Page 44 of Grasp The Moment

“We’re going out tonight.”

And that’s how I found myself sitting inside of 88UP, thelocal bar on our side of town, at one of the tables. Georgia and the girls, “Margarita Central,” as I’ve heard them refer to themselves, are all happy and dancing together on the dance floor as we guys sit back and hang.

“I still can’t believe you got married,” Charlie, one of the players on our team and my close friend, says as he runs a hand through his thick blonde waves.

Hiding my devious smile behind my glass, I take a sip of my water.

The only people who know that my marriage istechnicallya scam are Georgia’s friends Ryan, Blake, and Jace, seeing as they were all in Vegas when everything went down. Blake raises a brow at me from across the table, a sly smirk on his face.

Sighing, I roll my eyes at him. The guy can’t keep a secret even if his life depended on it.

“I mean, I can believe it,” Alec chimes in, pushing his glasses up before leaning forward. I sit up a little straighter, prompting him to continue. “Mama Bear has a kid; getting married seems like the next step for him,” he says with a shrug.

Braxton purses his lips, “Nah… I would’ve thought graduation was next, but Georgia’s hot and funny, so it’s not surprising since it’s her.”

I raise a brow at Braxton; his deep brown skin seems to redden a tinge as he grins, looking away from me.

“My wife is hot, but shut up, dickhead.” I chuckle, punching his shoulder.

The two of us trade playful blows before Charlie brings us back into the conversation as he takes a sip of his beer.

“It makes sense for it to be Derek and Georgia, though, doesn’t it? Cleo and Blake had a tryst at the beginning of last semester. Then Jace practically stalked Sienna and secretly dated her; it only makes sense for the two to be next. I planned it out last night in my head. I imagine that all of you will endup having a bunch of little athlete kids, and Jace’s kid would date Derek’s since everyone else’s would be related.”

What. The. Fuck?

My jaw unhinges as I tilt my head at Charlie. Blake and Jace must think the same as me because the both of them mimic my confused expression as we all give Charlie Tyson our full attention.

Charlie is taken aback by the sudden looks but continues on, “It’s the cliché friend group trope. Cleo dated the captain of her dad’s team. Her cousin is dating the left-winger asshole on the team. It’s only right if her best friend is with the goalie—I’m not too sure about Denver, though.”

Blake, Jace, and I share a look before a loud crashing has all of our nerves on edge. Looking around the open bar, my eyes immediately lock on the disheveled blonde in the center of the fray.

A few guys stand around the girls, their faces familiar but unrecognizable as we approach. In an instant, I’m at Georgia’s side, gently holding her upper arm.

“You okay?”

She purses her lips, cutting one of the men a glare before softening her features, looking up at me.

“I’m fine, but that asshole tried to grab Denver.” She huffs, clearly annoyed as she cuts him another glare.

Denver shares the same look as Georgia, her arms folded over her chest as she looks at the pitiful men.

“Then what happened?” I ask, pulling her to my side. The feeling of her warm skin against mine, soothing something in me as she grins.

“I pushed him.” She smiles cheekily, shrugging.

“Good job.” I chuckle as I kiss her forehead.

After the guys and I make sure that all of the girls are okay, we decide to call it a night. The girls are annoyed, we’reannoyed for them, and it’s hot as balls in the bar with all the people coming in.

As we walk out of 88UP, Georgia and the girls are in front of us when a group of men bumps into us.

I’m immediately irritated by them, seeing as there was about ten feet of space where both groups of men could’ve seamlessly walked without fail.

“Watch where you’re going, asshole,” a brunette chirps at me, his eyes dark with malice as I shrug him off.

I’m not easy to anger—hence why I’m a goalie, but my best friend is.

Jace is at my side in a second, looking the guy up and down. I chuckle, patting his shoulder as he turns to me. He’s like the stereotypical best friend and hockey player. Protect the goalie first; ask questions later, on and off the ice. Jace and I laugh off his protectiveness until the words of one of the men flow into my ears.