The best years of my life

It has been a few days since Abby met Daddy and Trevor. She said she was ready to meet the rest of the team, even though they can be overwhelming around the ladies. “Are you sure you’re ready to meet the team?” I asked as we were heading out to the car “Let’s do this” she replied, giving me her signature catchphrase. Tyler got to the car before we did and he went to sit in the passenger seat, “Tyler, let Abby sit there, since she’s our guest and a lady” “Jamie, we grew up together and I am offended that you called me a lady. I’ll sit in the backseat since I have the shortest legs out of all of us” Even though it was true, it bothered me. I had a foot on her. “Shotgun on the way coming home” she yelled after we got in the car. Tyler and I both laughed and we were headed to the AAC. When we got to the Center, all the guys were all over her, like I had feared. “Give me some room, guys” she yelled out the window and I knew that she would be fine and remembered that she could hold her own. “I remember meeting some of y’all at parties and when I went to the Bruins games” she said. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine” Jordie and Tyler reminded me. “Get away, you animals” I told them. “I’ll give you the tour” Jordie said to Abby. “Rules guys 1. She is off limits 2. You can date her only if she shows an interest in you first. 3. Her grandfather was a karate master and he started teaching her self-defense when she was ten.” I told them. “Why is he so overprotective of her?” I heard some guys asking. “He and Jordie are the same way with their sister. I figure it’s because they are family. Anyway all the guys who have sisters or female cousins are overprotective especially around their team.” Trevor told him. We met up with Jordie and Abby in the locker room. I could tell that she was starting to get a bit anxious around all these people. She met some of the guys and then she and Tyler went to get lunch from the food truck around the block. As soon as they were out of the Center, Jordie asked me “Did you tell them the rules?” “Yep” I replied. A few minutes later, they were back. “We got into an argument when we were at the food truck” Tyler told me. “I was raised to be an independent woman” she said with her mouth closed. “She used to yell at me when I was over at her parents and I would get something out of the cabinet that she couldn’t reach. She’d pull over a chair and yelling ‘I can get it myself’ and I heard her dad laughing.” “My parents wanted to make sure that I didn’t need a man to get things or do things for me” she told all of us. A round of laughter came from the team. “She yelled at me for paying for lunch one time when I invited her out to lunch and we started arguing in the restaurant. She ended up calling her dad and he told us to go Dutch. I told him and her that’s not how we were raised” Jordie told me. When he was talking to me, Abby was next to me and she was playing with her necklace that she got as a high school graduation present from Jordie and I, which she only did when she was nervous. “What are you nervous about?” I asked her “Um meeting the rest of your team is pretty overwhelming, but let’s do this” she said back. “And with her signature catchphrase, here is the rest of the team” Jordie took her hand and starting introducing her to the rest of our team. “How did you know she was nervous?” Trevor asked to which I replied “she does that or starts squeezing either mine or Jordie’s hand” “That’s amazing” he said back. With that, I realized I’ve always liked Trevor. “Abby, are you coming to tomorrow night’s game?’’ Colton asked. “I don’t have a ticket. Anyway, I don’t want to be sitting by myself” she quickly said “I’ll reserve you a ticket and you can sit with the WAGS in the box, that way you don’t have to be alone.” I told her. “They aren’t as overwhelming as the team is” Tyler quickly said, which seemed to ease her concerns, “My parents are flying in, if you want to sit with them instead of the WAGS” Cody said. “I think I’ll sit with the WAGS, I really only watch hockey with the Benns and I would feel wrong sitting with your parents when I just met you Cody” she said. “We have to go actually practice now” I said in my captain’s voice.

Notes