Page 100 of The Dixon Rule

Logan glares at me. So does Dean.

“Sorry.” I hold up my hands. “It’s true. Sixteen is old, bro. I mean, when did you lose your virginity?”

“I didn’t,” Dean says primly. “I’ve never had the joy of laying with a woman.”

Will, Tucker, and I start laughing, but Logan’s expression lacks all traces of humor.

“I was fourteen.” He’s visibly upset. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Why did we ever have a child? We knew there was a fifty percent chance it would be a daughter.”

Dean grins at Logan’s dramatics. “Relax. Look—Blake’s hugging AJ now. Go bother Connelly.”

“My daughter will never date a hockey player,” Logan says ominously. “I know what they’re like.”

“What about you?” I ask Tucker. “Any daughters in danger of being corrupted?”

He drags a hand over his reddish beard, snorting loudly. “My girls would eat these boys alive.”

“Heartbreakers, the both of them,” Dean agrees.

Garrett and Ryder rejoin the group, and we go over the game plan.

“All right, so you’re aware of what to call and what not to call?” Graham asks the refs.

“Only call penalties against my kid. And let him punch people in the teeth if he wants,” Dean says with a straight face.

We all snicker.

“Yeah, we’re going to do the opposite of that,” Connelly says with a sigh.

“How aggressive are we allowed to let it get?” I ask them.

“As aggressive as you want as long as it’s within the rules. A few of these boys are headed right for the NHL next month. We’re not going easy on them.”

Sometimes I wish I went that route too, but I don’t think I was prepared at eighteen to play professional hockey. Too young and dumb. I wanted to get college under my belt first, before I went to Chicago and unleashed myself on the world.

Garrett claps his hands. “We’re treating this as a real game. Three full periods. High pressure.”

Jake nods. “Let’s do it.”

“Get ready to be slaughtered,” Garrett tells Connelly with a big smile. “Son-in-law and I got this.”

“Nah. Harvard men get it done.”

“He calls you Son-in-law?” I grin at Ryder as the men skate off.

He sighs. “Yeah. Either that or Mr. Ryder.”

“At least he likes you now,” Will says helpfully.

“I mean, ‘likes’ is pushing it. Tolerates me is more accurate. But he knows I’d die for his daughter, so that’s all that really matters.”

The game gets underway. Part of Ryder’s and Talvo’s job was to organize the lines as if they were putting together their own team. Team Graham’s first line features Beau Di Laurentis. Team Connelly lucked out with Jake’s son AJ and Gray Davenport on the same line.

I don’t follow high school hockey too closely, but even I know about this trio. They’re the three best players in the country, and I heard they’ve all already committed to playing for Briar in a couple of years. With that kind star power on the lineup, it’s going to take a lot of flukes and upsets to wrench that Frozen Four trophy out of Jensen’s hands. There’s a reason he’s the winningest coach in college hockey and probably the highest earner. He not only recruits the greatest players, but then after they leave, he gets their kids too. Lucky bastard.

It’s so much fun to watch these boys play. They remind me of myself when I was a teen. The sheer determination. The grit. The balls to make risky plays before your collegiate coaches discipline that recklessness out of you.

Right off the bat, it’s obvious that Beau possesses the overall skill. Puck protection, stickhandling, shooting. His instincts are incredible, and I’m floored by his ability to keep a cool head under pressure. AJ has the speed, though, like his old man. And while Gray’s dad played forward in his days, Gray is a deadly defenseman. He doesn’t let Di Laurentis anywhere near the net on any of his shifts.

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