St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:04:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.books2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com 32 32 Hard Hit (St. Louis Mavericks #5) Read Online Brenda Rothert http://www.books2020.com/hard-hit-st-louis-mavericks-5-read-online-brenda-rothert Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:04:15 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/hard-hit-st-louis-mavericks-5-read-online-brenda-rothert Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Sports Authors: Brenda Rothert Series: St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert
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Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)

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Michael Boone has just one goal: to get traded to his hometown team so he can be closer to his family. But when a runaway bride who happens to be his coach’s daughter jumps into his car to escape Mr. Wrong, the heat is on … in more ways than one.

Boone
I’m supposed to be a guest at my coach’s daughter’s wedding to a player from another team, but instead I find myself helping her escape it. The timing couldn’t be worse—I have to stay in Coach’s good graces to secure the trade I need. But when the sexy, newly single redhead with legs for days shows up in my life again, I can’t say no.

Jolie
After escaping marriage to a man who made me feel like I was never enough, I plan to focus entirely on completing my dissertation. Science has never let me down—I can avoid emotional entanglements by focusing on cold, hard data. But when I’m powerfully drawn to a man who is warm and, okay, I’ll admit it—also hard—all bets are off. Mr. Right Now is exactly what I need, until both of us find ourselves wanting the one thing we can’t have—more.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER ONE

Boone

I opened my eyes, blinking to bring the face just inches from mine into focus. When I saw the enthusiasm in her expression, I suppressed a groan.

“Good morning, handsome,” she said softly. “What are we going to do today?”

Damn, I’d done it again. I’d fallen asleep after a couple of hours of sex with a woman I’d just met instead of leaving. I knew better. And now I had to deal with the fallout.

“Oh, hey,” I said, sitting up. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Sorry about that.”

Cami smiled sweetly. Or was it Katie? Shit. It was definitely Katie.

“Oh, no worries. I’m off work today so whatever you feel like doing…I’m game.”

She snuggled up to my bare back and a wave of guilt hit me. I’d assumed that when she asked if I wanted to get to know her better at the bar we’d met at, while unbuttoning her shirt, that she was thinking casual sex, like me.

It was always more with women, though. Even when they said no strings, there were always strings.

“I’m actually busy today,” I said, patting her hand to signal she should move it so I could get up. “I have to go to a wedding. But last night was great. Thanks.”

Katie didn’t miss a beat.

“Oh, I love weddings! And I have the perfect dress!”

I’d done this to myself by falling asleep. I just hoped I could undo it without having anything hurled at my head on the way out the door.

“It’s a…” I cleared my throat, picking up my jeans from the floor and stepping into them. “It’s my coach’s daughter, actually. And the team…we’re like family. I can’t just invite someone.”

Katie slid out of bed and walked over to her closet.

“I’m great at weddings,” she gushed from inside the small walk-in closet. “I was a bridesmaid three times last year. I’m basically a pro.”

She wasn’t making this easy. I quickly threw on my T-shirt and laced up my shoes so I could haul ass out the door. I grabbed my wallet and keys just as Katie came out of the closet with a dress in each hand.

“Pink or red?” she asked.

“I have to run,” I said. “Got to grab some coffee. But last night was great, so”

“Oh, I can make coffee.” She discarded the dresses on her bed. “And I can make waffles, too. You do like waffles, right?”

I glanced at my watch. Shit, it was later than I thought.

“Listen, I really have to go,” I said.

“But”

“I only RSVP’d for one to the wedding, and I’m not looking for a relationship, so…”

Her hopeful expression slid away. “Oh. You should have been open about that, Boone.”

“I wasn’t not open about it. You came over to me and my friends and we had some drinks, and then you asked if I wanted to get to know you better. You brought me home and we had a good time.”

She sighed softly. “I’d be a really good girlfriend for a professional athlete, though. I’ve been thinking about it since I woke up, picturing me at your games and at charity events.”

