Goodnight, Beautiful.

Heading back early to her place in Philly, Bristol was able to get her overdue laundry done and clean the mess Kris had left the bathroom in. Since the night was booked full due to the basketball game, Bristol had only a few spare hours before Kris and the boys returned from Voorhees.

The phone had become her worst enemy. Ringing off the hook all day with belated birthday wishes from numerous friends who probably forgot it was yesterday until they logged on to Facebook. As she folded the rest of her clean clothes, Bristol tossed a black one into the basket before picking up her vibrating phone.

“Hello?”

“Bristol.”

Bristol closed her eyes and mimicked stabbing herself in the chest. She really needed to learn—and fast—to check the caller id before picking up. “Adrienne.”

“Why haven’t you been answering any of my calls?”

“I’ve been busy. Still trying to get settled here in Philly.”

There was a pause. “Bristol, it’s been over a month since you moved out there.”

She decided just to go with it. There was no point now trying to lie her way out of it, faking she was busy unpacking. Adrienne asked. “So, how was your birthday?”

“Very good. How have you been?” Bristol would rather get ten tetanus shots than have to talk with her sister for more than five minutes.

“I broke up with Paul. And, if you would have bothered to pick up any of my calls yesterday would know that.” Her catchy breath became thick and tearful. “I’m so devastated.”

It was the fourth time in two months she and Paul had broken up. “I’m sorry to hear that. When did it happen?”

“The other day. Here you are starting off great in Philly with a nice apartment and a new boyfriend and here I am getting my heart shattered beyond repair.”

Bristol rolled her eyes. “Think of it as a new, clean slate for you. You deserve better than that deadbeat anyway.”

“How do you expect me to start over? We’re not all strong like you, Bristol. I’m twenty-eight years old. What man is going to want me?”

You’re thirty she wanted tell her sister and none, because you’re a ball busting all plastic woman. “Did you break up with him?”

“Yeah, but what does it matter? We’re not getting back together. It’s over.”

Her head was beginning to throb and Bristol leaned back, banging it against the back of the couch. “Maybe Paul will apologize and everything will okay.”

“It’s over. No matter how many roses or diamonds he buys, I am not letting him back here. It’s time for me to heal, find my true self and move on. I booked a week at a spa resort in New York; have a little girl time,”

Bristol smiled on the inside. It sounded like an invitation to join was coming. She wouldn’t mind a week at a spa in New York, even if it was with Adrienne.

“I need six-hundred dollars.”

“Six-hundred, Adrienne. You can’t expect me to be forking over money like that every time you and Paul break up so you can go off and heal yourself. I have a life and I need my money.”

“It’s the least you could do. It’s not like you work for that money anyway. All you need to do is open that envelope from David and cash the check. Did I tell you I saw him the other day? He was release the other week. Apparently his father knows somebody who was able to get in out on parole already; nine years probation.”

Bristol shrugged the whole lecture off. “Didn’t grandma just send you money last month for your birthday? What happened to it?”

“I have expenses. Please, Bristol; I need six-hundred dollars.”

“Like you needed three last years so you could take a trip with Paul,” Bristol realized it wasn’t worth the time or the breath arguing. “I’ll call the bank and transfer money tomorrow. Have a good trip.”

Hanging up and rising, Bristol walked into the kitchen, pulled out a bottle of SKYY. She needed a drink.

---

Strutting her colors proudly down Broad Street, Bristol only smiled and took each boo with stride. She had a gut feeling Derek Rose would bring the hot sauce tonight and she had no need to worry about a loss. Daniel refused to hold her hand; it was still too soon for him to accept the fact she was Chicago born and raised and cheered on her hometown teams. She called him a baby, and grabbed Briere’s hand instead.

At least he didn’t seem to mind her choice of attire.

His eyes widened and his temper flared when Carcillo caught Danny lacing his fingers with Bristol’s. Only his fingers were meant to do that. Calling out her name, Dan held his hand for Bristol to take.

“I thought you didn’t want to hold my hand when sporting any article of clothing with a Chicago sports team logo.”

“I guess I just love you more than the jersey on your back.”

Gripping her hand tight in his, Daniel couldn’t help but feel the pangs of satisfied male dominance over Briere. Danny may have had the all-star hockey skills, but Dan had the girl. And there was nothing better in life than having the girl.

Next weekend I’ll come over and help you finish your eHarmoney profile. Dan thought.

