imagined we’d lose the vibrant twenty-eight-year-old woman who was the unofficial mom of our team family.

Lily hosted every bridal and baby shower, sent flowers when needed, wrote welcome cards to new team members and their families. She was genuine and sweet—a lot like Lindy.

“I’ve been thinking about me and Mia,” Anton says, sighing.

“Thinking what?”

“I’ve wanted to propose to her for a while now, but I haven’t because I feel like she needs more time to heal after her divorce from Adam. I don’t want to overwhelm her, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“But then Lily dies and…” He shakes his head. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to say fuck it, life can be short, and just go buy a ring.”

“Why not? You guys could just have a long engagement.”

Anton shifts in his seat, his nostrils flaring, which they only do when he’s agitated or stressed.

“Yeah, but I don’t want a long engagement. I don’t want to lose Mia before we’ve even gotten married. I guess I’m a selfish asshole, but I want that. I want her to be mine, legally, as soon as possible.”

I scrunch my brows together, trying to think of the right way to say what I’m thinking. “As long as worrying about her untimely death isn’t your primary motivation, I say it can’t hurt to ask.”

Luca talked to Jonah this morning and found out that Lily died from an undiagnosed heart condition. It was sobering, to be reminded that any loved one could be here one moment and gone the next.

“That’s not my motivation. I just want her to be my wife for about the next hundred and fifty years.”

I grin. “So buy a ring. When you pick it out and leave the store with it, you’ll know when it’s time to propose.”

“That’s a good idea,” he says, accepting my advice.

I shrug. “I’m fuckin’ smart, dude.”

“Will you come with me to pick one out?”

“Hell yeah, I will. Then we’ll so to a strip club to celebrate.”

He gives me a skeptical look.

“That was a joke,” I say, shaking my head.

“Hey, fucker,” Luca says, looking over the two seats in front of us, only visible from his eyes up. “I’ll come, too, thanks for inviting me to be part of the biggest thing you’ve done in your life.”

Anton rolls his eyes. “I was gonna ask you to come, too, okay? We just decided to do this five seconds ago.”

“I have great taste,” Luca says. “Abby loves her ring.”

“I said you’re in, okay?” Anton looks between us. “Can you guys go when we get home this afternoon?”

“Emerson’s got a piano recital,” Luca says. “You know I have to schedule shit.”

“Fine, but I want to go soon.”

Luca turns back around when the flight attendant brings him a snack and a drink.

“You busy tonight?” Anton asks me. “Wanna come to the movies with me and Mia?”

“I’m hanging out with Lindy tonight.”