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Is he even here for me? For the Blades? Because if he is, this is a fucking funny way of showing it.

The buzzer barely registers with me, and Richards knocks my shoulder. “Wake up, Morgan.”

I step back onto the ice, shaking a few hands.

Jensen heads over to me, removing his helmet as he approaches. “You played well out there, Jack.” He juts his chin down the tunnel toward Tyler, but my focus is on Dad as he walks through a side door. “What’s Bennett’s problem with you?” Jensen pulls my attention back to him. He clearly witnessed tension on the ice and just like his captain, he regards the Morgans as family.

“Long story,” I puff out and then look up to see the family boxes are all empty.

He snarls in the direction Tyler disappeared. “Just watch your back out there, Jack. And if things get too heated and depressing in this rancid place, I’m sure the Scorpions would be only too happy to take you on. You’re as good as Jon always said you’d be.”

I offer him a smile just before he skates toward the tunnel and knocks fists with Jon, who’s already on his way toward me.

“Did you see him?” I ask.

His jaw tics as he focuses on Dad’s empty seat. I know he’s pissed at the result of the game, but there’s one person who fires him up in this way.

“He’s here for you,” he bites out.

I turn to look at him. “What do you mean?”

He shakes his head and then drops it between his shoulders, a knowing smile on his face. “Your mom and I always saw this coming.” He looks at me again, deadly serious. “The second you started to make waves in the NHL and draw in the big paychecks, we always knew Elliott would resurface. It was only a matter of time. Felicity tells me he’s here for the week, visiting with his new girlfriend.”

I never did reply to his birthday text, and since I pay fuck all attention to the finance empire he runs, I guess I wouldn’t know about his unfortunate new woman.

Jon steps toward me. “We’re not about to stop you fromseeing him, buddy. We’re your family and will be here for you no matter what call you make over Elliott. But if you want my advice, be really fucking careful with what you tell him.”

My gaze roams around the empty arena. “I already have my family.”

KENDRA

“Okay, so we might’ve lost, but I will say that was the best hockey game I’ve watched all season.”

“Darcy, it’s theonlygame you’ve watched all season.” Felicity winks at us as she gathers some cocktails at the players’ bar and walks them across to a few of her friends sitting around a booth.

I recognize them as the wives of Zach Evans, Jensen Jones, and Jessie Callaghan, but there isn’t a chance of me heading over there to say hi. Half of them are lawyers, and the other half are just as scary.

“I heard she ties Jensen up with chains and whips him.” Jenna tips her head at sophisticated blonde as she giggles with Felicity.

“His wife?!” I whisper-shout.

Darcy rolls her eyes at Jenna, breaking into a smirk. “Yeah, knowing Kate, that’s probably accurate.”

I say nothing as I take a seat at the bar and cross my legs over.

If only they knew what Jack likes.

When Darcy turns to the bartender to order another drink, Jenna turns to me. “So, are you going to concede now or later?”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Concede what?”

Her hand reaches behind my back and plucks at the jersey. “You can’t tell me this is fake too.”

“Shhh!” I scold, and she folds her armsover her chest, tapping her foot as she waits for me to answer. “We kind of admitted we wanted to see where things go officially.”

Her eyes light up, genuine elation on her face. “For real?!”

I break into a giddy smile. “For real. We couldn’t stop sleeping together. Like, every time we were alone, we were all over each other. Plus …” I trail off and look down at my boots. “He makes me really happy. I get that feeling, you know? The butterfly one. He told me he’s harbored a crush since college, and I … I really like him, Jenna. I can’t deny it, and I’m kind of tired of doing that as well.”