Page 9 of Their Greatest Strength

“Jaxon is more popular on the team but not in the country. You’re Tyler Bateman’s son and the cousin of both Maddox and Noah Hutton. You have the connections and the fans at the ready to come running once the news breaks of this new relationship.”

I sniff. It’s not the first time I’ve been used to get something from my family. When you grow up with one of the most successful hockey players in the NHL as a father and then alongside a cousin like Maddox Hutton, who soared even higher in the professional hockey league, you learn to accept that sometimes, people only want to know you to meet someone else.

My parents knew I’d choose football from a young age, but everyone else . . . I think they wished I’d followed in the hockey footsteps that had been laid for me to follow. Maybe that’s why Graham agreed so easily to my offer. All men at the level he’s at are focused on one thing. Money. I’ve promised him that twice over.

Oliver, my older brother, didn’t choose either sport. Instead, he opted for a life as a firefighter, and he’s never regretted that. Not once. We’re similar in that way. There’s no way I’d have chosen anything other than football, regardless of what anyone else in my family had done.

Noah Hutton, Maddox’s younger brother, didn’t choose hockey either. He chose music and is now one of the most successful artists in the world, selling out stadiums left and right, including the one I’m in right now.

If it were possible to bond with a man as cold and vicious as Noah, he would have been my top choice with everything we have in common.

Letting loose a soft laugh, I wink at Graham. “Using me for my family name. How very social climber of you.”

“If I had another option as good as this one . . .”

I shake my head at my boss, keeping an easy smile in place. “Nah. I get it. And I’ll do it.”

“Thank you. You’re doing a lot for the entire organization, Jamie,” Graham says, relaxing slightly in his chair.

“You got it. I’m a team player.”

“I expect updates from both of you,” Coach barks, slipping into a dad role effortlessly. “And this isn’t to take precedence over the game itself. Jamieson is my player before anything else.”

Graham stands and holds the edge of his desk, keeping Coach in his sights. “Of course. We are nothing without the game.”

“Glad we got that sorted, then.”

“I guess I’ll start looking for a wife now, then, huh?” I ask, breaking up their showdown.

Coach huffs a breath and starts for the office door. I linger, waiting for Graham to dismiss me first. As much as I want to get out of here and shed this dirty gear, I was raised around men like Graham Warren and know better than to leave without confirmation that we’re finished.

“Yes. And keep me posted. I trust you’ll handle this quickly and subtly.”

It’s almost a threat.

“You got it.”

Graham lifts a hand toward the door, where Coach is lingering with a scowl. “We’re done for now, then.”

I take my leave eagerly and follow Coach out of the office. It’s not until we step into the elevator that he speaks.

“You should have told him no.”

Leaning back against the side of the elevator, I cock my head at him. “We both know that wasn’t really an option. If I had said no, he could have just found a way to make me do it anyway. Plus, I still got something out of it.”

Maddox was in this position years ago in a move orchestrated by his old hockey team, the Vancouver Warriors. Only instead of a wife, he was forced to enter a fake dating arrangement with his childhood sweetheart to hide a scandal. I know all about the illusion of being able to say no when, in reality, the moment you do, you’re told thatyes, youare.

At least the asshole was allowed to fake date her instead of getting very legally married. Even if he would have secretly loved marrying his now wife that much earlier.

“What are you planning on doing? Going onto the street and holding a sign that says, ‘I’m looking for a wife, any takers’?” Coach grunts.

I laugh, watching the doors open to expose the hallway leading to the dressing room.

“No, Coach. We both know I’m more of a waiting for a treasure chest to wash ashore type of guy.”

4

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