The Wildcat (Playing to Win, #2)

by Bella Matthews

Every day this motherfucker is free is another day he can hurt someone else.”

“Low blow, Cross. Yes. I would want anyone who hurt her to be punished. I’d want him to be thrown in prison and the key thrown away. But I’m not your daughter,” I yell back at him. Cross’s eyes flare before he roars back at me, “No. You’re the love of my life. And I can’t ...

“You promised me twenty-four hours ago that you wouldn’t run. No more running . . . remember?” “Move, Cross,” I warn and yank the door open. “Everly . . . don’t do this.” His voice shreds the last solid strands of my soul. “I can’t do this, Cross.”

Being mad is so much easier. Running is easier. But I love him. Cross is worth harder. He’s worth the work. He’s worth the struggle. He’s worth everything, and I just ran again. I stand there, locked in place and freezing, knowing I just made the biggest mistake of my life.

“You chased me . . .” she cries. “I’ll always chase you, baby. I’ll always find you. And I’ll always bring you home. To me and the kids. You’re my forever, Everly Sinclair.” “And you’re my home, Cross Wilder.”

“We’ve got a thing for the rain, don’t we?” I wrap my arms around her and kiss her head. “It washes everything away so we can start fresh.”

After, I wrap her in a towel and lay her down in our bed. She curls around me and closes her eyes instantly. My gorgeous girl is safe and asleep and wrapped in my arms, where I’ll never let anything hurt her again. Not even me.

“Cinderella needs her tiara, doesn’t she, baby girl?” Kerrigan giggles. “She does, Daddy.” Then he drops to one knee in front of me, and I stop breathing completely. “She needs something else too.” He pulls a Tiffany blue box from his pocket, and his eyes water when he cracks it open. “Baby . . .” “Yes, Daddy?”

“My life is complicated. And loving me means loving more than just me. But it means you’ll be loved by me.” “And me,” Kerrigan pipes in. “And Jax too,” she adds, so excited that I feel my first tear fall. Good tears this time. “I love you, Everly Amelia Sinclair. Would you do me the honor of marrying me and loving us?”

“Oh, Cross.” I drop to my knees in front of him and gather his face in my hands. “I already love all ...

He captures my lips with his, and Kerrigan giggles before Cross pulls back and slips a gorgeous, brilliant-cut diamond solitaire on my finger. “A perfect fit,” he says as he runs...

“Everly Wilder,” I tell him. “You gonna take my name, baby?” he murmurs, so damn happy. “Yup. And that’s going to be the name. Everly Wilder Design.”

My heart settles in a way I’m not sure it ever has before when Kerrigan, my quiet girl, jumps up on the couch, throws her arms wide open, and announces, “And they lived happily ever after.”

“Heard you got engaged. Congratulations, man. I’ve known Everly Sinclair since she had skinned knees and braids and was on my kid sister’s soccer team. She’s a good girl. You’re a lucky man.” “Thank you.”

“He hurt someone you care about?” “Yeah, Cap.” A muscle in my jaw ticks, and I bite back the rest of what I want to say. “You going to destroy him the first chance you get?” “Yeah. Could get me thrown out of the game. Might be looking at a suspension.”

“Let me see if I can get Coach to put you, me, and Ares on the first line tonight. I’ll come up with a reason. They always start Dolan. Maybe we can get this done between the three of us without anyone getting suspended. Work for you?” “Yeah. I’d appreciate that.”

“How hard are you going after him?” he asks, having no fucking clue of the lengths I’d go to. “If I could slice his neck with my skate and watch him bleed out in front of me on the fucking ice, I would. Since that’s not an option, I’ll have to settle for breaking him.”

“Oh, my parents are in love. My mom already asked if the kids can call her Gigi. She said Mrs. Sinclair is ridiculous. She wants to be a grandparent.”

“Really?” “I know you asked my dad for permission to propose, Cross. Are you really telling me he didn’t mention anything about the kids?” “He said something about us all being family. But we’re guys, Evie, we don’t talk about feelings like that.” “I like it when you call me Evie.”

“I’m so fucking proud of you, baby. Are you going to design your own wedding dress?” “Of course. I always wanted to be a late June bride.”

“Late June? That’s specific.” “Can’t get married until your season is over. And I think you’re going all the way this year.” She tips her head back and ghosts her lips over mine. “I can’t wait to call you my husband.” “Love you, baby.” “Forever, Cross. No more running.”

