Page 26 of My Pucking Valentine

Hockey is my first love, but it’s not my only love.

“Are the rumors true? Is the girl you were seen with your sister?” a voice shouts from the crowd.

Turning toward the person who asked, I smile down at her. She’s standing behind someone else. And I wait for her to make her approach to the front of the roped-off area. Dipping my chin slightly, I look down at her.

“The woman I’m head over heels in love with isn’t my sister. She is technically my stepsister, but we never lived together. My father married her mother when I was eighteen. The only time we’ve lived in the same state was this past year when we connected and fell in love. We have zero blood relation to one another.”

“Wow, so this whole thing was misinformation?” she asks.

“It was,” I state. I say it loud enough that everyone around me can hear. “It was complete misinformation. Clara Winslow is not related to me. I’m madly in love with her, and hopefully, soon, she will be my wife.”

I wave to everyone as I begin to walk into the arena. I hear more shouts and unintelligible questions. Ignoring them, I hope I have just made a dent in the bad press and that it’s shifting toward something more positive.

Authentic.

That’s what I’ve decided I’m going to be from here on out. No more secrets. No more hiding. Clara is who I want, and I didn’t realize how badly I wanted her until this blew up in our faces.

But I do now.

Not only do I want her, but I want to marry her, fall asleep beside her, and wake up next to her. I want her to have my children. I love everything about her and have for a while. She’s scared right now, but I’ve fucking got her back.

She just needs to see that.

Needs to feel it deep inside of her.

I hope to fuck that she’s here tonight.

When I walk into the locker room, I’m surprised to see not only Eli but Daniel, Pavel, and Henry standing in front of my locker. Feeling a bit apprehensive, I tilt my head to the side as I wait for one of them to start talking.

“What?” I ask when nobody speaks.

“Are you ready for tonight?” Daniel asks.

My lips twitch into a smirk. I asked them to help me with my plan earlier today, and they didn’t tell me no, but none of them really agreed to it, either. “You’re going to help me?”

“We’re your brothers. Of course, we will help you,” Pavel announces.

Daniel takes a step forward. “I’d like to actually meet her, though, too.”

Eli snorts. “Same here.”

My shoulders shake as I laugh. “You’ll all meet her, and you’ll love her. But she’s mine; remember that shit.”

A few minutes later, we’re all suited up and ready for warm-ups. Coach gives his pep talk, then holds his hand up for me to stop on my way out of the locker room.

“You got your shit together for this, Sullivan?” he asks.

Jerking my chin, I give him a grunt. “I’m good.”

I’m not sure if I’m actually good, but I’m going to fake this shit until I make it because I don’t have any other choice. All I can do is hope that people forget about me in general and about the whole sibling debacle.

If they don’t, we go from there, but I’m not going to live in misery because some strangers have made up some bullshit in their minds that’s not even true. I love Clara. I know that much, and tonight, the rest of the world is going to know, too… if she shows up, that is.

TWENTY-FOUR

CLARA

My knee bouncesup and down as I sit in the chair. It’s cold in here, but that’s not why I’m shaking. I’m shaking because I have a gigantic diamond ring in my pocket. Barbara and Sarah are on either side of me, but they aren’t focused on me at all. I could be on another planet, and they wouldn’t even notice.

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