I nodded, mentally kicking myself for drinking so much beer I’d been too tired to get up and leave after the sex.

“If I wanted a girlfriend, I’m sure you would be a good one,” I said, walking out of her bedroom. “Thanks again, Katie. I really did have fun.”

“It’s Cami!”

Shit. Now she was pissed. I picked up the pace, making it to the front door and getting my hand on the handle before I felt the thunk of something hitting my back. A black shoe with a high heel landed on the ground next to me.

“Asshole!” Cami cried. “Get out of here.”

“I’m trying, but”

The fucking dead bolt wouldn’t open. I pushed and pushed, but nothing. Briefly, a Misery-situation with a woman who wanted me to marry her to avoid being maimed flashed through my mind. I had to stop falling asleep like this.

“It sticks,” Cami said with a huff, pushing me out of the way.

She pushed on the door with her shoulder and slid the dead bolt open. I opened the door and darted out without another word, keeping my head down.

“I don’t even like hockey!” Cami yelled at my back. “Real men play football!”

That was a low blow, but I still didn’t engage. I had to get my ass home and get ready for Coach’s daughter’s wedding. I couldn’t risk inviting his ire by being late.

An hour later, I was shaved, showered, and dressed in a charcoal suit paired with a light blue dress shirt and a navy tie, turning into the parking lot of the church in Ladue, a St. Louis suburb where the wedding was being held.

Hopefully this wedding would be short and sweet and we wouldn’t get stuck waiting hours for the wedding party to take photos before we could eat. I was ravenous—borderline hangry.

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Advertisement Hard Luck (St. Louis Mavericks #4) Read Online Brenda Rothert http://www.books2020.com/hard-luck-st-louis-mavericks-4-read-online-brenda-rothert Fri, 18 Nov 2022 16:25:07 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/hard-luck-st-louis-mavericks-4-read-online-brenda-rothert Genre: Angst, Romance, Sports Authors: Brenda Rothert Series: St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert
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Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)

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Konstantin:
I grew up bleeding to survive, so getting paid to play the game of hockey is a life richer than I ever dreamed possible. I’ve got it all, or so I thought until meeting Lucy Cain. My teammate’s sexy sister is a ray of sunshine in my otherwise gray world. Though fighting on the ice is second nature to me, in Lucy I’ve discovered something I’ve never had before—someone worth fighting for. But will she still want me when she sees the beast inside?

Lucy:
I’m leaving my life behind. As soon as I get my brother back on his feet, I’ll start over in a little seaside town to escape the dark secret I discovered about my ex. My plan hits a roadblock, though—a six-foot, inked up Russian one. My brother’s teammate Konstantin is more likely to throw a punch than crack a smile, but once I slip beneath his stoic, steely façade, I never want to let him go. As my past closes in, though, Kon and I aren’t just fighting for our future, but for our lives.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER ONE

Lucy

My first time traveling by bus was probably going to be my last. Not only was it hot, the woman across the aisle from me had taken her socks and shoes off and the man in the seat next to mine had just whipped a container of leftovers out of his backpack.

“Mmm, beef and noodles,” he said, scarfing down his first mouthful. “Doesn’t even need to be heated up…oh, shit.”

The bus had hit a bump, causing him to spill his second bite all over the front of his shirt. As he scooped the noodles up with a paper towel, wadding it up and throwing it to the floor where it landed on my shoe, I closed my eyes. I kept telling myself to just breathe.

The downside was having beef and noodles on one of my new flats, but I had to remember that the upside was much bigger than that.

I was officially more than twenty hours away from Spokane, and I was never going back. Traveling by bus wasn’t my first choice, but it was the most low-key way to get out of the hell I inadvertently walked into a couple of months ago.

My bag buzzed with a notification on my phone. When I pulled it out, I saw a message from my older brother.

Sawyer: Hey, my teammate Kon is picking you up at the bus station. Here’s his contact info in case you need to reach him.

