“Yeah, totally annoying,” Dom said.
“Don’t I know it, but I doubt it’d get him off her case anyway. And I just want to do the right thing, help her out somehow.”
“I don’t think anyone has ever claimed fake dating was the right thing,” Timmy pointed out.
“It’s very popular in the books Josie works on. She calls it a trope.” Micah shrugged on the last word.
Dom quirked his brow. “Are you reading those books?”
“What? Some of them are really good.”
“Any recommendations?” Timmy’s ears went pink after he said it.
“Looking for tips to make Harper scream?” Dom grinned.
“Eh, she screams a lot already.” His ears were almost red by this time, and we all burst out laughing.
“She definitely rubbing off on him. He used to be such a good boy,” Micah said with a laugh, reaching down to scratch Pucks’ head as we walked.
“Bet she calls him that,” Dom added.
“Fucking hell, you done?” Timmy squawked out.
“Yeah, can we get back to me here?”
Micah tutted. “So selfish, Tucks.”
“Shut up,” I muttered.
“Yes, back to Tucks. Good idea. So, fake dating, huh?” Timmy asked.
Micah and Dom burst out laughing.
Timmy glared at them. “Fuck off.”
“Fine, fine. Back to Tucks and Dani.” Micah held his hand out. “Please continue.”
“We agreed to fake date for a bit, make a show of it so Jenzy gets the message and backs off.”
Micah’s expression turned serious. “Is he a threat to Dani?”
“Yeah. It’s just him being a menace, right?” Dom asked.
“She hasn’t given me any real details, but she didn’t seem twitchy when he showed up. I don’t trust him, though, and he was an asshole to her that night at the bar. You know how he’s always running his mouth on the ice and getting in people’s faces? I mean, on-ice behavior isn’t how any of us are off the ice, but yeah, it definitely is in his case.” Fidgety, I tapped my putter on the green. Now that we were in this together, I hoped Dani would tell me if she was afraid of her ex or if he started harassingher even more, but I knew she didn’t owe me all the nitty-gritty details of their relationship.
“Fake dating or not, she’s part of our family now, so if you need anything, we’ll help,” Micah said.
Dom nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Thanks, uh, but I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that. Trying to stay optimistic that now that we’ve come out as a couple, he’ll finally move on. The fewer people who know the truth, the better, but yes, I would appreciate it if you could go along with our ruse when and if you are around us.”
Their willingness to help Dani just because I had managed to get myself involved was one of the best parts about hockey and this team. We were a family, and that was something I would never take for granted.
“We’ll let the ladies know to act like you two are madly in love,” Dom said.
Micah grinned. “Bet you won’t mind kissing her again.”
Heat hit my cheeks, and it had nothing to do with the intense autumn sun beating down on us. Kissing Dani again, even if it was just for show, was something I was definitely down for.
