Page 131 of Breakneck Hockey

“Originally, I didn’t think you two would last the summer, but then you did, and I had to reevaluate,” he says. “I still see you two as the equivalent of a hurricane gone off the rails, but I also think you take care of my brother in a way I can’t anymore.”

Is that what’s tearing him up? “Passing your problems off to me, Other Alderchuck?” If he’s gonna grind my gears, he’s getting demoted from Stacey to Other Alderchuck, but this time to his face.

“Not in any universe, Sutter. I’d rather keep things the way they were than pass him off to someone unworthy.”

“Then you’re saying you think I’m worthy.”

That pulls a struggling half smile from him. Why is it so fucking hard to make this guy smile?

“I’m saying, I don’t think you need my advice anymore, you have your own way of taking care of him, shit I’d never do, but it’s shit he relishes in.” He considers me for a moment. “Mom used to say that Casey was like a dandelion gone to seed. You know, like when it’s turned into a white puffball? All it takes is abreeze strong enough and the pieces of him fly away on separate adventures.”

That’s … accurate.

“It’s one of the reasons we started playing hockey—aside from the fact that a good portion of the Canadian population picks up a hockey stick at some point. Hockey grounded Casey but still let him be everywhere doing everything. Mom had a way with him, too. It was never defined, but I know Casey felt it. When she died, I tried to recreate that feeling for him, but I’ve never gotten it quite right, so it only gets him by. As a result, he hasn’t flourished. But if he was with the right person?—”

“You think it’s me?”

“I think it’s to be determined, but I saw the way his eyes searched for you tonight. And while you exist as the breeze that blows his flyaway seeds in all directions, you’re somehow able to call them all back. Restore him.”

I smile on the inside but give nothing away on the outside. Alderchuck’s not just my kitten, but my wild dandelion puff.

“He does the same for me,” I admit. And I mean both things. He brings me inner peace as often as inner pandemonium.

“I’m warning you though, break his heart, and I’ll break something of yours that’ll put you into an early hockey retirement.” I get a smile, but it’s not a nice one. It shows all his teeth.

Huh. This Alderchuck has a different kind of bite than my Alderchuck. But I have a younger sibling, so I get it. Anyone who wants to date Isla—one day when she’s forty-five—has to get through me first.

Stacey doesn’t scare me, but I get his sentiments as intended. “Guess I’m on my own with your brother then.”

“Yep. Good luck with that. I love him to death, but he’s chaos incarnate.”

The door swings open, letting some of the heat out, reminding me that it’s cold as fuck out here. My limbs have already frozen enough to head into numbing territory. Dash—the one I like to refer to as the pretty one—sets his gaze on Stacey.

“Stace! There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

Dash takes a step toward the arctic-like tundra that is currently the Meyer’s front porch. Stacey’s up like a shot because he sees what I see, Dash sockless and shoeless. Even Casey wouldn’t pull some bullshit like that, stepping onto the cold deck barefoot. But someone—Stacey—has a caretaking complex a mile high.

“I know you weren’t gonna step out here without shoes on, sweetheart. I was just coming inside,” Stacey lies. That’s such bullshit. Also,sweetheart?What the fuck? Doesn’t Dash have a boyfriend? I know what I would do to any man calling Casey sweetheart.

Okay, I’ll admit that I’m curious, now, but know what? Fuck, no. It looks like a lot of drama to me. I have zero interest in their soap opera.

“What were you doin’ out here?” Dash asks, concern filling his features as his eyes flick briefly to me.

Stacey slides his arms around Dash and Dash reaches till he’s on his tip toes so he can put his arms around Stacey’s neck. Stacey’s several inches taller than Dash. Their “whatever this is” pulls me in a little further. I can’t help it. They click together with the kind of chemistry that makes even me wonder things. It’s on the tip of my tongue to be a fucking shit disturber and stir this pot, but I’ll behave myself. I doubt it would go over well.

“Sutter was asking me some advice about Casey,” Other Alderchuck says. His statement might be true, but there’s a subtle implication that I was the one who pulled him out here.

Yeah, okay, Other Alderchuck.Having him owe me one might come in handy someday, so I let it slide.

Dash burrows into Stacey’s jacket, sheltering from the cold. I get an analytical glare from him. Fuck, jealous much? Ah, but I get it. It’s probably the twin thing, which makes sense—Stacey and Casey are identical. All logic says I should be attracted to Stacey too, but I’m not. I recognize that he’s an attractive man, but I’m not aroused by him. Dash should know that since, clearly, he’s got some kind of thing for Stacey and not Casey. Unless …ishe attracted to my Alderchuck? He could have a twin fetish for all I know. I glare right back. Dash is off the list of people it’s okay for Alderchuck to cuddle with until I clear this up.

Dash steps back to peer at Stacey. Stacey lights up with a pure smile. Yeah, the unsmiling motherfucker smiles like the damn summer sun. He’s so busted. I’m not an expert on love, but I know it when I see it. That man’s gone, gone, gone.

Stacey turns his head, beaming brighter than the freshly fallen snow. “You good, Sutter?”

I smirk. “So good.”

“C’mon, let’s find you some slippers,” he says to Dash. They step into the house, leaving the door wide open for me, giving me a view of the empty kitchen, except for the one person who’s pawing through the fridge, reaching for a beer.

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