“Friend?” Connor’s voice slices through my thoughts, a smirk tugging at his lips as he raises an eyebrow.
I roll my eyes, but there’s no hiding it. He’s right. I’m lying to myself
“She’s Nathan’s sister,” I clarify.
Connor’s brows shoot up, but he doesn’t say anything. He just waits for me to say more.
“And Coach’s daughter,” I add, and I can feel my jaw tighten when his eyes go wide.
“Fuck.”
I let out a breath, running a hand through my hair. “Yeah.”
Connor chuckles, crossing his arms. “That’s… brave.”
“Stupid, probably,” I admit, shaking my head. Because, yeah, that’s what it is. Stupid. Reckless. Dangerous. And so fucking worth it.
He doesn’t argue, and I’m kind of grateful for that. It’s not like I need anyone to tell me what a mess this is.
I press my lips together, the urge to get out of here hitting me. “I should go,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
Connor nods. “Yeah, go celebrate. You earned it.”
A smile tugs at my lips, and I turn to leave. But then I stop, glancing back at him. “Thanks. For… you know, coming out here to see me.”
“Anytime,” he says with a smile.
I head toward the guys, still thinking about the one girl I can’t have. I glance back at her. She’s laughing with Nathan and her dad, her smile lighting up the whole space.
“Alright, alright!” Austin calls out, cutting through the noise. “Who’s getting some tonight?” He winks, and the guys all laugh.
But I look at her again, and I can’t focus on anything but her.
She’s the one I want to see tonight.
And maybe every night after that.
30
RYAN
We pull into the driveway of the Airbnb, the buzz from the game still buzzing in the air. The ride back was nothing but shit-talking and post-win adrenaline, and the energy hasn’t dropped a bit.
“Man, we fucking destroyed them,” Austin says, bumping his shoulder into mine as we head up the steps. “Easily your best game of the season, Ry.”
Nathan claps me on the back, a grin pulling at his lips. “He’s right—for once—you were on fire out there.”
Coach gives me a nod as the rest of the team trickles inside. “Good work, Reed. That’s how you lead a team.”
I nod, a rare warmth settling in my chest. Praise like that doesn’t come often—not from my family, anyway. Connor’s the one who gets all the attention, the golden boy tearing it up in the NHL, while I… skate in his shadow. If I called my parents right now to tell them I had the best game of my season, they’d probably say “Good job” before flipping the conversation to his latest highlight reel.
But tonight? Tonight’s mine. We won.
The house is already a mess when I walk in. Austin’s raiding the fridge, Logan and Nathan are ribbing on each other, and the rest of the guys are piled up on the couch, joking around.
But I’m not paying attention to any of that. My eyes are already looking for her.
She’s leaning against the kitchen counter, watching me with that look like she’s been waiting, like she knew I’d be looking for her. And honestly, it’s all I fucking do these days.
