“Are you asking for my permission to date Molly?”
Wait, was I?
“No. I’m not.” I shook my head, slowly, not wanting to anger the beast. “Because I’m going to do it anyway. But before anything happened, I guess wanted your blessing? I wanted you to know and be okay with it. I didn’t want to sneak around.”
“Right.” He finished his beer, then got up to grab another, sitting back down. “And what do you see happening with her?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, are you going to date her for a couple of weeks and get bored? Or are you going to marry her?”
Get bored or marry her? Those were my options? I should have prepared for this better.
He glowered at me as I contemplated.
“Um, I dunno. I mean, this isn’t casual if that’s what you’re asking. I love Molly, you know that, we all love her. And I’ve never beeninlove before, but I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with her, so yeah I guess. Yeah, I’m going to marry her, I think. One day.”
I was babbling and he was still staring. This was way more stressful that I thought it was going to be. I should have fucking practiced.
“Look, Coop, if you want to punch me, I get it. You can have one punch.”
He sat there silently, for too fucking long in my opinion, before rolling his eyes. “I’m not going to fucking punch you.”
“You’re not?”
“No, we’re not twelve.”
My insides unclenched slightly and I let out the breath I’d been holding. “Oh. Good.”
Then my leg started jittering. I’d worked myself up so much that the anti-climax of not being punched had left me with some unused adrenaline.
“For fuck’s sake.” He scrubbed his hand down his face. “Felix, you’ve stayed to talk to me instead of going to get wasted. We’ve all grown up. I have a kid now, one you’re godfather to. You’re one of my best friends, even if you are annoying as fuck sometimes. Molly would have always settled down at some point, and I’d rather it was with someone I knew and trusted already.” He threw his head back with a loud laugh. “And honestly, dude, I need some new entertainment. If you think you can handle her, then go for it, because she’s not going to be easy. Plus, you come with the added benefit of knowing what I’ll do to you if you hurt her, so I don’t need to waste time with a speech.”
“Um, okay.” That wasn’t exactly the go ahead I was after, but I wasn’t about to argue.
We turned to Freddie who was watching us intently.
“What do you think?”
“I think I’ve been waiting two years for this conversation to happen.” She shifted Samson onto her shoulder and started rubbing his back. “And I thought it would have been funnier.”
Seemed to be anti-climaxes all round.
I stood up. “Okay, on that note…”
Cooper’s eyes tracked my movements as I put my jacket back on. “Where are you going?”
“He’s going to get Molly.”
“What? Now?”
Freddie reached across the table and stroked his arm. “Babe, it’s New Year’s Eve. Of course he is. He needs to kiss her atmidnight. Although judging by what Molly was wearing tonight, there’s going to be a lot more than kissing.”
Cooper looked like he might hurl at the visual.
Freddie cackled. “There, now that’s funny!”
The car dropped me off at the back of the venue so I could avoid the red carpet; the crowds and photographers lined along it still going strong as celebrities and famous faces mingled with the finest athletes from all of New York’s teams. The Rangers knew how to throw a party and when they did, it was always the hottest ticket in town.
