Page 1 of Accidentally Checked By My Brother's Best Friend

Chapter One

Duncan

“Hey,Red,what’sup?”Holding my phone, I board the Wolverines charter plane after a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. My niece’s voice rings out as I make my way down the aisle toward the back seats.

“Uncle Dunky, you were great today!” I take the phone off speaker, turn my head around, and scowl at my snickering teammates, who immediately school their expressions.

“Scarlett,” I whisper-yell. “How many times have I said to only use my nicknames in private?”

A snort comes from behind me, and I slowly turn to glare at the guilty party sitting in the seat I just walked past. Levi Wallace, the Wolverine’s right winger, is staring straight ahead, but from his shaking shoulders, I can tell he’s doing everything to hold in his laughter. I glance around at the rest of my teammates, and I find them all in similar situations. My lip curls and I snarl, only to have some guys chortle while others cough to cover up their laughter.

My jaw ticks, and I work to bring my attention back to what Scarlett was saying.

“Iamin the privacy of my own home,” she counters. I shake my head and scoff. This niece of mine is way too smart for her own good. “It’s not my fault you like to use the speaker on your phone.”

“You’re right.” I squeeze the bridge of my nose, breathe in a deep breath, and slowly blow it out. If I could just remember to bring my headphones, I wouldn’t have to worry about what nickname she uses. And she, unfortunately, has way too many I would prefer not to have overheard.

“As I was saying,” she continues. I roll my eyes and press my lips together, walking toward the back of the plane. “You were guarding that basket like a man on fire.”

The way my niece talks, you’d never know she’s only eight years old. My brother David swears she’s eight going on twenty-eight, and with every conversation I have with her, I’m not sure he’s wrong.

“Ava Norris has just broken up with her fiancé after seven years of dating!”

My head whips in the direction of the voice talking about Ava. I stop in my tracks, my mouth parting slightly while my heart slams against my ribcage.

“This is huge news, considering he just proposed to her last week, and they have been relationship goals for the longest time. And people, we have reasons to believe that this breakup was inspired by none other than the most eligible bachelor…”

“Oof!” A body slams into me, and I turn a hard stare over my shoulder at Tom ‘Viper’ Davidson, the Wolverine’s center and captain.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who stopped in the middle of the aisle.” He pins me with his gaze. “Mind moving along so the rest of us can get to our seats.”

“Uncle Duncan?” Scarlett’s voice cuts through my haze. I force my suddenly heavy feet to move. “Were you listening to me?”

“I’m sorry, Scar, I wasn’t. What did you say?”

“Aunt Ava is coming to stay with me and Daddy!” Her excitement is palpable and buzzes through the phone. Suddenly, I have two left feet, and if not for Tom grabbing my arm to steady me, I would’ve landed on my face. I rip my arm from his grasp and start walking forward again. His chuckle in my ears has my lips drawing into a tight line. “She’ll be here tomorrow!”

“...the insane chemistry between Sean and Ava cannot be overlooked. Her poor ex-fiancé! But who could blame Ava? I would do the same.”

My stomach churns like a newly awakened volcano, restless and ready to erupt. The news of Ava ending her engagement and coming to stay in Maple Ridge completely overwhelms my senses. Reaching my seat, I shove my bag in the overhead bin and close it with a bit too much force, causing Coach Stone to look at me.

“You okay, James?” He questions.

Focused solely on the voice talking about Ava and her recent breakup, I look around to see if I can figure out where it’s coming from.

“James?” I turn my gaze toward Coach and give a stiff nod before taking my seat. I scrub my hand up and down my face, landing on my beard.

“You haven’t seen her in a while, have you?” I ask Scarlett, working to keep my voice steady while every cell in my body is pulsating.

The last time I saw Ava was at Fiona’s funeral, her twin sister and David’s wife. Scarlett was only three years old then.

Playing for the Florida Panthers and living halfway across the country meant Ava and I usually visited David and Fi at different times.

Except for exactly three times. Scarlett’s birth, her baptism, and Fiona’s funeral.

That arrangement worked fine for me, especially after Ava started dating Nathan Vaughn. Yes, mega action star Nathan Vaughn.

I’m sure I would’ve disliked him just for dating her, but it turns out he’s one of the most arrogant people I’ve ever met—which is saying a lot. As a professional athlete, I encounter arrogance regularly, but Nathan, let’s just say he’s in a league of his own.

---