Page 92 of Rainbow Kisses

What the hell? “Okay, now you’re just freaking me out. What’s going on?”

“Don’t freak out, but we met behind your back.” Rowdy held up a hand to stop whatever was about to come out of my mouth. “Yes, I know we agreed not to discuss this unless we were all together, but there were some things the three of us had to say. Most of it was the fact that you were right, and they didn’t want to have to say it to your face.”

Rebel rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling, but Rocky took the bait, just like Rowdy knew he would.

“Hey, that’s not exactly true.” Rocky gave me a smile that would totally melt any woman’s heart in a five-mile radius. “Okay, maybe it’s a little true. We love you, Rainy. You just scare us a little sometimes. You’re usually right about everything.”

No, I wasn’t. Look how badly I’d screwed up my relationship with Brian. I still hadn’t texted him to tell him how I felt. That wasn’t exactly me being right about everything. That was me being stupid. And indecisive. Two things I typically wasn’t.

“Just to be clear,” I said. “We’re going to turn down the offer?”

“Yes. Because you’re right.” Rebel finally stopped staring at the wall to look at me. “This team and what Pop built here is more important to our players and our fans than jumping to another league.”

I looked at Rocky. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. And I trust that when I decide I want to play here, you and Rowdy will be running the best damn team in the Northeast Professional Hockey League.”

“Rowdy? Are you really sure this is what you want?”

“It is.” He nodded, his expression as serious as he ever got. “I know you and I are gonna butt heads sometimes, but there’s no one I would rather run this team with. We’re gonna kick ass, Rainy.”

My smile widened.

“We will.”

Now, I just needed to figure out how to fix the mess I’d made of the situation with Brian.

TWENTY-FIVE

Brian

Thursdayafter a long shift at the lumberyard, I walked through the apartment door to find Linny at the table, laptop open, shaking her head.

She didn’t even look up when I said, “Hey,” just kind of hummed a sound and went back to frowning at her screen. I walked around her to get to the sink to wash my hands and get a glass of water, then leaned against the counter to peek at her screen.

Banking app. And it didn’t have a negative balance. Which was great. Still…

“This isn’t working,” I said.

Linny went still, her fingers freezing over the keyboard before she turned to face me. She didn’t say anything for several seconds before she took a breath, her expression resigned.

“I know,” she said. “I just…I don’t know how to fix this. Maddy hates that school. I don’t exactly hate my job, but I know you do. I hate that you aren’t playing hockey. And I hate that this is all my fault.”

Shit. My heart stopped beating for a second as I thought of all the implications of that statement. Had she relapsed?

“Brian, breathe.” She actually smiled a little. “I haven’t started drinking again. And I hate that you immediately went there. I hate that I made you go there. I’m just stuck, and I hate it. I need to do what’s best for Maddy and me and you?—”

“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“But this isn’t working for Maddy, and I can’t live with that. I don’t know what to do, Bri.”

I paused for a second, knowing I had to get this out there. “Maybe I do.”

She looked at me with so much hope in her eyes that I sincerely hoped I wasn’t going to steer her—steer us—wrong. Because this wasn’t just about Linny and Maddy. It was about the three of us. I wasn’t willing to leave them behind again. We needed each other. But I had another family out there who I knew would be happy to take us in.

I missed hockey. I missed the Devils. I missed St. David and the fans.

I fucking ached for Rain every night we’d been apart.

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