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The room goes quiet except for our heavy breathing until another snore echoes out.

I can’t help it, I burst out laughing, pressing a hand against Grant’s chest as I try to catch my breath and get him off me.

“Not the sound I want to hear after mind-blowing sex,” he laughs, tossing an arm over his eyes.

“Mind-blowing?” I giggle, watching him get up to dispose of the condom.

“I said what I said,” he shrugs, winking as he pulls on his sweatpants. “I’ll be right back.”

I nod, reaching for my sleep shorts. My top never made it off. I sink into the pillows.

I’m asleep before he even makes it back,because he’s right.

It was mind-blowing.

Chapter Twenty Six

Brooke

“You don’t need to be nervous.” Grant reaches over, putting his hand on my thigh, reassuringly. “Gunnar’s parents are nice.”

We are on our way to brunch with Gunnar's parents, and I'm about to meet Sasha. I'm kind of not looking forward to it, and I'm not hiding it well.

“I’m not nervous about Gunnar’s family. I’m nervous about Sasha,” I mutter, looking out the window.

“Just ignore her,” Grant murmurs, focusing on parking his jeep on the sidewalk in front of the diner we were meeting at. “She’s insecure.”

“You can say that again.” I laugh as we get out of the Jeep. “Has she always been like that?”

“For as long as I’ve known Gunnar and met her, yeah.” He shrugs subtly, putting a hand on my back as we walk into the diner; he scans it before spotting Adam and Bear. “Even the firsttime I met her, I asked how her trip was getting here, and she spent the next ten minutes explaining how awful it had been and how she wished she hadn’t come, and Gunnar had gone to meet her instead.”

“She sounds delightful.” I widen my eyes at him, sliding into a chair next to Adam, who hugs me to his side; Grant glares at him.

“You had her all morning; gimmie.” He sticks his tongue out at Grant, and I laugh.

I suspect that Adam and Bear know there’s something more going on between Grant and me, but if they haven't mentioned anything by now, I guess they're going to keep it to themselves.

“Only because he didn’t want to go into the apartment when Sasha was there.” I move closer to the middle of Grant and Adam, with Bear across from me.

“You shouldn’t have bothered,” Bear said, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of coffee. “When we got back this morning, Gunnar was asleep on the sofa.”

“No,” I whisper, looking around in case they came in before leaning forward and putting my elbows on the table. “She kicked him out of his room.”

“Or he’s grown a pair and willingly slept there,” Adam says, biting his bottom lip and crossing both his fingers in the air.

“Doubt that,” Grant grumbles, frowning before picking up the menu to distract him.

He hates talking about Sasha. It’s his job to protect his team, and he can’t do anything to protect Gunnar from how Sasha has treated him.

“Grant Anders, Bear McDonald, and Adam Price,” a voice cuts across the diner. “My three favourite hockey players!”

A woman with the same hair colour as Gunnar comes up to our table, followed by a man holding shopping bags, who looks exactly as I imagine Gunnar would in 20 years. The boys spring up to hug them.

“Mr and Mrs C,” Grant says, hugging her. “Don’t let Gunnar hear you say that.”

“Ah, he’s not going pro. Better get on your boys’ good sides now to get those tickets,” Mr C waves him off, and the boys laugh.

“This is Brooke.” Adam pulls me forward from awkwardly standing behind them.