Page 221 of Sin Bin

Reid and Viggo exchanged incredulous glances, then burst out laughing.

Hunter set his glass down, lips twitching. “You always did have a penchant for exaggeration.”

“Nah, bro. You know damn well I’m not exaggerating.” Logan grinned at the others. “You guys shoulda been there. I’ve never seen Duchene like that, all speechless and flustered. It was a sight to behold.”

“Sure sounds like it.” Reid grinned tauntingly at Hunter. “The Duchess got you shook, Captain?”

Hunter calmly lifted his hand and gave him the finger.

Reid, Logan and Viggo howled with laughter.

Shaking his head, Hunter stood and poured more wine into everyone’s glasses.

“Hey, I just thought of something,” Logan exclaimed, snapping his fingers. “Don’t we have a rule about sisters being off limits? For the past five years you guys have threatened to cut my fucking balls off if I even glanced at your sisters the wrong way. What happened to that, huh? Has the bro code been retired or what?”

Looks were exchanged as Hunter slowly sat back down.

“I mean, yeah, Cynara’s not my biological sister and we didn’t really grow up together,” Logan conceded. “We only spent two years under the same roof before her parents divorced, and we see each other so rarely that we sometimes forget the other exists. But that doesn’t change the fact that she is my adoptive sister. So that should totally count.”

“Hmm.” Reid and Viggo leaned back in their seats, stroking their bearded chins like Knights of the Round Table deliberating a sovereign matter.

“He’s right, Hunter,” they both decreed.

“Indeed. He is.” Hunter looked at Logan, slowly tracing the rim of his glass with his finger as if he were trying to hypnotize him. “You would be well within your rights to invoke the same rule that you’ve always been held to. It would be hypocritical of me to suggest otherwise.”

Logan narrowed his eyes. “But…?”

Hunter held his gaze unflinchingly. “I can’t promise that I’ll honor the rule.”

Reid and Viggo looked at each other and went, “Dammmnnn.”

Logan shook his head at Hunter. “Just don’t hurt her,” he warned, his voice threaded with steel. “She might hate my guts, but I care about her and I don’t want to see her hurt. If you’re lucky enough to get a shot with her and shit goes south, just know her father isn’t the only one who’ll be coming for you.”

Hunter inclined his head, his eyes never wavering from Logan’s. “Your warning has been heard and received.”

Logan nodded, then grunted and swigged his wine.

Viggo looked around the table with a sober expression. “After the playoffs, I’m going to sit my mother down and tell her everything about my grandfather.”

Everyone stared at him. They knew it was a huge step for him to open up about the abuse he’d endured from his grandfather. He’d suffered in silence for too many years, harboring the painful secret to protect his mother. He deserved healing and closure.

Reid clapped him supportively on the shoulder. “You’re doing the right thing, bro.”

A low murmur of agreement went around the group.

Viggo rubbed the side of his glass with his thumb. “I promised my dad I’d never tell my mom the truth. But I think it’s time.”

“Absolutely,” Hunter said quietly. “You’ve shouldered the burden long enough—unfairly, I might add. You need to liberate yourself and let the chips fall where they may.”

There were more nods of agreement.

After a reflective silence, Viggo drank some wine, put his glass down and sent a marveling glance around the table. “Man, what a crazy season we had. So much happened on and off the ice. I still can’t believe Reid and I will be married men by the end of the summer. And what about Logan’s long-lost love coming back into his life? Man, talk about fate.”

“Hear, hear,” Hunter and Reid agreed warmly, tapping their forks against their glasses while Logan smiled.

“It’s been one hell of a ride.” Viggo grinned. “If we win the Cup, I might lose my fucking mind.”

The others laughed and agreed.

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