Page 41 of Accidentally Checked By My Brother's Best Friend

Duncan glances at Stacy and nods, letting her know he heard her, while Finn continues with whatever he says.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I’m a huge fan of yours,” Stacy raves. “Web of Loveis my all-time favorite movie.”

“It was a really fun movie to make,” I smile and glance at Duncan, wondering if I would be here today if it weren’t for Nathan and his jealousy.

My mind wanders to how Duncan feels about being here. I’ve been afraid to ask. Does he regret agreeing to help me?

“You know, these last few weeks are the first times that any of us have seen Duncan with a smile.” She nods at him and Finn. “He’s a phenomenal hockey player and has a great heart. But trying to get a smile out of him is like trying to pull teeth. Literally.”

A small smile tugs at my lips as I watch Duncan talking to Finn. Duncan glances over his shoulder and meets my gaze. The tug becomes a full-blown grin, and I watch his eyes soften, sending a wave of emotion through me.

“It’s obvious to everyone that you make him happy,” Stacy adds.

“The feeling is mutual.” Duncan puts his hand on Finn’s shoulder and then heads our way.

“Shall we get this over with?” Duncan asks, looking first at me and then Stacy. Stacy starts off toward the door and just when I start to follow, Duncan places his hand on my arm, halting me. “How are you feeling?”

I shrug one shoulder. “It’s not my first rodeo. I’m sure it will be fine.”

He keeps his hand on my arm and pins me with his gaze before giving me a slight nod. “Let’s do this.”

Fiveminuteslater,we’resitting at a table in front of a room full of reporters. Stacy made it clear that everyone is free to ask whatever they want but to ensure they keep it respectful.

An arm reaches over my shoulder, and I see a new bottle of water. “Thank you,” I say, grabbing it with trembling hands and sipping. Keeping it in front of me, I play with the label.

Multiple people are calling my name, but I point to the younger man sitting in the front row with the glasses.

“Ava, did you come to Maple Ridge because of Duncan?”

Here we go.

Swallowing hard, I shake my head. “I was coming to visit my brother-in-law, David, and my niece, Scarlett. I honestly forgot Duncan had been traded to the Wolverines. I’m not that big of a hockey fan.”

I shrug and smile sheepishly, placing my hand on Duncan’s arm. “Sorry, Duncan.”

The room erupts into laughter, and from the corner of my eye, I see Duncan press his lips together.

The yelling starts again, and I point to a woman in the back wearing a blue shirt with her brown hair pulled into a high ponytail. Holding her phone in front of her, she asks. “Can you tell us why you ended things with Nathan Vaughn, Ava?”

I pull in a big breath and slowly let it out. “Most of the time, relationships end because they’ve run their course or served their usefulness. I guess the same could be said for me and Nathan.”

“Usefulness?” She questions. “Can you explain what you mean by that?”

“That came out wrong.” I pause and look down at the water bottle in my hands. “I meant more like a season. All seasons come to an end. Our season came to an end.”

“What about Nathan’s claims that you cheated on him?” Someone else yells out.

“Those are just rumors. My dad’s infidelity destroyed my parents’ relationship and left our family in ruins when I was younger.” My heart is ramming against my ribcage. This isn’t something I usually talk about, and I’m left feeling completely exposed. Duncan slides his hand on my back and gently rubs. The simple touch helps me to remember that I didn’t do anything wrong and gives me the strength to continue. “Knowing the pain that it causes firsthand, I would never hurt someone I cared about like that.”

“He’s been pretty adamant that you cheated on him.” Someone from the middle of the group yells.

“He has,” I say simply. “But that’s not the case, as my co-stars have confirmed. I’m sorry he’s hurt by the way things ended. But they didn’t end because I cheated on him.”

“Duncan!” Someone from the back calls out. “What about Nathan’s claims that the two of you were seeing each other before Ava came to town?”

“As Ava said, just a rumor.” Duncan turns to me and lets his eyes roam over my face. The unexpected heat in his gaze turns my knees to jelly. “We haven’t talked or seen each other in years. Especially with me being on the East Coast through the end of last season. And with her dating Nathan.”

“If that’s the case, how did the two of you get together so fast?” A voice from the back asks. At this point I’m no longer paying attention to the faces in the crowd. I can’t drag my eyes from Duncan.

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