Page 50 of With the Assist

He looks like he’s waiting for me to end our agreement.

“I’m not mad.” I’m not entirely sure that’s true. I’m not mad at him, at least.

His shoulders loosen a fraction. “Okay.”

“I’m just overwhelmed.”

“That’s fair.”

The light turns green, and he eases forward. He seems so steady; meanwhile, I’m anything but.

“I didn’t mean for it to get like that,” he says. “The attention tonight. All of it.”

“I know.” And I do. That attention is unavoidable for him. It’s his life. This was always part of the deal, even if I pretended it wouldn’tbe. “I can’t believe they’re that concerned with your life. It’s kind of awful.”

“Yeah, my parents think the same thing. It’s not ideal, but hockey is worth it.”

I don’t like the way his eyes drop when he mentions his parents, but I know my place, and it’s not in his business.

He parks at the curb and cuts the engine.

Neither of us moves.

“My teammates are excited to meet you,” I say, reaching for the door handle.

“About that,” He starts, reaching across me to pull my door closed again. He climbs out and walks around to reopen my door for me. He did the same thing last Sunday, and it still makes my heart beat faster.

“In the spirit of not blindsiding you again, some of the guys invited themselves tonight. They know this isn’t real.” He rubs the back of his neck. “But they know how to keep their mouths shut.”

“Fuck,” I say, climbing out. “Okay, Avery and Harper know too, so I get it.”

He laces his fingers through mine, grip tightening when I go to pull away.

I don’t like the way his hand feels in mine. Well, I do like it, but that’s the problem.

“Ready, girlfriend?” He asks, his grin widening.

“As I’ll ever be.” I can’t help but smile back.

Luckily, there is no press outside the bar, and they’re banned inside. We make our way through the doors without any other confrontations.

The noise hits us immediately. The music is low enough to talk over but loud enough to feel the speakers vibrate. The Blue Line looks exactly as I expected, with dark wood and exposed brick. TVs are lining the walls, replaying highlights from earlier games.

Nathan’s hand stays in mine as we move through the clusters of people. His thumb brushes the side of my knuckle once, absentmindedly, and I tell myself not to read into it.

My teammates are easy to spot. Becca is perched on a barstool as if she owns it, and Haley is leaning against the high-top beside her, mid-laugh. Avery notices me first, her eyes immediately dropping to our joined hands.

“Oh,” she says, winking at me. “This is happening.”

I laugh, nerves loosening a fraction as we weave through the crowd. “You’re acting like he’s a party trick.”

Avery’s grin widens.

Becca chimes in, “Actually, she’s acting like our captain, who has never come out with us before, showed up with the entire hockey team in tow.”

I glance behind us to see Nathan’s friends pushing their way inside. The idea of them mingling with my team makes me jittery, but it’s too late to do anything about it.

I turn to Nathan, motioning to my friends. “You’ve already met Avery.”