Jaxon’s POV
The first call came while I was helping Sunny color a picture.
The second came less than a minute later.
The third followed before the second had even stopped vibrating.
I glanced at the screen and immediately regretted it.
It’s Connor, then Mason, then Connor again.
Apparently, my teammates had finally discovered the photos from the beach.
Across the living room, Vesper sat curled up in an armchair, reading through a stack of documents.
My phone rang again.
“Fifth,” Vesper murmured without lifting her head.
Sunny sighed dramatically.
“You should answer before they explode,” I answered, and Connor’s voice nearly blew out my speaker.
“HE’S ALIVE!
Put him on speaker!
Ask him if the marriage is real!”
”No, ask if he’s finally house-trained!”
I leaned back.
“You guys know I can still hang up, right?”
”Don’t you dare.” Connor sounded far too pleased with himself.
“We saw the pictures.
You kissed her on a public beach.
You looked disgustingly happy.”
I glanced across the room, and Vesper was still pretending not to listen.
Pretending very badly.
“What do you want?” I asked them with a groan.
“We reserved a table.”
”No.”
Connor ignored me and continued.
“At Harbor Point.”
”No.”
”Eight o’clock, better be there and bring your wife!”
”Absolutely not.” Laughter exploded through the phone.
“He’s panicking, guys.”
”Guys,” I said flatly, “I don’t care.”
”You will.” Connor lowered his voice dramatically.
“Because we’re not asking.”
The line went dead, and I stared at the phone until Vesper finally looked up.
“Well?”
”They booked a table.” I sighed.
“They want to meet you.”
Sunny nodded.
“You’re kind of stuck with me.”
Vesper bent forward laughing, and I looked at both of them and wondered when exactly I had become the target in my own house.
By evening, the villa had settled into its usual routine.
After Sunny was bathed and tucked into bed.
Vesper stood in the hallway, folding her arms.
“So how bad is this going to be?”
”On a scale of one to ten?”
”Yes.” She replied, and I shrugged.
“Twelve.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Wonderful.”
I pushed off the wall.
“Connor once cried because his favorite burger place closed.”
”You’re lying.”
”Mason recorded it.” She laughed again, and for some reason, I found myself wanting to hear it a second time.
A dangerous thought, which I mostly ignored.
Harbor Point sat along the marina overlooking the water.
Country rock drifted from overhead speakers while a hockey game played on giant screens behind the bar.
Servers moved between crowded tables carrying baskets of buffalo wings, loaded nachos, burgers stacked so high they needed skewers to stay upright, and enough beer to supply a small country.
The second we walked inside, someone shouted.
“Ladies and gentlemen, he’s actually here.”
Every head at the reserved section turned and I immediately regretted coming.
Connor jumped to his feet first.
He’s Tall, blond, and always loud.
Mason followed behind him, carrying a basket of fries, then Noah and Blake.
Within seconds, half the team was standing.
And every single one of them was staring at Vesper.
Connor recovered first.
“Oh wow.”
Vesper raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, wow, what?”
Connor pointed dramatically.”She’s way out of your league.”
The entire table erupted, and I sat down immediately.
Because if I remained standing, I might commit a felony.
Vesper slid into the chair beside me.
“You know,” she said thoughtfully, “I’m starting to understand why you didn’t want me to meet them.”
Mason laughed.
“Oh, we’re charming.”
”You terrify me in a good way.”
”That’s fair.”
A server arrived to take drink orders.m, Connor ordered beer, Blake ordered whiskey, and Noah ordered something neon blue that looked radioactive.
Vesper stared at the glass when it arrived.
“What exactly is that?”
”It’s called confidence.”
”It’s glowing.”
”It’s still confidence.”
Even though she couldn’t stop herself from laughing, the tension disappeared almost instantly.
By the time appetizers arrived, the entire table had fallen into easy conversation.
Mostly because my teammates had decided that interrogating Vesper was far more entertaining than talking to me.
“So,” Mason said, stealing another nacho, “how’d you meet this idiot?”
I opened my mouth, but Vesper beat me to it.
“Unfortunately, we met on the ice, and he couldn’t stop staring.”
The table exploded, and Connor nearly choked.
Noah slapped the table, and even I laughed.
“That’s not what happened.”Vesper took a sip of her drink.
“It’s how I remember it.”
”It’s a selective memory.”
”Self-preservation,” Connor added, and I rolled my eyes.
The idiots loved her, which was becoming a problem.
Because every time she smiled, every time she fired back a sarcastic response, every time she laughed at one of their stupid jokes, I found myself paying attention.
The stories got worse as the night continued.
Connor described my rookie season.
Blake exposed three separate incidents involving broken locker room furniture, and Mason somehow found old pictures.
One photo showed me at nineteen, and the entire table lost its minds.
Vesper stared at it, then at me.
“No.”
I pointed immediately.
“Delete it.”
”No.”
”Connor.” He grinned.
“Absolutely not.”
Vesper was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes, and I hated how much I liked seeing it.
Then the conversation shifted subtly and dangerously.
It started when Noah leaned back in his chair and pointed toward me.
“You know what’s weird?”
Nobody should ever trust a sentence that starts like that.
“What?” Vesper asked.
Noah smirked.
“He’s different.”
I frowned.”Careful.”
”No, seriously.”
Noah gestured toward me.
“This guy used to disappear the second team dinners ended.”
Connor nodded.”Every time.”
”He hated social events.”
”I still do.”
”No,” Blake said.
“You hate people.”
”Also true.”
Laughter rolled around the table.
Then Noah looked toward Vesper and smiled.
The dangerous kind that meant trouble was coming.
“You know,” he said casually, “for years we thought he’d never settle down.”
Something tightened in my chest.
I already knew where this conversation was headed, which meant I needed it to stop immediately.
Unfortunately, nobody else got the memo, and Connor leaned forward.
“Especially after that one girl.”
There was a heavy silence just enough for me to feel it.
Vesper looked up, looking interested and curious now.
Exactly what I didn’t need.
“What girl?” she asked.
Connor grinned.
And just like that, every instinct I had started screaming.
The idiots exchanged looks, and Mason laughed first.
“Are you kidding?”
”What?”
Connor looked at Vesper, then back at me.
“Oh, my God.”
My stomach dropped, and Connor pointed between us.
“Oh, my God.”
”What?” Vesper asked.
Connor looked delighted.
The absolute worst expression a teammate could wear.
“You really don’t know?”
I sat up straighter than Connor asked the question.
The one question I had spent years making sure nobody asked.
“Vesper…”
His grin widened.
“Are you the girl Jaxon never managed to forget?”
The entire table went silent, and for the first time all night, Vesper stopped smiling.
Her eyes slowly shifted toward me, waiting and watching.
Looking for an answer.
And suddenly the noisy bar felt far too quiet.