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“Right. So shut up and keep your eyes peeled.” He yanks the door open. “We’ve got a game to win.”
With no restrictions on us, I find the weight coming off my shoulders. We don’t have orders to lose—which means we can play our best.
And I’m relishing getting one over on my baby brother.
“Think I can repeat my hat trick?”
37
AURORA
Plan Prove Knox Wrong is about to go full throttle. I decided it after he told the whole suite I slept with his brother, then left me to defend myself.
As soon as he was gone, though, Willow burst into laughter.
And the mood considerably lightened.
Now, I’m sitting between her and Melody, who’s on her phone and not really watching the game. The other two, Violet and Aspen, seem more into it.
“Not a fan?” I ask Melody.
She winces. “It’s just… bloody.”
I grin. “Yeah.”
“You played,” she says. “What position?”
Willow perks up. “You grew up next to the Whiteshaws, right?”
“I played winger. A forward position,” I say for Melody’s sake. “And yeah, my family moved in next door to them when I was five or so. My dad coached their team for a bit. Until they outgrew it.”
“Cool,” Willow murmurs. “And this rumor…”
“Is going to be put to rest,” I assure her. My gaze drops to my lap. “He keeps bringing it up. I think it bothers him more than he admits.”
Or maybe this is his way of admitting it.
“You two got married young,” Melody says. “I mean, that’s a lot of pressure. You were how old? Sixteen.”
“Yeah.” My throat tightens. “I was sixteen. And it wasn’t love, really. I don’t know. It was more necessity than anything else.”
He saved my life. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. My family was drowning in debt. The medical bills kept stacking up, on top of their regular bills and the mortgage, food, and clothes, andhockey. Before they snatched that away from me.
It wasn’t a good situation in any way, except the distraction of the Whiteshaw brothers next door.
“Anyway,” I say, casting a glance around to change the subject. I find Greyson and Steele watching me, too. “Devereux. I saw your game against the Titans last week.”
He cracks a smile. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. Hey, did your coach know you were out on the ice?”
Steele snorts.
“Like you could do better?” Devereux challenges.
Oh, I love a challenge. And I miss skating more than I miss anything in the world. I pretend to consider it, then shrug. “Yeah, I probably could. I mean, the bar is kind of low.”
He whistles. “Okay, game on.”
