Page 7 of Anti Player

Kaleb

I’m late meeting with the guys for lunch since I took my morning run late and had to shower. Turns out my lateness worked out well because I got to see Maddie. It’s been about two years since I last saw her. I blow out a breath. She is still as gorgeous as I remember. Considering I am friends with both her brothers, I have always kept my feelings in check but I remember watching her grow up. When she got to high school, I was a junior. Henry was always the studious type. It was me who stepped up when guys tried to ask her out, and Maddie had quite the lineup back in the day. Brett made me promise to keep an eye on her and I kept my promise. My eyes were on her. On her beauty, on her warm smile. Maddie was a serial monogamist, and I hated seeing her with each of her boyfriends. I told myself she had a big heart, and she did. She’d babysit my younger siblings for me while I went to hockey practices and Mom was tuned out.

Now I walk up to the patio where my friends are hanging out and having lunch. I fist bump each of them. Coming off of a Stanley Cup, win we are all on a high.

“Dude, it took you long enough,” Matt chides.

“I had to let Brett’s sister into his apartment,” I explain.

“Whoa, is she hot?” Matt asks.

I don’t have to anticipate what is going to happen because I already know. Brett slaps him in the chest hard. You can hear the impact of where his hand makes contact.

“What the fuck?” Matt complains, his face scrunched in pain.

“Do not fucking look at my sister or I’ll twist your balls off,” Brett warns.

Yup, that was the reaction I expected.

“Shit, bro, you need to chill out,” Matt says. “Point taken.”

“Good,” Brett confirms with a nod.

“So, are we booking Florida?” Aaron asks.

“No one wants to go anymore,” Brett answers. Evan isn’t coming since his affair with Patty has been outed. Liam just got married.

“I want to go,” Brad chimes in.

“Me too,” Aaron says.

Brett looks at me. “I could go to Florida once I am done with hockey camp. I could use a break, but what are you going to do with Maddie and Asher? You can’t leave, they just got here.”

“True,” Brett says, rubbing the scruff on his chin. “I could bring them along and most of us are helping you with the camp thing, so we’re tied up anyway.”

I created a foundation to support kids who have a stuttering problem, and I run a hockey camp every summer for them.

“You can’t bring Asher and Maddie to Florida,” I gasp. “Did you forget it’s a fuckfest for you guys?”

“No shit, I’ll get her and Asher a room on the other side of the hotel. They could do their own thing. She could probably use a vacation.”

I don’t know what Maddie’s story is or why she clearly showed up out of the blue to live with her brother, but my guessis she was in a relationship that went south. Where I don’t trust at all, that girl trusts too easily.

I get situated and order my lunch.

“I’ve been texting that Taylor girl. I want to take her out,” I say to the guys.

“You haven’t taken her out yet?” Brett asks, his blue eyes round.

I give him a look that says “Shut up” but he raises his eyebrows, and now I have four sets of eyes watching me.

“I’ve been busy.” I shrug.

“Doing what? We’re on break,” he states.

“Probably getting pussy on the side first.” Matt grins wide and then he fist bumps me, but I leave him hanging.

Brett continues to wait with his brows raised. I appreciate his concern with me being a virgin at age twenty-seven but he shouldn’t be concerned, I’m not.

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