My stomach sank. It seemed like my intuition about my brother was right. It had been six months since his wife Annie died, and he was struggling to move forward. He’d always been an upbeat person who went out of his way to help others. Most of the time he didn’t even answer my calls anymore, and it was unlike him to send someone else to pick me up.

Hopefully he wasn’t pissed at me. I hadn’t asked him if I could come stay with him for a while; I’d texted him a few days ago that I was coming. Before I started over in a new place, I wanted to make sure my brother was okay. He hadn’t just lost Annie; he’d had to watch as cancer destroyed her body and stole her from those who loved her.

Cancer had taken everything it could from my sister-in-law, but she’d never conceded a single shred of her spirit. To the end, she’d been grateful for every moment of life and every person around her. Annie and I had been close. I missed her every day, and even though she wasn’t here for me to talk to anymore, I usually knew what she would say if she were.

Go pull Sawyer back into the land of the living. I could almost hear her sweet voice saying the words. Don’t take no for an answeryou know how stubborn he is.

“Hey, you got a knife by chance?” the man next to me asked.

I shook my head.

“Not like a knife knife,” he said. “They searched our bags so I know no one’s got a real one. But like a butter knife? Just something that can cut this?”

He held up a thick slice of ham and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. My seatmate was basically pulling a Thanksgiving spread out of his backpack.

“Sorry, I’ve got nothing,” I said.

With a shrug, he bit a chunk off the ham. I looked away, grateful that I was changing buses in Chicago. From there, it was just a few more hours to my final destination—St. Louis.

I was looking forward to seeing my brother and dreading it in equal measure. It would be the first time I’d seen him since Annie’s funeral.

The week I’d spent at Sawyer’s then had been the hardest of my life. It broke my heart to see him grieving for Annie. My strong brother had been brought to his knees and there was nothing I could do about it. When I’d left him to return to Spokane, I’d assumed he’d slowly get better.

Maybe I was wrong, and he was doing better than I thought. Nothing would make me happier.

What he didn’t know, and I wasn’t yet ready to tell him, was that this might be the last time we saw each other for a long time.

I’d closed out my bank account and sold everything I owned in Spokane, including my car. When I left St. Louis, I was starting over somewhere new. Somewhere quiet and out of the way. Somewhere I hoped I’d be safe.

“Have you been to the Lou before?” the guy next to me for the Chicago to St. Louis bus ride asked.

He seemed nice enough, and he wasn’t tossing food onto my shoes, so I smiled and responded.

“A few times. My brother lives there.”

“Cool. I was visiting a buddy at the University of Chicago and now I’m heading back to school. St. Louis University. I’m Sam.”

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Advertisement Hard Pass (St. Louis Mavericks #3) Read Online Brenda Rothert http://www.books2020.com/hard-pass-st-louis-mavericks-3-read-online-brenda-rothert Tue, 24 May 2022 09:11:27 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/hard-pass-st-louis-mavericks-3-read-online-brenda-rothert Genre: Alpha Male, Romance, Sports Authors: Brenda Rothert Series: St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert
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Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Hard Pass (St. Louis Mavericks #3)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Brenda Rothert
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B09NLHJR42
Book Information:
Sariah Ever meant to text your ex, but accidentally messaged a stranger instead? I did, and that mistake started a friendship that became important to me as I navigated a move and a new job with the St. Louis Mavericks. I’m crushing life as a strong, single woman until I discover the truth. That stranger I’m crushing on? He’s actually not a stranger at all. Nash Giving a fake name to the woman who accidentally texted me seemed like a good idea at the time. As a pro hockey player, my real name tends to draw out puck bunnies and fame seekers. But when the woman who thinks I’m “Rob” starts working for the Mavericks, I find myself in a jam. How do I tell her the man she thinks she’s falling for is actually the somewhat arrogant (though charming) hockey player she can’t stand?
Books in Series:	St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert
Books by Author:	Brenda Rothert

Chapter One

Sariah

* * *

I was never getting another pet.

