Hard Hit by Toni Aleo (IceCats #3) - Toni Aleo Page 0,14
dude, even if he doesn’t think before he speaks. “It’s no problem, man. I know what you meant. And don’t worry, there won’t be a next time unless I am happily married.”
Aviva smiles brightly. “Or in a committed relationship with your forever.”
I point to Aviva, grinning. “What she said.”
We all chuckle a bit as we head out into the living room, where Celeste is in her pack ’n play, playing with some blocks as she watches Baby Einstein. I don’t care what anyone says, that show is legit, and I don’t mind that I had to buy a DVD player to play it. Celeste needs this. Aviva leans into her pack ’n play, rubbing her back as she smiles down at my girl. Aviva is good people. Strong gal and one hell of a provider. She loves hard, and I can’t wait to see her as a mother. She’s already one hell of a sister, so I can only imagine.
“When’s Callie leave?”
She looks up sadly. “Next month.”
I nod as Nico makes a face. “I don’t want her to leave, especially since I think Chandler is going to send those Adler boys my way.”
I chuckle as Aviva makes a face back at him. “Aren’t they Amelia’s cousins?”
Aviva nods. “Yes, but with the twins and the new baby she is having, she and Chandler are running out of room. Rumor has it as soon as camp is over and the Adlers know for sure if they are staying, they’ll get an apartment.”
“Yeah, so they need to make it or get out of here.”
“Nico, they are sweet guys.”
“That have penises.”
“Jesus—” she moans, but he cuts her off.
“Callie is too pretty, and I know they’ll fight over her.”
“And? She’s a smart girl.”
Nico isn’t convinced. “If she’s anything like you—and she is—she can’t resist a hot hockey player.”
A wicked grin comes over her beautiful mouth. “So, you think the Adler boys are hot?”
“Man, you walked right into that,” I tease, and he makes a face.
“I really did,” he says, annoyed with himself. “But whatever. They need to stay with Chandler and Amelia, then hell, I’ll buy them an apartment.”
I grin. “I hope Callie wants to bang one of them, just to piss you off.”
If looks could kill, I’d be dead. Nine times over. “Take it back, Litman.”
I grin as he comes toward me, ready to murder me. “Never.”
Aviva is dying with laughter at this point as she takes ahold of Nico’s wrist to stop him. “Nico, be real. She’s too focused on gymnastics and school to be worrying about boys.”
“You better hope,” he says, pointing to me, and then he looks down at Celeste. “You’re lucky you’re cute and need him, or he’d be dead.”
Celeste gives him a toothless grin as she shrieks happily. We all laugh as Aviva’s phone dings. She looks down at it and makes a face. Nico sees it since he’s obsessed with her. I can’t blame him. And he asks, “Everything okay?”
She rolls her eyes. “Jay is on a date, and it’s going awful. I wonder when her mom will figure out that she doesn’t want to be set up.”
Set up? As in, she’s looking for someone?
“She doesn’t need to be set up. She isn’t hard to look at,” Nico says with a grin that earns him a nice smack in the chest. “What? I mean that with love.”
“You won’t even look her in the eye, but you say that?”
He grins, and Aviva rolls her eyes. They’re adorable, but instead of saying that, I blurt out, “She’s dating?”
They both eye me. Slowly, Aviva answers. “Yeah, she’s ready to settle down.”
Her eyes scrutinize me, and I hope I don’t give anything away as I nod. “That’s cool. I saw her when I went to meet my lawyer.”
Still, her eyes burn my skin as she tries to read me. Sorry, sister. I’ve been hiding my true feelings from the world my whole life. “She told me.”
Be aloof. Don’t react. Don’t be suspicious. Just nod. Instead, and against my better judgment, I quickly ask, “Did she?”
That isn’t aloof, Litman!
The widest, brightest grin moves across those lips of hers as if she just scored and won the Cup I want so fucking bad. Almost as bad as I want Jaylin. “She did. She went on and on about how cute Celeste is and how great of a dad you are.”
“Well, she isn’t wrong.”
Nico slaps me on the back. “She isn’t. And we could be here all day, talking about Jaylin and what she thinks