Page 24 of Body Shot

They’re throwing a lot of names at me, but I’m pretty sure I know who everyone is since I’d met them yesterday.

“Hush and let her tell the story,” Hana interjects.

“Right. So Scarlett and Wolf run into each other, wind up getting naked, and getting pregnant.”

“It’s actually kind of a sad story, because she lost the baby,” Sloane says softly, “but we’re going to skip all that because they’re together now. They adopted Naomi, whom you met yesterday, and they just had their little boy a couple of months ago.”

“And it continues from there,” Eden says, chuckling. “The team is on a road trip when Cam runs into his ex, who was a goalie in the professional women’s hockey league. They get back together, he helps her get a job working for the Knights organization, they move in together, and then her bestie comes to visit. I don’t know the details, but Autumn meets one of the team’s assistant coaches, Henrik, and they wind up getting together. He’s the head coach of the L.A. Phantoms now, but they got together here.”

“I’m getting confused,” I admit.

“My story is better,” Eden says. “Back in college, I had two besties—Daisy and Zoe. Daisy’s mom is married to the head coach of the Las Vegas Sidewinders. That’s important to know. The three of us graduated from college and went on vacation in Paris. There we met Slava and Van.”

“Slava?” I ask. “Wait—the Slava and Zoe I met yesterday?”

“Yes. Hang on. So Daisy and Van hook up, not knowing who they are. Meaning, she doesn’t realize he plays for the Sidewinders, and he has no idea his head coach is her stepfather.”

“Shit!” I gasp through a laugh.

“Right. So Slava and Zoe hook up, but he’s playing for the KHL in Russia at the time, so their relationship is separate from this part of the story. Things blow up when Van and Daisy decide to keep seeing each other. Anyway, they get together, Slava gets signed to the Knights, and he and Zoe wind up together. Meanwhile, I go visit Daisy in Vegas and meet Decker, who’s playing for the Sidewinders.”

“This is such a fun story,” Sloane says, laughing.

“We date, we break up, and then I realize I don’t want to lose him, so I fly back to Vegas not knowing he’s already been traded.”

“Let me guess,” I say. “To the Knights?”

“Exactly. But…he’s back in Vegas for one day to take care of some things and we make up and I follow him here to Florida.”

“That’s where I come in,” Sloane says. “I ran away when I was sixteen. It’s a long story I don’t want to talk about today, but I hadn’t seen my brother, Decker, in ten years. After my divorce, I decide it’s time to reconnect. So I fly down here and go to a game. I call out to him as he’s leaving the ice, and he sees me.”

“He didn’t know you were coming?” I ask.

“He had no idea where I was. We literally didn’t see or speak to each other for a decade. Anyway, I come to find my long-lostbrother, but while I’m waiting for him after the game, in walks Johan.” She giggles. “I almost forgot about my brother. One look at those blue eyes, and it was all over.”

We all laugh.

“So you found your brother and the love of your life,” I say in a dreamy voice. “That sounds magical.”

“It is. Johan is everything I’ve ever wanted and then some.”

“And now you’re going out with Anders,” Hana says, poking me with her foot.

“It’s a group date,” I say.

“You guys were sucking your faces off during the fireworks,” Sloane says. “Why didn’t you go home with him?”

“Tell them,” Hana says dryly. “Tell them why you didn’t go home with him.”

“Because I barely know him!” I say. “Geez.”

“Uh huh.”

“I feel like there’s an inside joke,” Sloane says.

“Except they’re not laughing,” Eden adds.

“Fine.” I huff. “I had a bad sexual experience and haven’t had sex since. And I told Anders there wouldn’t be any ofthathappening.”

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