No way, no how.

Losing them hurt too damn much.

I let myself into my apartment and sighed, realizing that Mr. Pebbles would never again come running to greet me, rubbing up on my legs and letting me know he missed me.

Today had been hard. Harder than finding my fiancé in bed with another woman, harder than having to tell my family that our wedding was off, and even harder than having to get a second job to pay the rent for our apartment after he moved out. None of that had prepared me for putting my sweet cat to sleep.

My phone rang and I dug it out of my purse, holding it between my ear and shoulder as I answered. “Hey, Dee.”

“How are you?” My best friend’s voice was filled with sympathy.

“Awful,” I said, putting my purse down and padding into the master bedroom. “I may have cried more today than I did when I found out Theo was cheating.”

“Want me to come over? We could get takeout and watch Jaws or something,” she said, knowing that was one of my favorite movies.

“I think I’m going to soak in the tub and go to bed early,” I said. “I’m working a double tomorrow at the restaurant, so I need to rest.”

“Can you take a few days off?” she asked. “Jobs pay for bereavement leave for the death of a spouse, and a cat is way harder to lose than a husband. In my jaded opinion, anyway.”

“I don’t have any paid time off, and I need the money, especially after today. And anyway, sitting home moping will just make me feel worse. When I’m at the restaurant, I’m too busy to think, which is exactly what I need.”

“It would be way more fun if we went out and got stupid drunk, danced on a bar somewhere, and then you fell into bed with some rando.”

I laughed. Dee, whose full name was Desiree, thought all problems could be solved with a night out.

“Last time I let you talk me into that, I wound up hooking up with Theo. Three years later, look where I am.”

“It’s not my fault you turned your nose up at the very hot rocker dude who was into you. Instead, you went for the clean-cut accountant.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered.

“You sure you don’t want me to come over?”

“Not tonight. I really just want to chill and get to sleep early.”

“Okay. Call me tomorrow on your break and let me know how you’re doing.”

“Thanks, hon. Talk to you later.” I disconnected and went into the bathroom. A bath sounded like a great idea, and since I couldn’t afford this place on my own, I was going to enjoy the massive bathtub as much as possible before I moved.

I poured a glass of wine while the tub was filling and then stripped off my clothes. I poured a few drops of essential oil into the tub and stepped into the hot water, easing down happily. Tension drained out of me and I leaned back.

I’d been looking for a smaller, more affordable apartment since Theo had moved out, but there was no way to break our lease early, and I had two months left on it. I had several good prospects when the time came, but none of them had deep soaker tubs like this one. Or gourmet kitchens and walk-in closets the size of some people’s bedrooms.

Ugh. Moving was going to suck.

I closed my eyes, refusing to dwell on all of that. Theo was gone and I never had to think about, talk to, or see him ever again.

Oh, shit.

I opened my eyes and frowned.

Mr. Pebbles had been our cat, though I’d refused to give him up when Theo moved out. Now that I’d had to put him down, it seemed like I should at least tell Theo what happened. I loathed the idea of reaching out to my ex, but it felt like the right thing to do. The mature, responsible, adult thing to do.

Ha.

That was funny since Theo had said I was immature and unsophisticated.

As if having threesomes made you sophisticated.

I stared at my phone, trying to remember the number.

Was it bad that I’d dated Theo for two years and couldn’t remember his phone number?

I’d deleted every single reminder of him, from his contact information to all our pictures. But now I needed his phone number if I was going to text him. It had a lot of sevens, that much I knew.

Was it 776-0771?

Or was it 0773?

Shit.

I racked my brain, trying to remember the last time I’d dialed his number, but it had been saved as a favorite before I deleted it, so I hadn’t had to after the very first time. Squinting a little, as if that would help, I typed in the first phone number that had come to mind. It felt like the right combination and I typed out my message quickly, hoping to get this over with.

