Page 49 of Body Checked By the Defenseman

I use Cade’s car to drop him, Hayden, and Luc at the airport. As I am driving back to the house, I realize it is time to come clean to Charlie about what Macklin and I have been up to. I know I can trust Finn too. It is Aaron I am more concerned about. When I get to a red light, I text Charlie.

Me:When will you be home?

She answers in seconds.

Charlie:I’m here. Why?

Me: I need to talk to you.

Charlie:Aaron is throwing a party.

Just great. As I pull on to our street, I see the cars lined up. Aaron is throwing a rager.

Cade’s usual spot on the driveway is free so I park in his spot and enter the house. Music is blasting and I don’t recognize most of the faces but as I walk deeper into the house, I find Charlie.

“How did he manage to put it together so quickly?” I ask.

Charlie shrugs. “What did you want to talk about?” she screams over the noise.

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. It’s nothing serious. Don’t worry about it.” I wave her off.

“Come, let’s go do shots. If you can’t stop them then join them.” She giggles, taking me by the hand. She guides me to the main room where a plastic table is set up with alcohol and pours us each a shot of tequila.

“To the end of the semester,” she shouts over the noise, lifting the plastic shot cup.

“Cheers,” I reply, tapping her shot cup.

We both take the shot down.

“When are you leaving for Nashville?” I ask since she is going home with Finn for Christmas.

“Sunday. I think with all this chaos we need another shot.” My best friend has become a small party animal since moving into the hockey house.

We take another shot and find a reason to take another. We are both tipsy as hell when we walk by the couch. Aaron is sitting with Finn and some other guys from the hockey team who don’t live in the house. Charlie takes a seat on Finn’s lap, and I sit between Tyler and Hutch.

I search the room for Macklin, but he is nowhere in sight.

“Where is Mack?” I ask Charlie.

“I think he’s in the backyard.” I am obviously not going to get up and find him in my state. These guys all play hockey with my brother, and I could accidentally slip and kiss Macklin.

I stay seated between the guys. Charlie gets up and begins dancing with Finn on a makeshift dance floor in the room.

“What are you up to for the holidays?” Tyler asks.

“I’m waiting for Hayden to come home on Monday, then we’ll head home to my grandmother with Mack,” I reply. “How about you?”

“Heading home to North Carolina to spend time with the family,” Tyler answers with an awkward tone. It’s becauseHayden is my brother and he scared all the guys away from me. It is something I’m used to.

“Cool,” I reply as Macklin walks into the room and does a double take when he sees me sitting between his teammates. He has a beer in his hand, and he looks a little tipsy.

“Rubes, what’s up?” he asks.

Yup, he’s tipsy.

“Just got back from the airport. Were you in on this party too?” I ask with accusation in my tone.

“Aaron asked me to keep quiet. Hayden would’ve flipped if he knew we were having a party and he wasn’t here to keep an eye on you,” Macklin shrugs sheepishly.

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