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An unapologetic smile spreads across his face. “Yup, sure did. It's a done deal. You, Cole Hendrix, are about to be the Portland Timberwolves' newest Big Brother.”

“I haven’t even accepted the offer yet. I still need to chat with Remy.”

“Again, we both know it’s a done deal. Remy negotiated you a pretty sweet deal to join the team. Think of it as being mutually exclusive. You can get out of the shitty contract you have with the Wolverines. Cooper can have a chance to make amends. Momma will get to see all her boys more.”

“That’s what everyone else gets, but what about me? What could possibly entice me to say yes to this deal?”

“Besides the millions of dollars you’ll be making while you recuperate?” Beau pauses for a minute, tapping his finger against his chin as he thinks. It takes a few moments, but his eyes widen as if a light bulb went off in his mind. “Ah, I got it—Momma’s cooking. Anytime you want.”

I let out a bark of laughter and double over, hands on my knees. “Momma’s cooking? That’s your big pitch?”

“You’re not denying it’s tempting.”

“You think I’d want to uproot my entire life, move home to a town I swore I’d never step in again after leaving, and play on the one team I swore I’d never be on—for fried chicken and peach cobbler?”

Beau shrugs. “Sure. I would.”

“And that’s why everyone calls you Momma's boy.”

Beau just grins. “Just think about it, Cole. And talk to Remy. Once you hear what he has to say, you’ll know that you won’t get this good a deal from another team.”

I nod slowly, heart twisting in my chest. “But, Cooper…”

I hate that everything still boils down to Cooper. I don’t want to take his handouts. I feel like I'm right back where I started the day I walked out of my childhood home, turning my back on everything and everyone. I’ve tried to fight my way out of my brother's shadow my entire life, and failed miserably. And I’m tired, exhausted from fighting so hard for something that might never happen. But if I take the deal, I have a chance at another one of my dreams, winning a Stanley Cup Championship.

“He asked for a favor. A big one. He got lucky that no one laughed him out of the owner’s office.” Beau places a hand on the back of my neck. “The way I see it, you either take the deal or forget any chance at winning the Stanley Cup because not even a team in Hicksville, US, will touch you with a ten-foot pole.”

Beau is right. Turning down the offer from the Timberwolves without even reading it is insane, especially if it's as lucrative as Beau and Remy have alluded to. The Timberwolves win Stanley Cups. They are one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Any player would be living their dream for a chance to be on the team. But I can’t get over the fact that my big brother was the one who got me the job. I went, pitched to the owner myself, but didn’t get even a hint of news that they were interested. Not until Cooper called in a favor.

“Just think of this as a clean slate, Cole. Your chance to become the best hockey player you can be as a part of the best team in the league.”

I swallow hard, my eyes remaining focused on the kids playing on the field in front of us. “I’ll think about it.”

“And joining the Big Brother program? You’re gonna think about that, too, right?”

“Yeah, that too.”

“Are you really going to think about it, or are you just telling me that so I stop bugging you?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and start counting backward from ten. Fuck, I forgot how annoying Beau can be when he wants something. “I’ll really think about it.”

Beau steps around me, holding his hand in the air with his pinky extended in my direction. “Pinky swear.”

“Pinky swear? What are we, freaking teenagers again?” I raise my eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest. “I said I’d think about it. Isn’t that enough?”

Beau doesn’t move a muscle, his hand still waiting for me to grip pinkies with him. I could stand here all day and try to wait him out, but I know better. Beau is as hard-headed as they come. He won’t let this go until I give him something. I guess this is the lesser of two evils.

I roll my eyes, finally extending my pinky and hooking it with his. “Fine. Pinky swear.”

“Good, because I’m not going to leave you alone until you sign up. It will be good for you, Cole. For you. For the kid. For everyone.”

“Whatever you say, Beau. Whatever you say.”

Beau wraps his arm around my shoulder and continues pulling me toward the field. “I’m glad you're seeing things my way, little brother.”

A lacrosse field doesn’t look much different from a soccer field. Sure, the field linings are different, and the goal is a weird triangle shape instead of a rectangle, but the play is a lot different than I expected. Instead of some kids running in straight lines, tossing a ball back and forth to each other, this is a full-contact sport. Each player is using their entire body to leverage and protect the ball.

“It looks like playing hockey, but on the grass, doesn’t it?” Beau asks, and I nod my head, not allowing myself to take my eyes off the kid carrying the ball toward the opposing team's net.

I watch in awe as he makes his way down the right side of the field, faking out the defender and throwing one into the back of the net with ease. I fist pump in the air and cheer loudly for someone I don’t even know. I stop immediately, trying to cover my excitement for the kid with a cough, but Beau’s got my number.

Beau points toward the kid who just scored, looking at him with the pride of a father in his eyes. “Darius swears he’s a goalie, but he always seems to put just as many points on the board as the attackers on the team.”

“He must be your little brother.”

“Nope. He’s going to be yours when you join the program.” I open my mouth to respond, but he just shakes his head. “My little brother is Ford, the boy Darius is celebrating with.”

I watch as the two boys do some weird dance before jumping in the air and bumping their chests. The minute their feet hit the ground, the rest of the team converges on top of them. I look at the two boys, who look almost identical. Darius is a few inches shorter than Ford, but not by much. I only noticed because I was looking for it. They both have the same medium brown skin, but I can’t tell much about their hair because of the helmets, but it looks to be the same dark color.

“They seem pretty close.”

“They’re friends, and both played for Cooper’s hockey team this season. They both lost a parent when they were young and probably gravitated toward each other because of that.”

