Page 77 of Her Player

“AND FOR FUCK’S SAKE, LANGLEY, PUT ON SOME GODDAMN PANTS, YOU WEIRDO!”

The howl that came from Brynn’s throat only made me laugh harder until our laughter drowned out Coach who kept barking out orders to a set of most-likely-very-excited men who were ready to get their asses out onto the ice. I leaned back in my chair, enjoying the laughter that filled my office after what felt like the longest week of my fucking life.

My daughter wiped tears from her eyes as I reached into my desk, pulling out a tissue box.

“Oh my God,” I said as I pulled out one for myself.

Brynn leaned toward my desk and plucked one for herself as well. “Jesus Christ, what perfect timing.”

I dabbed beneath my eyes, trying not to smear my makeup. “I swear, this place is a madhouse.”

“And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I cleaned up my eyes and fanned my face before my attention fell back to my daughter. “Does he make you happy?”

She didn’t hesitate when she smiled from ear to ear. “Incredibly happy, Mama.”

“Good.”

“Does Rhett make you happy?”

“Does that matter?”

She scoffed. “Your happiness always matters, Mom. I don’t know who the hell convinced you that it didn’t, but it does. So I’ll ask again: does Rhett make you happy?”

I reached for my coffee and took another long pull of the now-lukewarm drink. But, slowly, even though I still couldn’t spit out the words, I found myself nodding my head.

And I didn’t hear my daughter freak out.

She didn’t start cursing or accusing me of replacing her father. She didn’t point her finger at me and erupt like the nightmares I struggled with sometimes. She didn’t scream at me for betraying her father. She didn’t accuse me of cheating on him, or replacing him, or trying to erase his existence. None of the things that plagued my nightmares came to fruition.

Instead, all she did was get up, come around behind my desk, and then she threw her arms around my neck.

I stood to my feet, towering over my daughter as I wrapped her up in a massive hug. I pulled her head to my chest, cradling her the way I did when she was little. Cradling her like I did the moment I had to tell her what had happened to her father. I dropped a kiss to the top of her head, ignoring the soft outline of plum-colored lipstick that I left at the crown of it. I twirled my fingers into the small curls at the nape of her neck that she never could get to stay in the ponytails she wore. And as she squeezed me around my waist, her whispered words finally came forth.

Brynn pulled back and wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. “Dani keeps telling me I’m being an idiot about all of this. She said, and I quote, ‘if the man makes you happy, the rest of it is just noise.’” She sniffled. “She’s flying in for the championship, by the way. I got her a ticket.”

“You should tell him then,” Brynn said as she hugged me even tighter, “because Rhett has it bad for you.”

27

RHETT

I had to bow my head when Bry came into the locker room just to plant a big one on Coach. I was jealous, I admitted it. Never out loud, but definitely to myself. I had to stay away from Victoria all fucking day, despite the fact that she was in her office right down the hallway since nine that morning. I smelled her every time she walked by. I watched the way her hips sashayed while Jett and I drilled the team, keeping our bodies warm and lean while we pieced together everything Caldwell Arena needed for the game. Jett was back and forth from the bar, helping Bry figure out where all of the food kiosks would go. Langley and Moose helped her set up the kiosks and prepare the fountain drinks for the packed-out stadium.

Because tickets had already sold out earlier in the week.

Coach clapped his hands and gained the team’s attention. “All right, weirdos! Listen up!”

We all chuckled at the new term of endearment Coach used with us all week. It was good finally seeing him make this place home. Because all season, it almost felt like he was on the run from us. Like we were just a stepping stone to get back to his old life.

This week was the first week that none of us on the team felt that way.

Coach cleared his throat, eyeing all of us down. “This game is important. Not just for us, but for this crowd. Now, I’ve been doing some digging into this team’s past, and the last championship we brought home was seventeen damn years ago. And yet, Las Vegas has stuck by this team. Funded and supported this team. Shown up to games they knew we’d never win. It’s about damn time we repaid them for their efforts.”

Usually that was when we’d start cheering, but there was something in Coach’s eyes that told all of us to shut up.

“This is still a wild card game,” he said, his voice growing serious. “Even though the only loss we had this year is a forfeit we didn’t start, this is still a game where the winner takes all. Anything can happen. It’s a complete reset of statistics. All chances are on the table. All options are viable. Everything they can pull, they will, which means we have to be willing to bring the goddamn heat.”