“I’ll meet you guys there,” he replies before making his way into the shower.
“So, La Vela? At 8?” Jax wonders skeptically.
“Yupp.”
“And I’m supposed to be meeting one of Kendall’s friends?” he asks, lowering his voice to a hush.
“Uh huh.” I pause, furrowing my brows. “What, are you nervous, 48? I don’t think I’ve ever met a girl you couldn’t charm, Brandi.”
“Yeah, well charming them is one thing. Dating is another,” he grumbles.
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry. It’s casual. Okay? And Emma is super cool, down to earth.” I catch his gaze and he still looks slightly concerned.Okay, definitely nervous. “But maybe have a drink or two before. Liquid courage never hurts,” I suggest lightly. He nods but I’m not entirely convinced he heard me.
Chapter 61
Kendall
Bythefinalbuzzer,Kai scores one more goal, and the Bucks take the win 3–2. But it’s not the numbers that linger—it’s Kai. He’s a force to be reckoned with. He's ruthlessly developed his craft to unleash brutal perfection on his opponents.
Every. Single. Game.
Kai plays hockey the same way he walks through life. Confident. Purposeful. Ambitious. Cutthroat in his pursuit of success. And deeply deeply passionate.
He’s devoted his entire life to this game and in return, it’s given him everything. Kai has such an intense love and appreciation for this sport. I just hope he knows how proud I am. Not just of his accomplishments, his career, his fame. But the kind of father he’s becoming. The strength of his character, and his steadfast commitment to Akio and me.
All of it.
When the game ends, Akio looks up at me, flushed and glowing.
“More game, Mama?” he says. I know what he’s asking.Can we come to more games?I smile and brush my nose against his.
“We’ll see, baby,” I reply hesitantly, with caution, but in my head, I can already see it. The gears have been put in motion. More wins, more highs. More exhilarating nights exactly like this one. More moments where Akio falls in love with Kai, where he idolizes him like he hung the moon, the stars, the whole goddamn sky. And maybe for the first time, I can see a future where the three of us are a family. Not just in theory, not dealing in hypotheticals. Not some far-fetched fantasy.
For real.
***
WearriveatLaVela shortly after 8. It’s an upscale, Michelin-starred, Italian restaurant. The kind that has valet parking and a coat check. Kai and a few of his teammates reserved multiple tables in the back room for all of us. Apparently, the Boston Bucks are beloved regulars here. I drive with Kai and Emma decides to meet us there since she has to get home to Maddox after dinner. Kai takes my hand and threads his fingers through mine as we enter the restaurant. It reeks of opulence, expensive wine, and the slight hint of cigar smoke.
I lean into him and whisper, “I’m so fucking proud of you, Kai. That game was amazing.”
“Thanks, Ken,” he murmurs, brushing a kiss against my hair.
As we make our way to the back room, we pass soaring arched windows and crisp white tables shadowed by flickering candlelight. Situated all the way in the corner is a gold-accented marble bar and one lone bartender. Behind him, only premier alcohol and top shelf liquor. La Vela is sophisticated, elegant, and also slightly romantic? Which confuses me a bit. But Kaiwarned me on the drive over that most of the game winning debauchery takes placeafterdinner.
Emma beats us there so she is already sitting at the oversized circular booth talking with Jonah, Jax, and another team member. Well, talking might be too strong a word to describe what Jax is doing. He looks uncomfortable, like he is in actual pain sitting between Jonah and Emma.
Fuck, I hope I didn’t read this entire situation wrong.
“Hey guys,” I say sliding into the brown leather booth to sit on the other side of Emma. Kai scoots in next to me. We get head nods from the guys and Emma gives me a sweet, welcoming smile. Hopefully that’s a good sign. It doesn’t seem like she needs rescuing from Jax. At least not yet. Soon we’re all chatting, laughing, sharing small plates and rehashing the incredible game they’d just played. There are wine glasses and plates littered across the table amid garlic bread, bacon wrapped scallops, and panna cotta.
“Kai, how many assists did you have tonight?” Jonah asks, his mouth full of bread.
“One,” Kai answers modestly.
“Two goals and one assist, what a fucking game! Guess that means you have to come to every one now, Kendall,” Jonah replies, throwing a wink my way.
“Guess so,” I smile.