serious I try to be, no matter what I’m going through, she’s always able to put a smile on my face.
Squeezing her bicep, I meet her eyes. “I’m happy for you, Mols…even if you did put the carriage before the horse.”
“And it’s a carriage I really enjoy riding, especially with all these pregnancy hormones.” She leans closer. “I’ve always had a healthy sex drive. Hell, I write romance novels for a living and used Noah as a muse for one of my books. But lately…” Her voice grows softer, more secretive. “I’m like a fiend. I swear, I’m wearing poor Noah out.” She pauses, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. “It could be the book I just started playing around with.”
I arch a brow. “And what would that be?”
“A reverse harem.”
“Reverse harem?” While I read every single one of Molly’s books and offer my opinion, I’m not up-to-date on all the trends in the publishing industry. Most of my reading lately has been scholarly articles and other professional development books about working with high-risk children. “What does that entail?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Instead of one guy sleeping with a bunch of girls…”
“It’s one girl sleeping with a bunch of guys?”
Molly shrugs. “More or less. Of course, it’s not just sex. There’s usually a reason for it.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re fantasizing about sleeping with six guys at once.”
“God no!” she shoots back. “I’m not sure my vagina can take that kind of pounding. It’s already overly sensitive because of the pregnancy.”
I shake my head, my face burning in embarrassment. “T.M.I., Molly.”
She laughs, the sound chipping away at the stress that’s been drowning me all day. I raise my eyes to hers, my lips turning up slightly. This is what I need right now, to laugh with my friend and cringe at her lack of brain-to-mouth filter, like we always have.
“Thanks, Mols,” I say once her laughter wanes.
“You bet.” She squeezes my arm, sympathy in her eyes. “Whenever you’re ready to talk about why you’re marrying Wes, I’m here. I’ll listen.”
Instead of insisting my engagement is everything I’ve hoped for, I say the only thing that makes sense. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for that.”
From there, the night only gets worse as we all sit on the couch and watch the Eagles get their ass handed to them. Every time the cameras cut away to Drew in the box where his team sits, he seems to be tugging at his hair and shouting at his players, something he’s always claimed isn’t effective in getting them to play the best game they can. I’ve seen him lose important games before, but tonight’s different. He’s not the Drew I know. I can’t help but think the bombshell I dropped on him earlier contributed to his lack of focus.
When the final buzzer sounds and the opposing team swarms the ice in celebration, I slump against the couch, silence ringing in the room once Noah turns off the TV.
“Well, you can’t win them all,” he states, catching my eyes.
He must be thinking the same thing I am. Did I cost Drew’s team their shot at the championship? Sure, he isn’t on the ice, but as the coach, he leads by example. If he has a bad attitude, the rest of the team will, as well. The number of fights that broke out between the players had to have set a record, and not a good one.
“It’s my fault,” I breathe, a lump forming in my throat.
Molly reaches for my hand, squeezing it. “No, it’s not, Brook. It just wasn’t their night.”
“They’ve played this team countless times. They usually win.”
“All the more reason they’d lose tonight. You had nothing to do with this.”
I bury my head in my hands, despair eating away at me. “I never should have said anything. Not today. I should have waited until the playoffs were over.”
“You had no idea he’d respond the way he did,” Noah encourages, indicating Molly told him everything. Not just about my engagement, but also how Drew reacted to the news.
“No, but I should have known.” I lift my eyes to his. “I didn’t even know if I was going to tell him. I was just grateful I wasn’t wearing a ring in case—”
“Speaking of which,” Molly interrupts, her brows furrowed. “Where is the ring? I figured the rock’s so massive you wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing it to your job.”
“They do recommend we not wear jewelry of any kind, but it didn’t fit.”
She stares