Bender (Vegas Venom Book 4)

It’s been a minute since I’ve gotten to take part in a girls’ night, and the last time I did, I ended up sloppy drunk wearing silver booty shorts in public while Marco talked about popping his cherry. God, it all seems so long ago. A lifetime. Tonight is a different type of girl’s night, and I’m a lot more self-conscious than I was before, even though I’m wrapped up in one of Marco’s old game jerseys, not dressed in something resembling a shaggy carpet.

I meet Scarlett and Stella, and we all converge at Molly’s house. Stella’s mother, Francine, is babysitting the kids tonight with the help of an obscenely large dog that looks as fierce as any runway model I’ve ever worked with. I’d be intimidated if the dog wasn’t wearing some sort of handmade flower circlet around her face while she follows Vivian, Noah and Molly’s daughter.

“You two look cute tonight,” I tell Vivian. She’s sporting a blond wig, knee-high socks, and a pink dress.

“We’re not cute.” Viv plants her fists on her hips. “We’re scary.”

Molly sighs and covers her eyes. “This isn’t my fault. I let my friend Mona babysit her a few weeks ago, and they ended up watching Stranger Things. She’s obsessed.”

“Oh, I get it. You’re Eleven.” I wink at Viv.

“We sure are. Watch me move a gnome with my mind!” The girl turns on her heel and races out the back door. She extends her hand and holds it out in front of her, aiming her palm at the nearest lawn ornament.

Stella quirks an eyebrow as the girl and her demi-dog stare at the gnome without blinking. “Isn’t she a little young to be watching horror?”

“That’s what I said!” Molly exclaims. “But Mona… well, she’s a little gothic and a little depressed. But she’s the best store manager and friend a girl could ever ask for, so I let it go.” Molly lowers her voice to a whisper. “She could use a boyfriend, I’m thinking. She doesn’t get out much.”

“I wasn’t criticizing,” Stella adds hastily, wincing at the implication. “I’m just surprised Viv is excited about it instead of terrified.”

Scarlett shrugs and tosses her glossy raven hair over one shoulder. “I think it makes perfect sense. She saw something frightening, but she also saw a character that cast her in the most powerful role in the story. She isn’t afraid because if she’s the heroine, she doesn’t need to be afraid. It’s a pretty smart coping skill, if you ask me.”

All three of us turn to her, blinking in surprise.

“What?” She rolls her eyes. “You think the only thing I can analyze is a hockey game? It makes total sense. The more we empower girls to be the protagonists in their own stories, the less time they’ll spend being afraid and taking other people’s crap.”

I point at Scarlett. “Ooh, I like you. I think we’re gonna be friends. If you tell me you’re body positive too, it’s a done deal.”

She grins at me and winks. Then she flicks a wrist toward her ample curves. “I know we are gonna be tight as the lid on a pickle jar, Madison. I’ve seen your TikToks. And now that we’re not dealing with a crisis, I look forward to picking your brain about body positivity in the media, because I think we’ve run into similar problems in our respective careers. Us girls have to stick together. A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Molly retrieves her purse, then shoos us toward the front door like a gaggle of schoolchildren. “We can talk about it later. We need to get going if we’re going to make it in time for the pregame show.”

“Bye, Vivian!” I call. “I think the gnome moved just a little bit! Your powers are real.”

“You saw that?” the little girl calls back as the giant, black dog licks her twice on the face. “See, Biscuit? I knew it was working! We’ve got the power, girlfriend!”

* * *

It’s Marco’s first night as the color man for the Vegas Venom, and it’s also the first time I’ve been able to attend one of his games in quite some time. I’m a little bummed that my schedule rarely allowed for me to see him play on the ice in real life, but I’m just as happy to support him in this capacity as I would be if he was still on the team. Despite his new role, I’m still rocking his jersey—the one he signed and gave to me as a present—when he thought he was being sent back to Italy. Besides, he’ll be doing the thing that he’s always been best at: making people happy by being his funny, charming, magnificent self. I really can’t think of a better job for my man.

“Have you still been getting offers?” Scarlett has to shout to be heard over the crowd as we move toward the friends and family section, and the stands aren’t even full yet. Before we make it there though, Anders gestures to Stella from where he’s warming up on the ice. She course-corrects us and we head down the concrete steps toward the Venom bench.

“Oh, yeah!” I cup my hand around my mouth like a little microphone as we navigate the steep stairs. “We’ve got a few more ads coming down the pipeline already. Lamborghini wants to sign him on for a long-term, multi-ad contract, and we’re still going to be doing the clothing ad together… Plus, now that his visa has been renewed, he has time to see what’s out there and only pick things that resonate with him. When it all shakes out, I think he’s gonna be even better off than he was when he was playing.”

“I’m so glad things worked out for the best,” Scarlett shouts back. “Latham would never admit it, but he was so sad when he got the news. It really took a toll on him. Those guys are so close, but they never drop it with the dumb macho bullshit, I swear—”

Just as we reach Anders, a swell of cheering and applause drowns out Scarlett’s voice as the jumbotrons come on, and two larger-than-life smiling faces appear on the screen. Some dude named Jim Newsome is the play-by-play guy, but I barely look at him, anyway. I only have eyes for Marco. He’s wearing a navy blue, windowpane suit and a red tie that really shows off his olive complexion to perfection. I feel the stares of the puck bunnies as they bore holes through my back with their laser eyes. Well, they can fuck right off. My man. Mine. And he’s hot as hell.

