Page 126 of Don't Fall for the Goalie
Peyton looks somewhere between horrified and amused. “I think so?”
Connor points at her dramatically. “Welcome to the Avalanche, sweetheart. You’re officially sports media canon now.”
“I hate all of you,” I inform them.
“No, you don’t,” Harper says easily.
The worst part? She’s right.
I don’t.
Gram sweeps into the cabin last, wearing giant sunglasses and enough perfume to fumigate the woods.
The second she spots Peyton, she gasps dramatically. “There’s my future granddaughter-in-law!”
I nearly choke on air.
“Gram,” Ford warns.
“What?” She waves him off. “That man looked two seconds away from fighting reporters through a laptop screen.”
Connor nods solemnly. “Honestly, one more question and he probably would’ve challenged ESPN to hand-to-hand combat.”
“I would not?—”
“You said,” Connor interrupts dramatically, deepening his voice,“‘She’s with me.’”
Jake doubles over laughing again.
Cole wipes fake tears from his eyes. “Bro sounded like a mafia boss announcing ownership.”
Peyton presses her lips together, trying not to smile. Which distracts me from murdering my teammates.
Gram points at me accusingly. “I knew you were in love when you bought that girl a medical boot.”
The entire room erupts.
Even Peyton snorts. “Oh my God.”
Connor grabs the kitchen island for support. “A medical boot. Definitely a sign a man is whipped.”
“She was injured!” I snap.
“AND YOU LOVE HER,” Jake yells.
“I do not.”
A hush falls over the room at my confession.
Oh no.
Every single head in the room slowly turns toward me.
Fuck. That sounded defensive as hell even to me.
Connor’s eyes widen dramatically. “Holy shit.”
Cole points at me like he just discovered fire. “He didn’t even deny the being in love part properly.”