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Advertisement Hard Limit (St. Louis Mavericks #2) Read Online Brenda Rothert http://www.books2020.com/hard-limit-st-louis-mavericks-2-read-online-brenda-rothert Wed, 23 Feb 2022 19:28:03 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/hard-limit-st-louis-mavericks-2-read-online-brenda-rothert Genre: Angst, Contemporary, Romance, Sports, Suspense, Tear Jerker Authors: Brenda Rothert Series: St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert
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Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Hard Limit (St. Louis Mavericks #2)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Brenda Rothert
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B09CGKR249
Book Information:
St. Louis Mavericks star defender Lars Jansson is dead set against relationships. A new love makes him wonder if maybe he can change, but first, he must confront the truth about who he is. Lars On the ice, I’m unstoppable. If anyone is in my way, it’s simple—I move them. Hockey is my life, and I don’t have the patience for relationships spanning more than one night. But when I meet a woman so bold and intriguing I can’t help wanting more, I’m blindsided by the revelation that no matter what I do, I may never be enough for her. Sheridan One night. That’s all it was supposed to be. But Lars Jansson is larger than life in every way—how could one night be enough? It’s risky for me to see him again, and to let myself fall for the stoic hockey player who is charming in his own way. He thinks it’s his truth that could undo us, but he couldn’t be more wrong about that—it’s mine
Books in Series:	St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert
Books by Author:	Brenda Rothert

Chapter One

Sheridan

* * *

“This was a bad idea,” I muttered, staring out the window of the limousine as it inched through St. Louis traffic. “Maybe we should turn around and go home.” I turned to my best friend, Vanessa, and she quirked a brow at me.

“We’re not going home,” she said quietly, folding her arms across her chest. “I did not get all dressed up to sit at your place eating cheesecake. It’s going to be fun, Sheridan. You haven’t been out in over a year. It’s time and we both know it.”

“I don’t know if I’m ready to be in the spotlight. You know how mean the press can be and I’m not…the same.”

“Of course you’re the same!” Vanessa snapped.

“I’ve put on twenty pounds and the camera adds another ten, so—”

“You were in a life-threatening accident. It’s a miracle you’re not in a wheelchair. You’re going to walk in there tonight like the badass you’ve always been and own it. Besides, the focus tonight is the charity, not the celebrities who are going to the fundraiser.”

“I bought the table in your name,” I said. “So maybe no one even knows I’ll be there.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Would you stop? It’s going to be a blast. It’s a freakin’ bachelor auction! Of professional athletes! I’ve got a thousand dollars put away for Nash Reilly from the Mavericks.”

I laughed, relaxing for the first time all night. “I thought you were hot for that new pitcher for the Cardinals?”

“We’ll see which one strikes my fancy.” She arched her brows and grinned. “Maybe I’ll take both.”

“I could use a little fancy striking myself.” I sighed. “It’s been more than two years since I’ve had sex.”

Vanessa shuddered. “Jesus, woman, that’s a streak that needs to end right fucking now. You need to talk to your lawyer and—”

“Not tonight.” I held up a finger. “This is my first time out since the accident, and I just want to hang out and look at hot guys and have a glass of wine and laugh with my bestie. Can we do that?”

Her eyes met mine. “Absolutely.”

“Sheridan, do you want me to escort you right up to the front?” My driver-slash-bodyguard Flynn lowered the partition. Though I didn’t own the limo, we’d rented it so he could drive Vanessa and I to this event since he provided my security when I left home these days.

“The bulk of the press will be up front,” I protested.

“Dropping you at the front would allow you to walk the shortest distance though,” he pointed out.

I loved Flynn ninety-nine percent of the time. Right now, I hated him.

Because he was right.

“Okay. The front it is.” I stiffened my spine and sat up straighter.

I could do this.

