Page 42 of Lock 'em Down

I sigh. “I’m sorry, okay? I know it was messed up to ignore you. I was just…processing.”

“I know,” he says easily. “And I wasn’t saying that to make you feel guilty. I’m happy you’re showing off the ink. That you’re not ashamed of it.”

“I’m not,” I confirm, holding up my left hand with my purple ring. “I’m not ashamed of this either. I’m just out of my element. I came to Knoxville to start my life on my own terms. Not be someone’s wife.”

Leif nods. “I’m not trying to change you, Cam. In fact, I want to know what your terms are.” He slides his thumb over my skin again before backing out of the parking spot and pulling onto a main road.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re an NHL player?” I ask, changing the subject to focus on him instead of me. I shift in my seat so I can watch his facial expressions.

He sighs, tilting his head back. “Listen, if this is gonna work, we need to be straight with each other, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay. Then, I didn’t tell you because I liked that you seemed into me for me and not because of what I do for a living.”

“I was into you for you,” I toss back.

“Exactly.” He gives me a quick smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “But most women aren’t. It’s because I play hockey or because my family is like some hockey royalty family with all us Bang brothers playing the game. Chances are, if a woman isn’t into me, she’s into one of my brothers.”

“There are six of you?” I ask, remembering Mom mentioning Stella’s six kids.

“Five boys and a girl,” Leif confirms. “We’re all in the NHL except Annie but she was a competitive figure skater for years.”

“Oh,” I breathe out, my memory wandering.

“Dad coaches the juniors now. King’s in Oakland with his girl Rory, Jakob’s in Portland and now shacked up with his former nanny, Gardenia.” I snort. “That woman is a saint for the way she manages and truly loves my twin nephews, Ryder and Rowan. Jensen’s settled down in LA with Bailey Walker?—”

“The actress?” I interrupt.

“Yep!” Leif nods.

“She won an Oscar.”

“I know. None of us could believe Jensen convinced Bailey to give him a shot.” He chuckles in a way that lets me know he’s kidding. He must be really close with Jensen, kind of like Jenna and me. “Annie lives in New York City and Tanner’s in Boston, playing for the Bucks.”

“Right,” I mutter. “Now that you’re painting a picture, I remember little things about your family. Mom would chat with Stella every Christmas break, right after receiving a Christmas card that would highlight what you all were up to.”

Leif groans. “Those Christmas cards were always so embarrassing. What were we really up to—besides hockey?”

I chuckle. “My brother played too.”

Leif gives me a questioning look.

“Rhett—”

“Coleman,” he supplies, nodding slowly. “Had a knee injury his sophomore year of college.”

“How do you know that?” I ask.

“Remember Mom and Dad talking about it. He never played again.”

“Nope,” I confirm. “To be honest, I don’t think his heart was in it anymore and the injury was the out he needed.” I’d never admitted that to anyone before. And here I am, spilling details of my brother’s life with Leif, a professional NHL player. “We all kind of lost interest in the sport after that.”

Leif chuckles. “Is that why you didn’t recognize me?”

“Hey! To be fair, no one in Vegas did.”

“Ouch.” He slaps a hand over his heart, and I laugh.

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