Page 62 of Never You

“She’s the princess,” I say, turning my focus back to the road. “My mother treats Della like her little clone, and I think for the most part Della liked being the favorite of the family. But now that she’s older, the cracks are starting to show. She is more of a rebel than my mother knows.”

“How old is she?”

“Seventeen.”

Rae whistles. “Sounds like the perfect age to piss your mother off.”

“Right. She does it more often lately.” I laugh, thinking about my sister with pride. She’s always been the baby of the family, and I love her more than anything. But over the last year, she’sbeen reaching out to me a lot, frustrated about our mother, and I’ve been enjoying every minute of it.

“I bet you support her rebellion, don’t you?” She leans against the door, her elbow propped up on the window with her hand supporting her head as she glances at me with amusement. A silly smile tugs on my cheeks, looking at the blonde girl next to me.

“Absolutely. I fucking cheer her on. Giving her all the inside scoop on how to piss her off even more.”

A loud laugh sounds through the car, showering me with goosebumps from head to toe. The ringing of her laughter makes my heart jump for more.

“You’re an asshole, Jensen.”

“I know, babe.”

For a brief moment, we stay quiet, as I linger in the comfortable mood she’s getting me in with a grin splitting my face.

It’s weird how some things work. Last week, I couldn’t stand the girl, thinking she was the most rigid one there was. Hot as hell, but rigid as fuck. And now, she’s sitting next to me as we drive cross-country like we’ve known each other our entire lives.

“Tell me something I don’t know about you.” She bites her lip with a mischievous glint in her eyes that turns me the fuck on, my brows quirking up.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know? Something I can’t google.”

I drop my head back, breaking out in laughter. “You’re looking at me like you want to know all my dirty secrets?”

“Oh my God, if you’re talking about your sex life, then no,” she screeches. “Just tell me something no one knows.”

I think hard, asking myself what I’m willing to share with her.

“I’m not going to be playing for the Knights next season.”

I glance over to watch her reaction, and like I expected, her jaw drops, giving me a dubious look. She pushes her sunglasses lower on her nose, exposing her sparkling eyes.

“You look like a dork, doing that,” I say, even though she looks fucking adorable.

“You’re leaving the Knights? Youjustwon the Stanley Cup.”

“I know.”

“Where are you going?”

I rub the back of my neck, letting out a grunt. “I don’t know yet.”

No one knows. Not even Bodi. I decided before we won the finals that I needed a change. That no matter what happened, I was going to do something different next season. I hoped we’d win, making it the perfect ending of my time in LA.

But regardless, it was time to change it up. To take on a new challenge. Lately, life has grown stale, and I’m desperate for something new. Something exciting.

“You don’t know yet?”

“Nope.” I pop myPwith a level of nonchalance that feels good. I’m looking forward to a new city. Maybe that’s why I’m not really making a lot of effort to fix things with Emily just yet. I don’t even know if I’m going to be in LA next season.

“Are you a free agent?”

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