Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 119852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
“Yeah,” he agrees, nodding.
“But I’ll tell Maddox you’re doing something about it.”
“Thanks.” He levels me with a thoughtful look. “Is this the part where I’m supposed to tell you that if you hurt her, I’ll kill you?”
“Probably,” I reply. “But I think we’ve already established that I could kick your ass.”
“Agree to disagree, but how about this? If you or Maddox hurts her, Cole and I both come after you. Do you know what that means?” He narrows his eyes, scanning for my reaction.
“I have an idea,” I reply, inwardly shivering. There’s just those sort of people in the world, and I’m glad that this one’s on Kayla’s side. “Kayla had us scoping out the woods all weekend, worrying some guy in a ghillie suit was out there with a sniper rifle.”
He lifts his chin dreamily. “That’s our boy, Cole.” With a grin, he adds, “Or the reputation he likes to maintain.”
“Funny things, aren’t they?” I muse, or at least pretend to muse. “Reputations. They seem to rarely hold an ounce of truth, just the image we’re trying to project. Isn’t that right, black sheep?”
His answering laugh is telling. Kyle might’ve played that role in his family, but deep down, he’s not all that bad. He’s willing to take responsibility when he fucks up, and most importantly, he cares about Kayla. “You saying you’re not an asshole?” he challenges.
I grin evilly. “Oh, no, that one’s true.”
But it doesn’t feel as accurate as it once did. My asshole-ness feels like it might’ve been more nurture than nature, a defensive reaction to the hurt I carried around like an anchor. Now that I’m letting it go, I feel lighter.
MADDOX
“Fuck, I’m starving,” Riggs groans, patting his flat stomach. It’s been four hours since his last meal, but experience says that’s about an hour too long for him to go without food. The man’s got a metabolism like a fighter jet going full afterburner.
“This place is worth it,” I assure him, reading over the steakhouse’s menu and weighing my options between the filet mignon and wagyu ribeye.
Deciding on the ribeye, I set my menu down and look around the restaurant. It’s all dark wood and warm light, black tablecloths and white plates. Thankfully, there are only two forks—one for salad and one for dinner—so Riggs can probably figure that out. But what catches my attention the most is the empty chair between him and me.
Setting his own menu down, Riggs follows my line of sight and mumbles, “I wish Kayla were here.”
Putting my hand on my chest in faux offense, I ask, “Am I suddenly not good enough to eat a meal with?”
“Fuck you,” he answers, trying to fight a smile. “You know what I mean. You’re dino nuggies with barbecue sauce, not… this place.”
“I get it,” I reply, relaxing. “I wish she were here too. But seeing each other every night is a luxury we won’t always have, which is why we have to make the most of it when we can.”
The season opener is still months away, but like most sports, hockey has off season minicamps like the one we had today, where they check us over for rehab progress and make sure nobody’s gone to hell in the time off. Riggs and I are good, but we stayed late to catch up with teammates we haven’t seen in weeks, though we kept quiet about our developing relationship with Kayla. Kayla has a business dinner tonight too, which means we won’t see her until tomorrow.
“Have you heard from Kyle?” he asks.
I would’ve bet my favorite stick that Kyle’s impromptu visit would’ve ended with blood from either him or Riggs, especially considering Riggs’s anger toward Kayla’s brothers, Kyle specifically. Hell, I wouldn’t have even been surprised to find them both dead, or at least unconscious, without me to break it up. Surprisingly, they came out not as friends exactly, but at least friendly. Kyle also showed up to Kayla’s office and made amends, with a real and heartfelt apology that helped matters significantly. I heard about that from Kayla directly, which I appreciated.
“He called. Said he was sorry for fucking things up and hopes we can get past this. Maybe watch a game together sometime.” I shake my head, remembering the conversation. “He also oh-so-casually threw in that if I could tell Kayla we’re cool now, it’d really help him out because she’s ‘on his ass like stink on shit’.” I make air quotes to show that was Kyle’s phrasing. “Apparently, she told him he owed all of us an apology.”
“You gonna help him get back in Kayla’s good graces?”
Smirking, I say, “Haven’t decided yet.”
“That makes Team Kayla… us, Cameron, Kyle, and maybe Cole?”
I nod, agreeing with his scorekeeping. “Not perfect, but progress.”
“Still hate Chance,” he declares, as if he’s waiting for me to argue that we should give that brother time to come around.