The fans must feel the same way about Marco as we all do because the wordless cheers of approval soon resolve into a coherent chant. “Ro-SSI, Ro-SSI, Ro-SSI!” Only then do I realize how many of the fans around us are wearing jerseys with Marco’s name and number emblazoned on the back just like I am. I wish I could go around the room and hug every single one of these people. They made this happen. They’re the reason he’s still here. They’re the reason he’s able to do something he loves.

They’re the reason we didn’t get ripped apart. Instead, we’re looking forward to our future together.

They’re the best.

Marco’s voice blares through the speakers. “Give it up, Las Vegas!”

The cheering becomes even louder. If this keeps up, people will lose their voices before the game even starts. I scream the loudest of all, but even so, I can barely hear myself in the tidal wave of sound.

Marco’s laugh echoes through the sound system as I stare at that dimpled smile I love so damn much. He’s got a beautiful mouth, and I’m fully aware of what it can do. “I cannot hear you!”

We scream ourselves hoarse. Molly might be the shortest member of our four-woman group, but it turns out she’s got a set of pipes on her. She pumps her hands over her head until the sound gradually fades.

“Well, that’s quite something!” Jim exclaims. “Two minutes in, and you’ve already got ‘em whipped into a frenzy! Way to go, Marco!”

Marco nods. “They are excited. And I am so excited, too! I had one foot on the plane when the call came in.”

The commentator chuckles. “I think you mean ‘one foot out the door.’” The crowd laughs along with him. From some distant part of the stands, I hear a voice cry, “We love you, Marco!” followed by an isolated burst of cheering.

Marco, however, shakes his head. “No, this time I have it right. I was about to fly to Italia when I received the call. And none of this would have been possible without the support of the fans.” He throws a few kisses into the air and then puts his hand over his heart. “Las Vegas, I love you. And I love Madison too. This is why I want to hold my own live Q&A. Right now. Will all of you indulge me with this?”

There’s more cheering. My voice may have already gone because I can’t hear myself make a peep. I turn toward the guys to see if they know what Marco has planned for this Q&A. All Venom warm-up has come to a halt, so they’re all just milling around, staring up at the screen, even Noah in his giant pads.

Jim grins crookedly. “You’re taking questions now, before the game? Well, that’s nothing if not unconventional.”

Marco shakes his head. “Non, non. I ask a question before the game.”

“Oh, gotcha.” Marco’s partner nods. “And the fans will answer.”

My heart jumps into my throat as I gaze up at Marco and wonder what on earth he’s up to. The love of my life raises an index finger. “Non, only one fan will answer. Are you ready?”

Jim’s expression has shifted from bemused to delighted. I’d bet money that Marco’s set to make his job a heck of a lot more interesting. “I can’t wait. Okay, Venom fans, listen up. Marco is going to ask a question and only one fan will answer.”

Marco turns to the camera, and his expression turns serious. “Madison. My principessa. Without you, I would not be here today. The people who asked to hashtag-save-me, they are doing this for us. They love us, and I love us, also. Me with you. You with me. Like the creamy and crunch of an M&M where we eat the faces. Our faces. I want to have my tiramisu and eat it, too. You and I are a match made in hockey. Everyone knows that love is huge, it is overpowering, it is eternal, so that also makes it… round. So here is my Q, and I am waiting for you to do the A, so very eagerly I must know. The last time we spoke of this went very, very wrong. But times have changed, and so have I. My life is not complete without you by my side, so will you marry me?”

The arena erupts with cheers. Judging by how his eyes disappear into his ‘flow,’ Latham is definitely going to give Marco shit about his phrasing later, but the crowd is losing its collective mind, screaming and stomping and applauding. Even the opposing team has stopped skating to watch the events unfold.

I scramble up onto the nearest seat, which doesn’t even make me that much taller than Scarlett, who has her phone out and is taping the entire thing, and scream for all I’m worth. At first, I try shouting the word, “Yes!” but it gets lost in the swell of sound. After a while, I give up and just scream, loud and long and with all the air I have in my lungs.

Turns out I didn’t lose my voice, because when I scream hard enough, I am audible. The jumbotron finds me in the crowd, and I wave my arms, giving two thumbs up and nodding like crazy.

“I think that’s a yes!” Jim laughs into the mic. “Great news, Marco, it looks like your girl—Marco? Wait. Where did he go? Marco? Holy smokes, he’s already flown the coop on night one.”

The image on the jumbotron spins wildly until it finds Marco, bolting down the arena steps two at a time toward the Venom bench. Our gazes snap together and hold until he gets closer. Marco wiggles through the crowd as they take the opportunity to clap him on the back and shout their congratulations. I never take my eyes off my man—no, my fucking fiancé—until he gets within a few feet of me.

Marco and I meet in the middle, and I throw myself into his arms.

His mouth is moving, but like my own voice, it gets swallowed in the crowd. When I shake my head and tap my ear, he lifts my hand and holds up a ring. It slides right onto my finger.

“A perfect fit,” he whispers with his lips against my ear. “Like you, amore.”

While Marco and I kiss to seal our commitment to each other, Molly sobs outright, Stella has a hand over her heart and tears in her eyes, and Scarlett screams and jumps up and down like a fucking banshee. The guys cheer and bang their sticks on the ice. I think even Cash has a tear in his eye. I know that we’ll end up celebrating after the game, regardless of how the team plays, just like the family we are. Maybe I’ll even invite Mare, Sienna, and Lara to join us.

But one thing, I know for sure. I love this man with every fiber of my being, and I want to celebrate this. I want the whole world to know what we have and how hard we fought for it. The fans screaming around us are thrilled to have Marco back because this is where he belongs.

With the Venom.

With me.

And he’s not going anywhere.