Page 39 of Dirty Player

Ward waves at everyone to get started.

“Well, now they have a Montgomery on the team. We don’t lose.”

Molly and Payton watch me, and I wink at them. They’re still new in the family and they take everything we say literally.

“Hey, keep your eyes off my girl.” Knox growls.

Go, he’s so predictable...and easy to wind up.

“Sorry bro. NFL player now. The girls can’t keep away from me.”

A potato flies toward my head. I catch it with one hand and smirk at him as I pop it in my mouth.

“Christ. Can’t believe I missed with a head that size.” He groans.

I laugh out loud.

“That’s a lot of pressure,” Payton says. “Don’t you dare do that to our children!”

“Don’t need to. They’re Montgomery’s. Winners. It’s a given,” Knox says, shoveling food into his mouth, then points his fork at me. “Atlas is right. You need to date.”

I bite down onto my chicken with more force than necessary. It hits me that Kaylee will one day soon start seeing someone else and I’ll be forced, once again, to watch her under someone else’s arm.

“Sure.”

“Ooh, what about Joanne?” Molly pipes up. “She’s very pretty.”

“Sounds lame. Joanne. Nope,” I reply and the girls glare at me.

“What? I’ve never met a hot Joanne.” I shrug and Dad shoots me a dark look.

Yeah, that was a stupid thing to say, but I don’t want to date. I don’t want to imagine doing all the things Kaylee and I did together with someone else.

It feels like I’d be replacing her.

Which I would be...

And should be.

I know it would be the right thing to do, but I’m not there yet.

I need to get off this topic.

Fast.

Before my sisters-in-law set me up.

“Anyway, just keep your expectations realistic. We have a good team, but it may take us a couple of seasons to get some traction.”

Then we might win.

Half the team is new, and we have two new coaches plus a new manager. The owner has invested a ton in the Hawkes this year, but we all know it will be a miracle if we take the home trophy.

We’re going to give it everything, though.

CHAPTER NINE

KAYLEE

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