Page 17 of Hockey Boy

“Right. And like you’ve ever allowed doors to stop you from barging in where you’re not wanted,” my brother scoffs.

I hold up my hands and let those words—where you’re not wanted—roll off my back. Mostly. “Gentleman, please. Remember, I’m the broken one here. I’m sad.” I stick out my bottom lip the way Finn did last night.

War smacks the back of my head, sending me stumbling.

Brooks barks out a laugh. “I’m grabbing a beer, and then you’re going to start talking.”

“I guess the tour can wait until later,” I mumble, heading toward the couch. I might as well get comfortable if I’m going to get yelled at.

My brother settles beside me while War takes the leather chair.

Brooks lifts his chin. “Does that have one of those massage things in it?”

With a moan, War closes his eyes and reclines. “Yeah, it does.”

“Oh Jesus, don’t have a fucking orgasm in my chair,” I whine.

“Your chair? Glad you’re making yourself comfortable.” He keeps his eyes closed and laces his fingers over his abdomen, as if he doesn’t care one way or the other how the rest of the conversation goes.

“Start talking,” Brooks says, leaning back against the couch cushion.

“What is there to talk about? I told you I wasn’t going to tell anyone about the breakup yet. Why are you acting weird?” I try for defensive, hoping it will get him off my back.

“I agreed to keep your breakup to myself because it’s really no one’s business, but I won’t let you screw over Lennox?—”

“Watch yourself,” I say, straightening. “I would never do anything to hurt Lennox.”

“Wasting her time planning a wedding that isn’t going to happen isn’t exactly helping her,” War throws out, though his eyes remain closed.

“I don’t plan on wasting her time. I showed up to tell her that I would have to cancel the contract, and I intended to ask her to lunch since she’d done all that work setting up the appointments, but when I got there, she seemed so—” SonotLennox. The girl is fire and sure of herself. She never shows weakness. But today? Fuck, today she seemed broken. I hated every second of it, and I would have done anything to fix it. So I did. “She seemed lost.”

“Lennox seemed lost?” Brooks asks, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Yeah. Like she needed this job, and it really mattered to her.”

Leaning back again, Brooks runs a hand through his hair. It’s grown a bit wild since he cut it last season and started a challenge that led to half the league being practically bald. It was all for Sara. Of course it was. My brother would do anything to make that girl smile. “She does seem a bit different.”

This time I’m the one who leans in close. “It’s not just me? I’m worried about her. Something’s going on.”

Brooks nods. “Yeah, I’ll talk to Sar.”

War cracks one eye open. “You two sound ridiculous.”

“Sorry for interrupting your nap.” With a long pull of my beer, I turn back to Brooks. “Give me a few days to figure out why this gig means so much to her. Then maybe I can help her out of whatever she’s gotten herself into.”

“Aiden,” Brooks says, his tone full of disapproval. “You haven’t been in a relationship with the girl in ten years, and the last time you were?—”

I hold my hand up. I don’t need to go back to that time. “This isn’t about that.”

“You aren’t using this time with her to reacquaint yourself?” War asks, both eyes finally opened and locked on me.

“No, I?—”

“You aren’t thinking that if she spends a little time with you—planning your nonexistent wedding—that she’ll get jealous and remember allthose feelings she had?”

Lips pressed together, I shrug. “I mean, when you put it that way…”

“It’s a bad idea,” Brooks grumps.

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