Wild Tendy (IceCats 2)

“Everything okay with your mom?”

“Good.”

“Awesome,” he says just as Shelli catches my eye. She comes down the stairs in a drapey teal dress that cuts down the front, showing not only the swells of her breasts but her belly button. She’s lost weight. She’s not as thick as I remember, but she’s still very beautiful. Her hair is long, darker than it was. When her eyes land on me, I wait for the desire to swirl in my gut. It’s one thing to hear her name and feel nothing, but seeing her potentially could be a different hockey game.

It’s not.

All I can think is she has absolutely nothing on Aviva.

Shelli takes in a deep breath as she reaches the bottom of the stairs. “Hey there, Nico.”

She goes for a hug, and I meet her for one. “Hey, Shell. How’s life treating you?”

“Good, thanks. Working at the Assassins compound and planning our wedding.”

I nod. “I heard. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” she says, and she seems surprised. “I’m marrying Aiden.”

“Yeah, I know.”

She looks as if she is waiting for something, and I look at Chandler and then back to her. She looks annoyed as she says, “Okay then.”

“Okay,” I say as Chandler puts his hand on my shoulder. “So where is the fu—”

Chandler laughs as he cuts me off. That’s probably for the best. I don’t want to see the dude, and I sure as hell don’t want to talk to him. “Let’s go get this started.”

So, we do. It’s painful, stupid, and I hate every second of it, but then watching Amelia being walked down the aisle by her big brother, Ryan, kind of hits me in the gut. It’s obvious how much the dude loves his sister. I don’t have siblings, but I kind of think of Callie as the little sister I never had or wanted. Ryan holds Amelia so delicately, and it’s just a rehearsal. I bet I’ll be like that when Callie gets married. No one else is walking her but me. Aviva might fight me on that, but I can take her. A grin pulls at my lips, and it’s crazy how my mind is working now. I never wanted any of this. But now, I can’t wait for tomorrow. It’s going to be beautiful. I’m ready to see my best friend live his dreams. I’m ready to live my own.

When we’re done, everyone gathers along the beach for drinks and appetizers. Since it’s entirely too many people in one spot, I stand in the water as it runs up on my ankles. It feels amazing, so I hold Carter in the water, and he kicks playfully. He’s gonna be a water baby; I’ll make sure of it. When the little guy lets out a shrill of happiness, I realize I want one of these little buggers. It would be fun.

Man, this wedding has me in my feels.

When I feel an arm slide around my waist and Aviva kisses my cheek, my heart explodes. I grin over at her, kissing her lips.

“Is Amelia going to kill you?”

I shrug as I stand up, cuddling the wet little fat baby into my chest. “Probably.”

She shakes her head. “No one answered the door, so I just walked in.”

“That’s cool. You get everything done?”

“Yeah, and then I had to drop Callie off at Sammie’s for some team-building thing? I don’t know. I told her I had to pick her up at four tomorrow for the wedding.”

I look her over in her hot little halter dress and grin. “Hey there, hottie.”

She scoffs. “Hush, before I take you on this beach.”

I hold up Carter. “You dirty woman. I have a baby.”

She giggles, but before she can say anything, someone runs up on me. I move into Aviva as the girl steadies herself, looking up at me. She’s a mini Shelli, but thicker with more auburn-colored hair. She’s beautiful, with big blue eyes and thick lips. I feel like I know her, like I’ve met her. But one thing is for sure. The girl is drunk off her ass. She smells as if she swam in the bar.

“Are you Nico Merryweather?”

I hold Carter close to my chest. “I am.”

“I’m Posey Adler,” she says, jerking her thumb into her chest, but she does it so hard, she somehow hits herself in the chin. She doesn’t even flinch. “And I know you don’t know me and that you’ve fucked my sister, but I know that you like to fuck. So, can you fuck me?”

I’d like to say that I’m shocked, but it isn’t the first time someone has asked me this. Aviva, though, she’s shocked. “What the—”

I grab Aviva’s hand. “It’s okay.”

“It is not,” she says, her eyes wide. “Not only do you not know him, but he has a baby in his arms. That’s ridiculous.”

Posey points at her. “Shh, you. Stop cockblocking.”