He and Bristol slipped ahead of the rest of the group as they approached the Wells Fargo Center. Their hands broke only momentarily so she could pull the tickets out of her wristlet. It would only be a matter of minutes before Dan, Danny, Claude and Kris were recognized. They all wore sunglasses and Mike and Jeff were stopped by a group of kids to have their hats signed.

Caelan, Carson and Cameron went ahead of Danny and Claude. The three boys had become accustom to following Bristol and that’s what they did. Dan was beginning to get irked. If it weren’t for the fact they were Briere’s kids, he would have told them long ago to get lost. But, Bristol would have slapped him too. She loved kids—especially Danny’s boys. One day, he would give her boys.

Once the twelve of them had gotten into the arena and regrouped in a corner, they came up with a plan of action. Bristol would take the boys to their court-side seats while the guys took care of food and drinks.

Cameron insisted on holding Bristol’s hand as the four of them weaved their way through the mass of people. Bristol was occasionally pushed and bumped-in to on purpose by 76’ers fans who knew their team didn’t stand a chance. She just brushed the rude comments off, mentally reminding herself who had won the Stanly Cup the pervious June in the very building. The thought alone brought her satisfaction.

It was easy for Caelan to sympathies with Bristol. His classmates at school constantly poked fun at him for being a Flyers fan, not a Devils fan. He didn’t understand it really; his school was closer to Philadelphia than it was Newark.

Bristol was in awe when they reached their seats. She had only been to a couple of games back in Chicago, and even then she and her brother sat in the nose bleeds. Both times she thought she was going to need binoculars to see what was happening on the court. Now, she was only sitting a few feet away from the players. To her, it was way better than sitting by the Green Men in Vancouver during the playoffs last season.

There was still a good half-hour left until the game was to begin. Bristol sat in the middle with Cameron, Caelan, Carson, Danny and Claude to her left, where Dan, Kris, Jeff and Mike sat to her right. Cameron was sitting so close to Bristol that he was practically sitting in her lap.

At one point, Danny warned him that if didn’t back off and give her a little room, he saw going to switch chairs with him. Cameron scotched over, looked up at Bristol with a small smile and said sorry.

Leaning her head on Daniel’s shoulder Bristol stole popcorn from his box. The third quarter was well underway and the Bulls were up five points. Every time they scored, Bristol would stand with the other Bulls fans in attendance and cheer them on. When it happened, the guys pretended not to know her.

“Still think your precious team is going to win?” Bristol brushed her lips against Daniel’s for a kiss. She didn’t care if anyone was looking...neither did Dan.

“Yes, it’s still early in the game. Bulls won’t chock until later.” He snaked his arm around her waist to pull her body closer to his. Dan could smell her Chanel perfume as she inched closer. “What do you say; if the 76’ers win, I get to pick the artwork for your tattoo and if the Bulls win, you get to pick mine?”

In four days, Bristol was traveling to Pittsburgh with the guys. It was one of the few times she ever traveled with a team. Although Bristol wished she could enjoy the luxury of being on the team plane, she didn’t mind the commercial airlines. For this particular trip, Dan wanted to bring her with not only to have her cheer him on, but, he had scheduled a time with his artist in Pitt for he and Bristol to get inked. He was able to talk her into getting a tattoo, but Dan only trusted his man in Pittsburgh, who had done his ink while he lived there.

“Deal. Be prepared to have a feminine design.” She laughed as Derek Rose scored three more points.

---

Standing inside, looking out the closed sliding glass door, Daniel Briere rested his hands on his hips contemplating calling out to the joketers in the yard. With the spring season now fully kicked off, Danny hated calling in the boys when they were only halfway through their game.

He watched as they played two-on-two football with Bristol. She had picked the boys up from school and brought them back home. Another team meeting had run later than expected, derailing him from picking up the boys.

She had become his lifesaver over the past month; watching the boys, picking up his dry cleaning (she claimed it was no big deal, Dan had suits that needed to be picked up too). She even surprised him and Claude by cleaning the house one rainy Wednesday afternoon while she was watching a sick Carson.

Opening the door and stepping outside, neither the boys nor Bristol noticed Danny was home. He sat on the edge of the patio and waited for a stoppage of play. “Can I join in?” He asked.

“Yeah!” Cameron excitedly answered. “You can be on Bristol’s team and I’ll be with Caelan and Carson.” Danny was surprised Cameron was willing to switch teams with his girlfriend. Claude had been giving the little man a hard time about his childish crush on the babysitter. “She’s really good.”

