Page 61 of Ethan

“Just . . . the GM keeps harassing me about my contract.”

“It’s not up til the end of the year,” Charlie said, frowning. “And even then you’re a restricted free agent.”

“He wants me to promise I’m gonna re-sign with the Mavericks,” Avery said.

A weird quiet fell. Ethan hated it. “You would, right?” he asked.

But Avery just shrugged. “I don’t know. Some days I want to. Other days . . .” He trailed off and looked away.

“They’re gonna find you a partner that you’re worthy of,” Livvy said warmly. “It’s all I hear people talking about.”

Ethan didn’t think that was necessarily true. The media also spent a fuck ton of time obsessing over whether the three Barnes brothers would ever play together on the same team.

It had reached a fever pitch this offseason, and Ethan was pretty sure it was because of Avery’s contract and then also that he and Charlie were going to play together. If they’d been on three separate teams, he had a feeling that the media wouldn’t have latched on to the idea of it so tightly.

“No, it’s not,” Charlie retorted. “But that’s nice, Livvy. Thanks for reminding us that you’re the best of us.”

“I shouldn’t have ever said anything about it,” Avery grumbled, frowning. “Should’ve declared, early on, like Livvy did when she told everyone who asked that she wasn’t going to go out of her way to coach any of us.”

“That was just self-preservation,” Livvy teased softly. “You three would give me nightmares and age me prematurely.”

“Probably,” Ethan agreed.

“You shouldn’t let the GM push you,” Charlie said.

“Agreed,” Ethan said. “If you wanna stay there, that’s one thing. But if you don’t, that’s okay too.”

“He keeps arguing that if I won’t re-sign, he needs to get something for me,” Avery said. He didn’t sound happy. “And maybe he’s not wrong.”

“That’s notyourresponsibility, though,” Livvy pointed out, very reasonably.

“Well, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Avery said, pasting a smile on his face that didn’t look legit. An artificial note in his voice.

Ethan knew that Avery and Charlie were close—maybe the closest of all of them—and he hoped that Charlie would talk to him, later. Wouldkeeptalking to him about it. Even if Avery never played on the same team as them, theyallwanted Avery to play for a team that he wanted to play for. That wanted him to play for them.

Though Avery was really fucking good; probably all thirty-two NHL teams would want him to play for them.

“Sure,” Charlie said, making a face. “Now you’re just—”

“It’s fine. Just let it go,” Avery interrupted, and Charlie actually did, because Avery was like the one person on earth that Charlie would listen to. Besides Max, of course.

“I gotta go,” Livvy said apologetically. “I’m at the airport, and we gotta get on this flight. Good luck in your game today, guys. You too, tomorrow, V.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Charlie said, rolling his eyes, but he looked pleased.

“Love you,” Ethan said.

“I know that’s what you really meant, Barney,” Livvy teased Charlie.

She, too, was one of the best at seeing through Charlie’s bullshit. Ethan wondered sometimes if he was the worst of the three of them to end up in New York with Charlie. He felt like he understood him the least.

Charlie flushed and nodded that yes, she was right.

Because naturally she was. Livvy was by far the smartest of the four of them.

“I’m gonna go take a nap,” Charlie said to Ethan when the call ended. Avery might’ve stayed on, Ethan thought, but he had to go to practice.

“You mean huddle under the covers and text Max and pretend like you’re sleeping,” Ethan said, but illustrating his earlier point, Charlie just made a face and got up from the couch, piling up their trash without saying anything.