Page 76 of Puck, Marry, Kill

Nodding, I tell her, “Yep. And he told me that if I want to play hockey, I have to leave you alone.” I shake my head, still not able to believe his bullshit.

“Oh.” Her chin falls to her chest and she fidgets with her fingers. Swallowing thickly, she says hollowly, “I understand. I knew this would happen. Hockey isn’t just what you do. It’s who you are. Hockey first, no distractions.”

I can see every time Coach Boothe told her that. It’s not only a pall over her, but rather, it’s woven through her, in her very DNA. And she apparently thinks I’m just like him.

A leaver.

“What the fuck?” I hiss. “Has a single thing you’ve learned about me given you any indication that I would do that to you? That I would respond well to an ultimatum like that?” I shouldn’t talk to her like that, but I’m pissed that she would think so little of me.

Her eyes lift, hope trying to blossom but being tamped down by her demons. “What?”

“I told him to fuck off,” I snort. “That I’d ride the pine tonight because I wasn’t gonna stop seeing you.”

“What?” she repeats. “You chose me? Why?” She seems legitimately confused by the idea.

My heart breaks for her. She truly thought I was going to choose hockey over her when I would never choose anything over her. She’s my first priority.

I drop to my knees in front of her, cupping her face in my hands and dragging her eyes to mine. Nose to nose, I tell her, “Briar, I love you. I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”

“You’re not?” she says softly.

I shake my head. “Woman, you couldn’t get rid of me even if you wanted to. I’m a teeny bit stubborn, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I don’t want to get rid of you. You’re my albatross.”

All the tension that’s been inside me since Coach’s bullshit decree melts away. He can fight this if he wants to, he can punish me, he can yell and scream in useless rage, but Briar and I are a team.

Us. Me, Briar, and Harley. And he can’t do a fucking thing about it.

“I’m your albatross,” I echo, laughing at how that somehow became our thing, but I will wait for this woman as long as she needs me to. Now, tomorrow, the day after that, forever. I can be patient for her. It’ll be worth it to have a forever with her.

I press a kiss to her lips, promising a lifetime of never-leaving and demon-slaying for this sweet, silly woman who brings so much sunshine to my life. When I finally feel the beast in my chest subside, I put our foreheads together. “So you don’t have to come tonight if you don’t want to. I’m gonna be benched.”

She pulls away, meeting my eyes with a surprising flintiness in her blue ones. “Agree to disagree. I’ll be there, proudly wearingyourjersey. I have a few things I’d like to say to my dad too.”

Chapter 27

Briar

“Where’s the little guy?” Penny asks, leaning in my direction.

I don’t have to glance at the seat next to me to know it’s empty. Harley was supposed to come with me tonight, but I asked Trina to come over and babysit him because I’m expecting a showdown with my dad. Harley had been disappointed at first, but when I told him that I had something to handle, he’d settled quickly. I suspect he might’ve heard some of the conversation between me and Dom this morning.

“Stayed home,” I bite out.

Narrowing my eyes, I stare at my dad from our seats halfway up the lower bowl. He doesn’t know I’m here and likely doesn’t feel my glare amid the packed arena, but it makes me feel better to shoot some laser beams of anger his way.

“Ohh-kay, Grumpypants,” Penny drawls. “Leaving that alone, are we gonna talk about why some kid I’ve never heard of is warming up with Dom? Or is that gonna be a no too?”

I sigh, turning to her. “I’m sorry. I’m mad at my dad, but I shouldn’t take that out on you.”

She holds up her hands in surrender, smiling. “We’re good. Just tell me why we’re mad so I can hex him correctly too. Are we talking ‘hope you accidentally fill up your gas tank with diesel every time you go to thegas station’ or ‘feel the pain of a thousand needles pricking your asshole 24-7’? Ooh, or maybe the crowd favorite, ‘his dick falls off and chases him’?” She makes a wormlike scrunch and unscrunch motion with her hand. “You know, like the snail that kills you if he catches you?”

I can’t help but laugh the tiniest bit at her level of unhinged creativity. “Thanks, I think I needed that.” She wiggles her shoulders, happy to be of assistance. “Okay, so here’s the deal ...”

I go through what Dominic told me earlier today about my dad’s ultimatum, finishing with Dom telling Dad to fuck off.

Penny pales. “He did not!”