Bristol smiled slyly and handed the ball off to Caelan. Danny shed his sweatshirt and tossed it into the pile already created in the grass. The wind was wispy but felt good against his heated skin. Danny couldn’t keep his eyes off Bristol. The black leggings she wore hugged her thick curves tightly. A perfect amount of cleavage was visible; her large breasts cradled in the bra built into the cami shaping her hour-glass torso.

“You’re on the winning team, Briere.” Bristol high-fived him. Caelan stuck his tongue out at Bristol and she stuck hers out back at him.

Danny and Bristol let the boys have the ball first, but it wasn’t long until Bristol was able to intercept the ball. All she had to do was call Cameron’s name and he tossed it right to her on instinct.

Playing quarterback, Danny prayed he could catch the ball when Bristol hiked it to him. His hands brushed the inside on her thighs and they instantly began to shake. She had felt it too; her head buzzed with conflicting emotions. Having Danny so close sent rapid chills down her spine.

She told herself to calm down. It wouldn’t be long until she could release the sexual tension that built up, but in her mind, it wasn’t Dan her body ached for. It was the gentle hands of Danny.

Although they didn’t keep score, it was obvious who had the won the game once the sky had gone black. Danny and Bristol chest-bumped victoriously before heading inside. They were all starved and Bristol was anxious to try the chocolate chip pancakes Carson insisted were so good.

Back in the house, Bristol slipped her sweatshirt back on and slid into a bar stool at the island. She tucked a leg under the other and rested her chin in her palm. Danny moved about the kitchen, grabbing various things needed to make pancakes.

“Where’s Claude?” Bristol asked. It didn’t dawn on her until then that the other member of the Brioux family was MIA.

“He has a date. Matt’s wife has a friend who she thinks is perfect for him. Do you want a glass of wine?”

Bristol nodded and watched Danny struggle as he tried to reach for two wine glasses on the top shelf of the cabinet. She felt for him; often Bristol struggled to retrieve items from the pantry which Dan and Kris placed up high. The two men thought it was funny to watch the 5’5 woman jump and try to smack down a box of cereal in the morning.

He uncorked a bottle of Merlot and filled both glasses halfway. Sliding it over to Bristol, Danny began mixing in the chocolate chips to the batter. “How are things with you and Carcillo?”

“Good.” Danny caught the hesitation at the beginning and sensed the uncertainty in her voice. “He’s been out every night this week though, leaving me home by myself. And, he keeps getting phone calls from his cousin, Brittney. Apparently she’s in town but, he hasn’t introduced us yet.”

He told you she was his cousin? Danny thought.

“Is he with her tonight?”

Bristol swallowed a mouthful of her wine. “Yeah, took her out for sushi in Philly. He knows I love sushi and I’m kinda ticked he didn’t ask me to come. He will defiantly get an ass-chewing tomorrow, that’s for sure.”

His heart couldn’t help but ache for Bristol. All she wanted was someone to love, and someone who could love her back even more. “Well, I’ll be thanking my lucky stars I’m not him when you do.”

“Shut up.” Bristol half-laughed and brought her glass back to her lips. “He thinks I’m spending too much time here.”

“Really?” He poured three pancakes on the hot griddle.

“Yeah. I told him it was because he leaves me at home all the time to hang with the guys at the bar. Besides, I like being here with the boys. They’re great company.”

Danny was a master at flipping. His day brightened hearing the words Bristol had to say about his boys. “Do you miss Chicago?”

“There are some days I do but, it’s nice to be away for all the crazy shit that’s happened over the years.”

“How did you and Kris meet?” Danny plated each of the browned pancakes and poured three more.

“A friend of my oldest brother was friends with Kris in Rockford and when I was NIU I’d head up there and party with the Ice Hogs. He and I instantly became friends but we really didn’t hang out until he was called up. I didn’t move out to Toronto when he was traded, but, when he came to Philly the offer came up and I took it.”

He was sure as hell happy she had taken Kris up on his offer. The last time he felt this way about a woman was when he was in high school and he laid eyes on Sylvie. But, the two women were nothing alike. Danny imagined Bristol was better in bed.

When all the pancakes were cooked, Danny called out to the boys and it sounded like a stamped as they raced down the stairs. Dinner at the Briere’s was just as it was at her house growing up. Lots of chatter, good laughs and the boys pitched in to help Danny and Bristol with dishes.

Checking the time on the stove, Danny started the dishwasher and leaned his back against the counter. “You guys have time for one game of NHL 11 then it’s time for bed. Is homework done?”

