Page 131 of Second-Rate Superstar

Bristol’s smile grew so wide that there were no doubts my best friend was my biggest cheerleader. It gave her joy to see me succeed. “You caught your spark.”

Tears sprang to my eyes, and she pulled me in for a hug. I’d worked so hard for so long that this almost didn’t seem real. I always hoped it might happen someday, but it had seemed like a dream just out of reach.

That this story was the one? It made this even more special.

“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered into my hair.

Tightening my grasp on my best friend, all I could think about was how excited Braxton would be when I surprised him with this news when he got home.

The sound of the cork popping on a bottle of champagne filled our kitchen as Bristol cheered. We weren’t fancy enough to own the stemware required for such a drink, so she poured a healthy serving of the bubbly liquid into plastic cups.

Tapping her cup to mine, she toasted, “To my best friend, the best seller!”

We both gave a giddy squeal and then downed the champagne.

After she’d woken me up this morning, I went into the back office of my publishing platform and about fell out of my chair. The royalty amount was staggering, and I found myself addicted to hitting the refresh button, watching as orders and digital page reads continued to skyrocket. By mid-afternoon, my book had climbed the online book charts and was currently sitting at number one.

This was a dream I never wanted to wake up from. My hard work had finally paid off, and it only took falling in love myself to find the right story to resonate with readers.

It was our story, forever immortalized in print.

Chapter 31

Braxton

I was dying toget back to Dakota after eleven days spent on the road. The Comets had hit all three teams in California—the Bridgers, the Cougars, and the Surf—and then done a stint in the desert to play the Las Vegas Luck and the Phoenix Pythons.

Our trip to the Caribbean had been incredible, and it sucked that we had to leave the day after our return. I couldn’t wait to curl up with her this afternoon on a well-deserved day off.

It was daybreak when the team plane landed in Hartford, and even though I’d showered post-game in Phoenix, I needed to stop by my place for fresh clothes. Once I got to Dakota’s place, I wasn’t leaving for a solid twenty-four hours.

I didn’t care what we did so long as we were together. Maybe we’d have a lazy day watching movies in her bedroom, making love when the mood struck, and ordering take-out for every meal. Sounded like a perfect day.

Honestly, every day with Dakota was perfect, each one better than the last.

Running into the house I shared with Levi and Blake, I bounded up the stairs, throwing whatever clean clothes I could find into a duffle bag. Most nights the team was home, I spent at her place, so I threw in more than what I would need for one day. The team was home for a week, and I wasn’t going to waste a second of the time we had together before I had to leave again.

Jogging down the steps, I stopped in the kitchen to grab an iced coffee from the fridge. Usually, I could sleep on a red-eye flight back from the West Coast, but I was so amped up at the prospect of getting back to my girl that I’d stayed awake. The exhaustion was beginning to hit now, and I didn’t want to spend the first few hours of our reunion passed out on her couch.

Turning, I about jumped out of my skin when I found Levi perched on a stool at the kitchen island, reading a book.

“Fuck!” I shouted, throwing a hand over my racing heart. “Where did you come from?”

Peering over the pages, he scoffed. “Been here the whole time. Not my fault you’re unaware of your surroundings.”

I plucked at the cover of the book he held. “Didn’t take you for the type to read. I mean, do you even know how?”

Closing the book, he laid it down on the island. A smirk tugged at his lips. “Funny thing about books,” he mused. “Sometimes, the right story can really suck you in.”

“Uh-huh.” Whatever he was getting at, I wasn’t in the mood. My girl was waiting for me.

Rolling my eyes at Levi, I was halfway out of the kitchen when he called out, “You might want to check this one out for yourself. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this hero was you.”

Pausing my steps, I turned around slowly. “What are you talking about?”

Levi thumbed the pages. “Oh, you know. The much younger brother of a hockey legend, suffering from imposter syndrome.” He shrugged. “I mean, that could be anyone, right? And I might be inclined to believe it was a random creative coincidence, but . . .”

There was a buzzing in my ears, and fear pierced my heart. “Spit it out.” My words were barely audible.

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