“What’s all this?” I ask Dad, who’s already watching TV with Uncle Tommy. “We’re brushing up on hockey, Evie. I know college hockey for the boys. But I need to know pro hockey for Cross, if he’s going to be family.”

“This is why you’re my favorite, Uncle Tommy.” “Do you know Cross has been the top scorer for the Revolution for the past two years? He beat Jace Kingston, who held the record for five years before Cross took it from him.” “No,” I laugh. “I didn’t know that.” “Well then, we can both learn hockey together,”

But seeing him go all-in for the Revolution because Cross . . . because my future husband is on the team. Okay, yeah. It does squishy, melty things to my heart.

“We have pretty great parents.” I gasp and turn and shove Leo as hard as I can. “You scared the shit out of me.” “Language, Everly. There’s little ears,”

my eyes go back and forth between Kerrigan and Mom, and Dad and Jax.

“You’re such a momma’s boy.” Leo just smiles even bigger. “Yup. You trying to tell me you don’t want Jax to be a momma’s boy one day?” Well . . . damn. I hadn’t thought about it like that. And now that I am, I guess I do . . . Because at some point, I’m going to become his mom.

“Honey, you could put Kerrigan in your old bed. I haven’t gotten a toddler bed yet because I wasn’t sure if she was in one or if she was in a twin.” “Mom, you didn’t have to do all this,” I tell her as I pull the blanket up around Kerrigan.

“I know I didn’t, but I wanted to. This is your family, Everly. And that makes them our family. Take it from someone who didn’t have family when I met the Sinclairs. You can never have too many people who love and accept and support you. Let me spoil my first grandchildren.”

“Is he going after the puck or the player?” Dad asks as he watches Cross get away with high-sticking number two on the Pittsburgh team. Damn it. “That’s no player,” Leo says, and I throw an elbow his way. “That’s Everly’s ex-boyfriend.”

Cross slams him into the boards behind the net, where Jace Kingston is. It looks like Keith gets caught in Jace’s stick, and that’s when the God of War wreaks havoc. Ares throws down his gloves and punches Keith, then yanks his hockey jersey over his head so Keith can’t fight back. Oh my God. Cross moves Ares out of the way and takes his shot, and all the players fly off the benches as a team-wide fight breaks out.

“Hey, baby. What’s wrong?” “I couldn’t figure out what to do about the kids,” I cry. “What’s wrong with the kids?” he asks, fear lacing his tone. I shake my head wildly. “Nothing. Nothing is wrong. But they were both asleep, and I didn’t want to wake either of them up to bring them inside.

And I didn’t want to leave either of them outside while I brought the other one in because if they woke up alone, they’d be scared, and what if some crazy person came and stole them out of the driveway. And then I couldn’t reach my keys.

And Leo said Jax was gonna be a momma’s boy, and he meant I was gonna be his momma. And my mom went on a shopping spree so our kids could have everything they ever wanted at...

“We’re so screwed in a few months.” “You said our kids, baby,” Cross whispers with awe filling his voice.

“You called them our kids.” “Well, they are our kids. And when that clicked, so did something else, you big pain in my ass.” I smack his big chest. “Hey. Can we back up to you happy crying because Jaxon’s going to be a momma’s boy and you’re going to be his momma?”

“Cross . . . stop. I don’t think that’s funny,” I scold, then grab his wrist, needing to be anchored to him when I say this. “I need you to go with me tomorrow to see my parents.” “Is everything okay?” “Something clicked tonight, somewhere between Leo’s momma’s boy joke and Kerrigan having a tea party with my mom and Uncle Tommy.

And it got cemented when I couldn’t figure out how to get them both safely in the house at the same time. If heaven forbid, something ever happened to either one of them, I’d want to know. I’d need to know. Because I’d want to slay all their dragons for them.

And if either of them ever came to us and told us something awful happened to them, I’d hope they’d go to the police and report it so that person who did it could be punished.” “Baby . . .” “I’d like you to take me to my parents’ to...

“I’ll hold your hand every single step of the way, Everly.” I close my eyes and nod. “No running.” “Never again.”

“I don’t want to wait until June to marry you, Cross.” “I’ll print you a schedule tomorrow. Pick a Saturday we don’t have a game and tell me where to be, baby. I’ll do whatever you want. I just need you, Kerrigan, and Jax.” “And our families. We have to have them. Lindy’s mom is an event planner. Once we get a date, she’ll make it magical.” “It already is.”