Page 20 of Hockey Boy
“I hate you,” I whisper-hiss.
The girls all devolve into giggles, and soon I’m joining them. Because I don’t hate them at all. And despite the anvil sitting on my heart right now, they’re the good that keeps me smiling.
With an agreementtomeet at the arena tomorrow and a plan for helping Lennox without having to lie to her, I push War and Brooks out the door.
Once they’re gone, I head out myself. On Gavin’s floor, a group of guys are lounging around the communal space, controllers in hand and beers on the table in front of them.
Training doesn’t start for another month, but several of the guys who’ve been home with their families are in town for Camden Snow’s birthday. The forward rarely travels home to Vegas because of a tragedy that plagued his family years ago, so we’ll celebrate here.
Because that’s what we do—we support each other. We’re the only family some of these guys have. For others like me, who are lucky enough to have big, overly involved families, we’re bonus brothers.
“Hey, bro,” Hall calls from the couch, controller in hand. “Wanna play?”
Camden nods a silent greeting, then turns back to the game.
“Nah, I’m going to stop by Gavin’s. You guys going out tonight?”
With a shrug, Hall leans back against the cushions and focuses on the TV. “Maybe. We’ll probably stay here, but if we change our minds, I’ll shoot you a text.”
Nodding, I head toward my brother’s apartment. As I pass Lennox’s door, I force myself to keep my eyes forward. Laughter from inside has me pausing, though.
My heart squeezes at the sound. Who’s she laughing with? Is she dating someone?
I glance back at the guys, cataloging who’s here and who’s missing. Has she been hanging out with one of them?
Nah, they wouldn’t.
Right?
Shit. Why wouldn’t they? None of them know how I feel about her. Hell, they think I’m engaged. There’s no way they’d even consider that I have a thing for her.
Sheisavailable.She doesn’t belong to me.
My blood pressure spikes at the mere thought of anyone touching her.
A burst of laughter startles me. The responding giggles, though, calm my racing heart. I let out a long breath and flex my hands. That is definitely a group of women.
Saying a silent prayer that she isn’t laughing about some other guy, I keep moving forward before the guys notice that I’ve stopped in front of her door.
When I reach Gavin’s door, I don’t even bother knocking. “Hello,” I call as I push the door open.
“Ever heard of knocking?” Gavin growls from the kitchen. He’s holding a bottle of red wine in one hand and a glass in the other.
“Perfect timing. I’d love a glass of wine.”
The door to their bedroom opens, and Millie appears.
“No wine. You’re not staying,” Gavin says without taking his focus off his fiancée.
She rolls her eyes, but her face lights in a smile. “Hey, Aiden. How are you?”
“Don’t ask him about his day,” Gavin grouses. “We’re having sex. I’ve waited all day. My baby is finally asleep. You’ve had your girl time. It’s my time now.”
Laughing, I stride over to him and snag the glass from his hand. I take a slow sip, then shoot Millie a grin. “Man is grumpy when he doesn’t get attention, huh?”
“We’ve been in a little bit of a drought this week,” she replies, slipping beneath Gavin’s arm and squeezing him.
“We aren’t discussing this with my brother.”