I’d been through worse and wasn’t going to let a broken back derail the rest of my life. Even though it was turning out to be harder than I’d ever imagined.

He pulled into the lane for VIPs and flashed our pass to the security guard who waved him through. When he stopped the limo at the red carpet that led to the front entrance, a few dozen reporters surged forward, anxious to see who was getting out.

“Let’s go,” I told Vanessa. “But you first, okay?”

“I’m all about the attention!” she laughed, holding out her hand to Flynn, who had come around to the passenger side to help her out of the car. There were some camera flashes, but no one recognized Vanessa Cruz, my best friend since we were fifteen, the Chief Operating Officer of my new plus-size lingerie company, and the smartest woman I knew.

Flynn leaned back down and reached out a hand to me.

“You got this,” he said in a tone so low only I could hear.

I took a breath before letting him help me out of the limo. I tested my footing; I was wearing the highest heels I’d worn since the accident—rhinestone-covered sandals with two-inch wedge heels. I straightened up and smiled as the first flash went off. Then I heard the whispers.

“Holy shit, it’s Sheridan Lee!”

“Hey, Sheridan, look over here!”

“Sheridan, you look amazing!”

I smiled and waved, walking slower than I would have thirteen months ago but with an even, steady gait, the way my physical therapist had taught me. Learning to walk again as an adult was hard.

“Are you going to start modeling again?” someone called out.

“Sheridan, how’s your back?”

Luckily, we made it inside before I had to answer any questions and I exhaled heavily.

Okay, the first hurdle was a success. Now I could sit in a chair, have a glass of wine, and enjoy the auction, which I was actually looking forward to. I didn’t plan to bid on one of the bachelors, but I’d donate a few thousand to the cause. Anything to do with helping pediatric cancer patients was right up my alley.

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Advertisement Hard Fall (St. Louis Mavericks #1) Read Online Brenda Rothert http://www.books2020.com/hard-fall-st-louis-mavericks-1-read-online-brenda-rothert Wed, 22 Sep 2021 12:33:20 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/hard-fall-st-louis-mavericks-1-read-online-brenda-rothert Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Sports Authors: Brenda Rothert Series: St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert
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Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	(St. Louis Mavericks #1) Hard Fall
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Brenda Rothert
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B0962NP2ZC
Book Information:
The St. Louis Mavericks are having the best season in team history. On pace for a pro hockey record, the unexpected death of their captain and star player knocks them off course in ways they never expected. Weston My world was turned upside down the day Ben Whitmer died. Best friends since junior hockey, Ben was like a brother to me. My voice of reason and a grounding force on and off the ice. But as heartbroken as I am, I don’t have the luxury of grieving his loss. Not only do I have to hold our team together, I was named guardian of the two young children Ben and his wife left behind. Well, not just me—me and his wife’s best friend, Hadley. We’ve been left with the impossible task of deciding which of us will raise the kids, but there’s no way I’m letting that uptight ball buster have them. Lines are drawn, but they begin to blur as I find out there’s more to Hadley than I thought. A lot more. Hadley I can’t take the place of my beautiful best friend in her children’s lives. But I love them so fiercely that I’ll do whatever it takes to raise them the way their parents wanted. Wes Kirby is an obnoxious womanizer, and I won’t let him take Ben and Lauren’s children from me. Deciding to temporarily live together in our friends’ home, we attempt to provide the kids stability while we figure out which of us is better suited to raising them. As we learn parenthood together, my enemy Wes slowly becomes something different. Something more. And I’m left wondering not only if I’m enough for the kids, but if Wes and I are enough to last.
Books in Series:	St. Louis Mavericks Series by Brenda Rothert
Books by Author:	Brenda Rothert

Prologue

Hadley

Seven years earlier

* * *

“You’re going to LOVE him,” my best friend, Lauren, gushed. “Seriously, Hadley, Wes is the total package. Hot, smart, funny and he’s a professional hockey player. If Ben wasn’t already the love of my life, I’d go for him.”

