Page 47 of The Puck Player

“If you say so, Trouble,” I wink, tossing the covers aside and climbing out of bed. “Now come on, chop chop, it’s time for tea,” I tell her, not waiting to see if she will follow, but delighted all the same when I hear the rustle of the covers and the soft pad of her feet behind me.

“Tea?” she repeats in question, and I can’t hide my smirk, as I lead her downstairs to find Archer and Daemon already waiting.

“Morning boys,” I greet them, nodding my head, before I move to make quick work of getting my tea set out, setting it all up on the tray while I wait for some water to boil in my kettle in the corner.

“So when you said tea, you really meant tea,” Aubree laughs awkwardly, as Archer tries to steal one of the cups and I smack his hand away.

“Of course I meant tea, what else would I mean?” I scoff in response, rolling my eyes.

“First rule of Reign, Bree, don’t come between him and his teapot,” Archer jokes, and Daemon smothers a smile into his coffee. The broody dick better watch himself smiling at his boyfriend’s jokes, or I won’t make him his morning Earl Grey. “We know it’s pink and he’s certifiably insane, but we keep him around anyway,” Archer adds playfully, and Aubree smiles at him so wide that I feel like punching the dick.

“Are you kidding? This is awesome, I love tea,” she tells him excitedly, before turning back to me. “Do you have Twinings, you know the English Breakfast Tea? It’s my favorite,” she beams, not a joke in sight, and shit, I think I might be in love.

“Yeah,” I stutter. “I mean, yes, yes I have Twinings,” I tell her, and looking as if she doesn’t have a care in the world, like last night didn’t even happen, she jumps up onto one of the stools at the island and watches me expectantly.

“Well shit, there’s two of them,” Archer grunts beneath his breath, but I ignore him, as I get to work on making Aubree the perfect cup of tea.

I make us both a cup of English Breakfast, before focusing on Daemon’s Earl Grey, and finishing off with a cup of green tea for Archer. Nova and Jake and their other halves are nowhere to be seen, so they will have to wait until later. Once they all have their drinks, I also grab a bottle of water and some painkillers, tossing two back, before offering them to Aubree, but she shakes her head.

“How do you not have a headache? My head is pounding,” I complain, and the little vixen smirks over her cup at me.

“Not all of us knocked back too much tequila and then knocked out someone else,” she jokes, delighting me by making light of the situation, telling me that everything might be okay between us after all.

“Hmm, I recall both of those things being your fault, Trouble,” I toss back, and she rolls her eyes, just as someone pounds on the door. Archer moves to get it, but I’m closer, so I hold my hand up to say I’ll go. “If that’s the pastor again or the police, then my lawyer’s contact details are inside my desk,” I joke with a wink, leaving behind a horrified looking Aubree, and my exasperated teammates, as I move to answer the door.

I’m only half joking, and when I swing it open I find the last person I would ever expect to see on a Saturday morning, well until I get to practice that is.

“Coach?” I say in question, by way of greeting, completely confused because he never ever comes here. “What the hell are you doing here?” I ask with a laugh, but he looks anything but in the mood for jokes, as he eyes me darkly.

“Where the fuck is she?” he shouts, shoving me roughly out of the way, before storming into the house.

I don’t even bother closing the door as I follow after him, reaching the kitchen a millisecond after he does.

“Coach?” Archer greets him in question the same way I did, but it’s Aubree’s surprised and confused stare that gets me, especially when Coach takes one look at her and then turns back to me.

“I had one fucking rule,” he roars, slamming me against the wall, and I’m about to ask what the fuck he’s talking about when Aubree jumps off her stool.

“Dad! No!” she shouts, rushing toward us.

“Dad?” I choke out, looking between them, and it’s only now that recognition and understanding flow through my hungover brain. “Oh fuck.”

“Fuck, indeed,” Coach grits, looking ready to kill me.

“Dad, please, let him go, he hasn’t done anything,” Aubree pleads with him, but Coach is having none of it.

“You’re standing there in his fucking jersey, Aubree, do you even have anything on underneath?” he spits, and I know he’s pissed, hell, I even know why, but I won’t let him disrespect her.

“With all due respect, sir, this isn’t what it looks like,” I start, and he cuts me another scathing glare.

“So you’re telling me she didn’t spend the night here after you attacked her boyfriend?” he questions, and well, shit, this is exactly what it looks like.

“That’s not what happened,” Aubree starts again, pulling on his arm, but he doesn’t relent and she sighs. “I take it Ben came to see you,” she adds, shaking her hand. “God, I should have known this is what he would do, it’s so like him,” she laughs, but I know she doesn’t find any of this funny, not when I see her take a deep breath as she is about to alert her father to the truth. “Ben has been on at me to give him my virginity for months now,” she begins, and I see Coach cringe a little at her words, but his jaw also tightens, just like mine. “I kept telling him I wasn’t ready,but last night he tried again and I pushed him off, we had a fight and he admitted he had been fucking Malorie behind my back. He also said some other unpleasant things I won’t repeat, but that is why Alexander hit him.”

I note she leaves out the part where I offered the sorry fuck money to disappear, but hey, I guess only the cliffnotes are important.

“Alexander let me stay here in case Ben came to the apartment trying to see me,” she adds. “I’m only wearing his jersey so I could sleep comfortably, nothing happened, we’re friends.” Her words are pleading, and I hate how fucking much the word friend stings, but it has Coach loosening his grip on me.

“Well, go and get your things, I’ll take you home,” he snaps in the same no-nonsense tone he uses on the team, but unlike us, Aubree isn’t phased. In fact, she leans right up and kisses his cheek, offering him her winning smile.

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