They nodded and Carson answered for all three boys. “Bristol helped us with it. She was even able to help me with my math, unlike you.”

Danny smiled, his cheeks tinted red. “What? Fifth grade math is harder than I remember it being.”

Sitting on the couch, Bristol and Danny watched the boys play a round of hockey on the xbox. Carson (self-proclaimed to be the best) took on his brothers as the Blackhawks. Caelan and Cameron played as the Flyers.

Bristol remembered her and her brothers and sister gathering around the TV after dinner playing Mario Kart on the Nintendo 64 they had gotten from their parents as a group Christmas gift. One of the six children always complained the game was rigged whenever their character slid down to last place. And when you were able to sneak a round in by yourself on sick day off from school, you were automatically a cheater for having the advantage.

That’s exactly how it went down between Caelan, Carson and Cameron.

“Alright, bedtime.” Danny hoisted himself off the couch while the boys put the game consul away. It was a little after nine and Bristol herself was some what tired. Carson was still beaming from his win and hugged Bristol goodnight. Caelan and Cameron did the same, only Cameron snuck a kiss onto Bristol’s cheek. They said goodnight to their father and raced each other up the stairs.

When Danny was sure they were out of ear-shot, he flopped down on the couch and spoke in a whisper. “My son has the hots for you.”

“Really?” Bristol said sarcastically. “Now that you mention it, I think he does.”

He slid closer to Bristol unconsciously and nervously smiled. “Well, I really can’t blame him.”

Bursting out into a small fit of laughter, Bristol stopped when she saw Danny’s face fall. “I’m sorry, but you’re really bad at flirting.”

There was no arguing there. He had been with Sylvie for so long, he never had the chance to build on that skill. He had been out of the dating game since the divorce and most of the time he just had women hitting on him. Danny did know how to do one thing though, and seconds after the words left Bristol’s mouth his decided to show off his skills.

Slowly, Danny brought his lips down on hers. He enjoyed the sharp intake of breath coming from Bristol, who, was shocked beyond belief and had no idea how to respond. While her heart was telling her to stop and pull away, her head overruled and kept her lips locked with Danny’s.

It wasn't the hungry, infatuated kiss Bristol was use to sharing. This one was light and gentle. There was no tongue; there was no need for it when just their lips alone were sending each other the right message. Placing a hand on Danny’s chest, Bristol slid on to his lap, resting there comfortably.

She pulled off her own sweatshirt, and tossed it over the back of the couch before colliding her lips with Danny’s once again. As their tongues battled for control, Daniel Carcillo was miles away from any one of her thoughts.

Danny kneaded the hem of Bristol’s cami on his fingers, before sliding it up her sides and off her torso completely. She was bare, and his warm hands cupped her breasts. Danny’s shirt soon joined hers on the floor when he gave no protest.

Her fingers grazed the defined muscles in his chest as Danny’s teeth nipped at her lips. Hooking her fingers in the elastic band of sweat-shorts, Danny lifted his hips to allow Bristol to ease them down. When she couldn’t reach any farther, he kicked them off.

The tight leggings and black, lace panties came off Bristol with ease for Danny. He gripped her soft, wide hips to help glide her on his hard member. A heavy, ragged breath escaped Bristol’s mouth. She ran her fingers through his hair and gripped it at the root. She much tighter than the women he had previously slept yet. But, by far at the age of twenty-four, Bristol was the youngest.

“Fuck!” Danny tilted his head back against the couch cushion. Bristol’s lips silenced Danny. The last thing they needed was one—or all—of the boys coming down the stairs. She moved slowly at first, allowing her body to adjust to having Danny inside her. He wasn’t as big as Carcillo but, he filled her.

He placed an open palmed hand on the small of her back and moved his own hips to match the rhythm Bristol had started. She dug her fingernails into Danny’s bicep as he pounded harder and quicker.

Feeling her muscles contract around him, Danny spilled his hot seed inside Bristol who currently praised the invention of the pill. The feeling of the added warmth and pressure sent Bristol flying over the edge as she began to shake wildly, perpetuating her own orgasm. Her muscles tightened around him as she came, allowing Danny to catch his own breath and push himself in to her as far as he could.

Exhausted and unable to hold herself up any longer, Bristol collapsed. She was still shaking from the experience and rested her head in the curve of Danny’s neck as he raked his fingers up and down her back. Both were trying to control their breathing and Bristol was unknowingly aware of just how complicated life was about to get.