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“You know, I haven’t decided yet,” a little voice says, dragging me back to the here and now.

“Decided what?” I ask, taking the bait.

“If you belong here.”

Right. Well. That’s…great. Just great.

“You know Coach is my granddad, right? He values my opinions,” she states, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Your name has been mud in our house for some time.”

“Oh, I’m sure. But despite what might have been said, your dad and I were great friends once.”

She eyes me skeptically. “He doesn’t really talk about it.”

Ouch.

“He prefers to focus on how you’re not friends now.”

“Right.”

“I hated you too. I hated watching you fighting. But you’re a Viper now, and I’m willing to give you a second chance.”

My eyes widen as I smother a laugh.

“Okay, well, I appreciate that.”

“You mess it up though, and I’ll be going straight to Coach.”

“O-Okay.”

“I’m watching you,” she says, pointing two fingers at her eyes and then turning them on me.

I have never been more scared of a miniature hockey player in my life.

21

GARRETT

Watching Nash interact with Sutton is the sweetest thing I think I’ve ever seen.

What’s even more entertaining than the size difference is the way she’s glaring up at him. I swear, if he makes one wrong move, she’s going to take out his kneecaps, and that’ll be it. His career will be over because of an angry nine-year-old. Probably not the way he envisioned all of this ending.

When she crosses her arms over her chest and turns the attitude up a notch, I have to smother a laugh.

“She’s something else, isn’t she?” a familiar voice says as two people join me—one of whom is way slicker on his skates than the other.

I glance over and find Hailee, the team’s PR Director, holding onto Monroe’s hands for dear life, which are wrapped around her waist.

“She sure is something,” I mutter, my attention turning back to the altercation on the other side of the ice.

“She’s sounding him out. Trying to work out whether we can trust him or not,” Monroe explains.

“Fair enough. But aren’t you guys teammates? Don’t you have to trust him?”

“To a point, yeah, but we’ll always be on Kodie’s side if shit were to kick off.”

“It won’t,” Hailee states, giving her man a look that I’m sure would make many others cower.