“Liam texted me a selfie from the plane after they landed,” Avery says. “He was grinning. I wanted to murder him and kiss him at the same time.”
We sit with it for a minute. Five women who know what it's like to love men who get on planes and ice rinks and put their bodies in harm's way for a living.
“To our men,” Olivia says, raising her glass. “And to Jasmine and Logan. Happy ever after.”
We raise our glasses. I bring mine to my lips and then stop. “Not quite happy ever after.”
Harper puts her glass down. “Cat.”
Natalie looks between us. “Who's Cat?”
“Logan's mother,” I say. “Catherine Shaw. She's the reason Logan and I broke up the first time.”
I tell them. Not the short version I gave them at the hockey game weeks ago about life taking us in different directions. The real version. How Cat sat me down when I was eighteen and told me that hockey families aren't easy, and it takes a certain kind of woman to deal with them.
How she made it clear that I was not that woman. How Logan's father told him that relationships were distractions and the next five years of his life belonged to hockey.
The room is quiet when I finish. Avery's hand settles on my arm with a sympathetic squeeze. Natalie's eyes are so wide they look like they’ll pop out. She’s probably comparing that to Ethan’s family, who are loud, loving, and just awesome. She’s so lucky.
Olivia has set her wine down. “That woman said that to you when you were eighteen years old?”
“Yep,” I say.
“I would have slapped her,” Avery says.
“My mother wanted to,” I say with a laugh.
“Does Cat know you and Logan are back together?” Natalie asks.
“No. Nobody knows except you four and Blake. We're keeping it quiet for now.”
“Smart,” Harper says. “Get solid before the storm hits.”
“That's what I said. Logan wanted to tell everyone, but I convinced him to wait for a little while.”
“What happens when she finds out?” Natalie asks. “Do you think she's changed?”
“I don't know.”
“Women like that don't change,” Avery says. “They just get better at hiding it.”
“That's not necessarily true,” Natalie says. “People can surprise you.”
Olivia leans forward. “Here's what I think. You can't control Cat Shaw. You can't make her like you, and you can't make her accept you. What you can control is how you show up. Be polite and gracious. Kill her with class. And make sure Logan sees it when she's not.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that women like Cat are careful. She won't say anything terrible in front of Logan because she's too smart for that. She'll do it when you're alone or when he's not paying attention. So make sure you're never alone with her and make sure he's always paying attention.”
Harper nods. “And remember that this isn't about Cat. This is about you and Logan. Don't let his mother become the third person in your relationship.”
“My mother is already the third person in my relationship,” I say. “When she finds out it's going to be a whole thing.”
“One mother at a time,” Avery says, and raises her glass again. “To surviving moms.”
“To surviving moms.”
We drink.
