More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
And classy women tend to have no tolerance for immature jackasses, because they know they can do better.
“I don’t think you’re innocent at all,” I continue. “I don’t think you’re a good girl. I think that right now you want nothing more than to shove your tongue in my mouth and rake your nails down my back and let me fuck you right here in front of everyone.”
Sometimes it’s hard to believe she was once that nervous, babbling freshman whose dorm I accidentally wound up in. That the sweet Grace Ivers I fell for is this fearless woman in front of me, the sexy vixen who’s about to let me fuck her in the bathroom.
Granted, Grace picked this bar and researched the cleanliness situation of the bathrooms before agreeing to tonight’s roleplaying exercise. So, yes, she’s still that weird girl I met years ago. She just also happens to be my hot, sex-starved girlfriend.
My dad has been sober for nearly four years, and although we haven’t completely mended fences, at least I don’t hate him anymore.
Good
If I’m being honest, these days I view Grace’s dad as a father figure. He’s a decent guy, if you overlook the fact that he prefers football to hockey. But nobody’s perfect.
Son. Damn, that does me in every time. There’s no good reason Tim should call me that. It’s not like Grace and I are married or anything.
Back when we first started dating, I thought maybe he was the kind of man who called every younger guy “son.” But nope. Just me. And I can’t deny I love hearing it.
“I know you wouldn’t, which is why I offered,” I assure him. “And like I said before, don’t you dare go to that money-sucking dealership of yours for repairs ever again....
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Grace and I always get a kick out of watching her straitlaced molecular biologist father converse with my incredibly bland accountant stepfather. Last year we had a bet to see how many boring subjects they could discuss in one evening. Grace won with a total of twelve. I’d guessed ten, but I underestimated Tim’s new fascination with antique milk bottles and David’s new ceramic elephant collection.
“One of these days, sir, I’m going to strap you to a chair and force you to watch hockey games on a loop until you have no choice but to love it.”
“Still wouldn’t work,” he says cheerfully. I grin. “You need to have more faith in my torture abilities.”
“What if it’s a bomb?” “Then it will explode and we’ll die, and the atoms of which we are composed will find new uses elsewhere in the universe.”
“And Merry Christmas to us all!” I say with exaggerated holiday cheer, before rolling my eyes at him. “You’re a real buzzkill, sir, you know that?”
Grace sighs. “I don’t understand you sometimes.”
As someone who didn’t have many good holidays with my family, I have to admit I’m really into the weird Ivers traditions.
“That’s it,” Grace says. “You’re not allowed to be friends with Garrett anymore. I’m serious.” “In his defense, Dean started it,” I point out.
“You can’t be friends with him either. Tucker’s okay to keep because I know he hates this as much as I do.” “And you think I like it?” I gape at her. “Look at this thing!”
“I don’t understand,” Tim hedges, reaching for the doll. “This is phenomenal! Look at the craftsmanship.” He admires the doll, while his daughter and I stare at him in horror.
“Goddamn it, Dad,” Grace sighs. “Now he knows your touch.” “Was this manufactured in Germany?” He continues examining Alexander. “Looks German-made. Nineteenth century?”
“I am very disturbed by your knowledge of antique dolls,” I say frankly. “And we’re not kidding, sir. Put him down before he imprints on you. It’s too late for us—he already kno...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
“From what?” “He’s haunted,” Grace answers glumly. I nod. “Sometim...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Tim runs his fingers over the movable eyelids. “This mechanism is centuries old. If the eyes are opening and closing of their own voliti...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
For real. Does he have a death wish or something? I mean, I know Garrett does, because clearly he wants me to murder him next time I see him. I love Garrett Graham like a brother. He’s my closest friend. He’s a teammate. He’s fucking awesome. But to do this to us on Christmas?
Granted, I did abuse my spare key privileges a few months ago to sneak Alexander into Garrett and his girlfriend’s house for Hannah’s birthday. But still.
“Do you mind if I take photos and try to find the value of it?” Tim asks, the geeky academic in him rearing its head. “Don’t bo...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
His eyebrows shoot up. “Four thousand dollars?” Grace nods in confirmation. “That’s another reason we can’t throw him out. It feels ...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
“Dean bought him a couple years ago at some antique auction,” I explain. “The listing said he was haunted, so Dean thought it would be hilarious to get the doll for Tuck...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Sabrina lost her shit, so she waited till Dean and Allie were in town a couple months later and paid off someone at their hotel ...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Grace giggles. “Allie said he screamed like a little girl when he turned on the light...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
“And now it’s a thing,” I finish with a half-grin, half-sigh. “Basically, we all ship Alexander to one another when t...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
“What did the seller say about it?” Tim asks curiously. “Does it have a backstory?” Grace shakes her head. “Dad. Please stop ca...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
“He came with some sort of information card,” I answer with a shrug. “Can’t remember who has it now. But basically, his name is Alexander. He belonged to a little kid named Willie who di...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Apparently, the entire family starved to death, except for Willie. Poor kid wandered around for days looking for help and eventually fell down a ravine, broke his l...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Grace shudders. “They found him clutching Alexander against his chest. The psychotic doll seller said Willie’s spirit went into Alexander right before he died.” Ti...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
My jaw drops. “Sir. Did you just curse?” “How could I not?” He sets Alexander back in the...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
“Why don’t we take him up to the attic? Jean and David will be here any minute. We don’t ...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Nodding decisively, Tim Ivers marches off with the box in hand. I honestly don’t know if he’s ...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Fuck. I miss this so much when I’m on the road. I knew the pro hockey lifestyle would be tough, but I hadn’t anticipated how much I’d miss Grace every time I had to leave town.
“I hate that you have to leave again,” she says against my lips. Evidently her thoughts are echoing my own. “Not for a few days,” I remind her.
She bites her lip and presses her cheek against my left pec. “Still not enough time,” she says, so softly I barely hear her. I breathe in the sweet scent of her hair and hold her ...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
I don’t like Logan returning home after a particularly tough game and crawling into our bed, bruised and sore and too exhausted to even cuddle.
I glance at the screen and smile at Logan’s message. He’s letting me know the team landed safely in California. He did the same thing yesterday when they got to Nevada. I appreciate that he always checks in like this.
She won’t be wearing any socks, though. She sleeps barefoot no matter the temperature, and her feet are always like little blocks of ice. When we’re curled up in bed, she presses them against my calf because she’s evil.
Socks feel awful in bed. Not a big sock fan, in general.
The life of a professional hockey player isn’t all glitz and glamour. It’s a lot of traveling. A lot of time spent on planes. A lot of empty hotel rooms.
And, fine, maybe this is sort of like somebody crying about how their diamond shoes are too tight. Boo-fucking-hoo, right? But great money aside, this life does take a toll, physically and mentally. And, as it turns out, emotionally.
Garrett gets up to check. A moment later, he tosses me a duvet and a pillow, which I carry to the small couch under the window. My legs will be dangling off the side of that thing, but at this point, I don’t care. I just need to sleep.
Oh just sleep in the same bed ffs
ALLIE: Why does this writer use so many question and exclamation marks? It’s!! So!? Annoying!!!?? And this is coming from a girl who loves exclamation marks.
SABRINA: I think the more important question is—what are Hannah and Grace gonna do now that we know their boyfriends are secretly banging in elevators? HANNAH: I feel so betrayed.
ME: For real. They’ve been sleeping together this whole time and haven’t even let us watch??!? HANNAH: !!! SABRINA: !!?!! ALLIE: !!!??