I gave her a skeptical look. “You’re always telling me how different the two of them are.”

She waved a hand. “Not in any of the important ways. Stop being difficult. My point is, he’s great, you’re in a major man drought and you’ve got a hotel room all to yourself tonight.”

I suppressed a sigh. Lauren had been my best friend since we met at orientation our freshman year at UCLA. She was the peanut butter to my jelly, and I’d have done anything for her.

Which was why I was pasting on a smile as she ushered me across the crowded lawn of her parents’ Naperville backyard. They were hosting an engagement party for Lauren and Ben, who were getting married in two months. After their three year, extremely long-distance relationship—her in LA and him in Boston—they didn’t want a lengthy engagement. We’d graduated college a couple weeks ago and Lauren was knee-deep in wedding plans.

It was all happening so fast. A few months ago, our biggest worries had been passing our final exams and finding the cheapest prices on our favorite wine and frozen pizza. Now, Lauren was getting married and moving to St. Louis with Ben, where he would be playing pro hockey, and I had just started my new job as a writer for Willow, a lifestyle magazine in New York City.

“Oh! I think I see him!” With a squeal, Lauren grabbed my hand and led me through the clusters of people drinking and eating mini cucumber sandwiches.

My stomach churned nervously. I’d been hearing Lauren talk about Wes Kirby for the entire three years she’d been with Ben. I knew he was hot—I’d seen pictures. And Lauren had assured me he was more than just that.

She was right about the drought. It’d been almost a year since I’d had sex, and seven months since I last went on a date. I wished I could chalk it up to being too busy with finishing school and graduating, but the truth was, I just hadn’t met anyone I liked very much. I was hoping Wes and I would have good chemistry. He was the best man in the wedding, and I was the maid of honor. We’d be seeing a lot of each other that weekend, and also the weekend of the wedding in August.

“Crap, Ben took him to talk to someone,” Lauren said, groaning. “He knows I want to introduce you two.”

“Let’s go eat,” I suggested. “I haven’t eaten all day, and I’m starving.”

“Okay. Just don’t spill food on your shirt.” Lauren gave me a stern look, very familiar with my tendency to spill a little here and there.

“I try not to,” I said, rolling my eyes. “It just happens.”

“You need a bib.”

I shrugged. “It sure wouldn’t hurt.”

She just sighed and put an arm around my shoulders as we walked over to the food line. “Maybe that can be your first story for the new magazine.” She put a hand out in front of us and waved it in a horizontal line, mimicking a headline. “Essential supplies for the woman who is forever spilling food on her shirt. You could include cute bibs, Tide wipes and bags big enough to hold extra shirts.”

“You’re an asshole,” I muttered, laughing.

“But you love me anyway.”

“I do.” I sighed and met her gaze. “What am I going to do without you, Lo? We’ve been best friends for four years and roommates for the past three years.”

Her light blue eyes widened as she gave me a serious look. “Nothing will keep us from being best friends, Had. Not ever. Even when I’m raising babies and you’re the executive editor of Vogue, we’ll still talk every day and see each other as much as we can.”

Lauren reached the front of the food line and picked up a plate, passing it to me before grabbing one for herself.

“I’m so glad Ben likes cookout food as much as I do,” she said, grinning. “We’re not prime rib and caviar people. Give me a burger and some orange-powdered Kraft mac and cheese any day. I don’t even need the fancy kind with actual cheese.”

I laughed and said, “Remember that time we were studying for finals and we hadn’t eaten all day and we cooked that huge pan of frozen mac and cheese in the oven and we both burned our mouths on it?”

“Oh shit.” She laughed. “That was the worst. I seriously thought I might never regain feeling on that part of my tongue.”

“We binge watched rom-coms the next day with a big bowl of ice between us, just putting new cubes on our tongues after they melted.”

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