Her expression grows serious as she says, “Then switch them to my roster to train. You can take Manny and Langly. That way you'd still have a goalie and a center.”
I arch a brow in question. “How would we go about asking Max for the switch?”
“Be honest. Bring the boys in with you for a meeting and tell him the truth; that you guys want a relationship. Explain that you and I have already talked and agreed to switch a few players we oversee so ethics won’t be called into question. I think if you are honest and keep it professional, they will take that into consideration. It’s probably better than keeping it a secret and them finding out later from someone else.”
Huffing out a breath I ask, “Do you think that will work?”
She bumps my shoulder. “You’ll never know unless you try.”
“I have a feeling the guys won’t like switching it up.”
Laughing, she says, “They will deal with it if it means you get to stay. You don’t have a lot of options here. The pair are becoming too obvious about their feelings for you. The higher ups will notice soon if you don’t do something about it now.”
My shoulders slump as the adrenaline leaves my body completely wiped. “Soon.” I hesitantly agree.
“Let’s set up a meeting later this week,” she says as the buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the game. She bumps my shoulder. “Now, go check on your boy.”
I shake my head. “I need to make sure the rest of my boys are good.”
She flicks my forehead. “What part of ‘I’ve got you’ do you not understand. Oli is the only one who got hurt, and I’m sure Lewi will be right behind you.”
I rub my forehead as I narrow my eyes. “Was the thump necessary?”
“Yes. Now go!”
I smirk and give her a hug. “Thank you.”
She hugs me back. “Anytime, girl.”
I pull away and do a quick sweep around to find Dean staring at me. He points toward the locker room. I can’t hear him so I watch his mouth as he asks, “Wait for me?”
I nod and point to the exit. “Hallway.”
He nods, then rushes to the lockerroom. I make my way into the hall to wait for Dean to change. When I hear the door swing open, my head jerks up. My eyes widen when I see my nine boys step out.
Vicy smirks as he makes his way closer. Draping an arm over my shoulder, he asks, “Did you really think we would let you go to the hospital without us?”
My mouth gapes. “I figured you guys would come later.”
Taz walks up to my other side with a smile. “We’re family, right?”
My eyes burn but I grin. “Yeah,” I rasp.
Vicy releases me and jogs forward. “Let’s go check on our boy.”
Dean twines his pinky with mine and says quietly, “They wanted to come to make sure it didn’t look weird with only you and me showing up for Mac.”
My gaze turn to Taz, and he smiles softly. He shrugs. “You’re Roe Roe.”
“And what exactly does that mean?”
I jump when I hear Perri’s behind me.“Famille.”
Family.My chest feels like it’s about to burst. I never thought these boys would come to mean so much to me. “I love you guys. You know that?”
Perri ruffles my hair with a soft laugh.“Je t'aime aussi soeur.”
“What does that mean?”