“Or they could just like each other’s vibe.”

“That, too, but those two are more like family than just teammates.”

Now that’s something I used to know a lot about. The Wolverines were my family. My teammates were my older brothers, giving me advice on anything and everything hockey. Even sometimes giving advice about things off the ice, as well. They were there for me, like my older brothers would’ve been if I’d let them. But that all changed a few years ago. Now they hold a level of contempt for me that is present both on and off the ice. That resentment has been building for years and finally came to a head when Leon punched me at the conference finals. I’m sure they all believe I deserved what happened to me, and I’d be lying if I said a part of me didn’t feel the same.

“I’m glad they have each other,” I respond, before turning my back on the field and heading toward the bleachers.

I’m only a few feet away when Beau throws his arm over my shoulder and points toward a familiar woman sitting on the edge of the bleachers, cheering loudly. “And there is our older brother’s lady love. Please behave. The last thing any of us needs is Cooper coming down here to raise hell for hurting his lady love's feelings.”

I guess Cooper really started a relationship with one of his players’ parents. Damn, I didn’t know the man had it in him. Cooper has always been a rule follower to the T. There must be something pretty damn special about Ramona for him to even contemplate breaking one of his precious rules.

“Something tells me Ramona can take care of herself.”

I haven’t said more than a few words to Ramona, but judging by the way my brother reacted to her in my hospital room, I doubt she could be considered weak in any sense of the word. She can’t be, especially if she is going to be putting up with my brother's bullshit for any extended period.

“That she can, but none of us have the heart to tell Cooper. He likes to think of himself as her guard dog, but he’s more of a lapdog, if you ask me.”

“Pot, meet kettle.”

“You’re one to talk. I have a feeling that you aren’t much different, either.” Beau stares off into the distance for a few moments before continuing to speak. “I think all the Hendrix men have a soft spot for the lady they're supposed to spend the rest of their lives with.”

I turn in the direction he’s looking and notice Alise climbing out of her car, then shake my head. Beau can try to fool himself all he wants, but he has no more control over being in love with Alise than I do over handling my problems. However, we are both sure going to pretend like we do. Only one of us is going to succeed, and that will be me. Alise and Beau getting together isn’t the end of the world, but if I can’t get this anger under control again, it will be the end of the world as I know it.

“There is no one for me, Beau. Unless you know a woman who’s okay with being mistress to my first love, hockey. That’s the only thing that gets any of my attention besides rehab these days. Oh, and Momma, but I doubt she wants to do anything with me besides feeding me.”

Beau makes a gagging sound. “Please, for the love of god, please never say anything like that about Momma ever again.”

“Hey, you’re the one who brought it up, Beau.” I chuckle, slapping him on the back before raising my hand to wave at Alise. “Now, let's get our asses over there and take a seat. Ramona does not look too pleased with either of us.”

Beau only nods before spinning on his heels and striding quickly toward the bleachers. He takes two at a time before plopping into the seat beside Ramona and planting a kiss on her forehead.

Her eyes drift shut, and a soft smile spreads across her face but is quickly replaced with a scowl. “You almost missed the entire game.” Her eyes flick to mine and narrow slightly. “Both of you.”

I point toward Beau, having no desire to get on Ramon’s bad side. “Not my fault, just along for the ride.”

If looks could kill, I wouldn’t exactly be dead, but I may be in a significant amount of pain.

Ramona’s eyes flick to the side. “And you? What’s your excuse?”

I turn to find Alise bent at the waist, her hand resting on her knees as she gasps for air. She holds up one of her fingers, begging for a second before answering.“Sorry, but it wasn’t my fault this time.”

She huffs a few more times before standing all the way up, her eyes locking with Beau’s for a few moments before flicking back toward Ramona. “I got off work late because Scott wanted some packet sent to all the new coaches for the spring ice hockey camp at the rink next week. Then he wanted me to verify the schedule for all the tryouts for August and get that sent back to him before I left at five. He gave it to me at four-fucking-thirty!”

“Breathe, Alise,” Beau mumbles, his hands opening and closing at his sides. “Deep breath in and then out.”

Alise’s eyes drift shut as she follows his instructions. I watch her chest rise and fall for a few moments, her hands motioning up and down in time with her breathing. “I am breathing.”

“But are you calm?” Ramona giggles, sending Alise into another tirade.

“No! I’m not calm. I swear that mother—” she begins but slams her mouth shut, probably remembering we’re at a kids lacrosse game. “Butthead has no idea how much time it takes to verify all the information from five different spreadsheets because, God forbid, we keep all that information in one palace. I swear if I didn’t love the free hockey tickets and swag I get just from working there, I’d quit.”

Ramona giggles softly. “You’d have free hockey tickets and swag whether or not you work that job.”

“Yes, I would. However, I could no longer pay my bills. Now, that would be a problem.”

“Definitely a problem,” Beau chimes in, pushing to his feet and giving her a one-armed hug.

Alise practically melts into his arms, wrapping her arm around his waist. “And what’s your excuse for being late?”

“How did you know we were late, too?” Beau questions, pulling away slightly so he can look down at her.

“Besides the fact that I saw you when I pulled in?” Alise steps away from Beau, taking her seat beside Ramona. “Ramona texted me, freaking out because no one was here at the start of the game. She was afraid the boys would feel some kind of way when their cheering sections hadn’t shown up.”

Beau recoils as if someone slapped him. “We never desert the boys, Mona. You should know that by now. When any of us say we are going to be here, we always show up.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. Darius and Ford were panicking before the game when they didn’t see you here. I tried to reassure them, but you know how those boys are.”

“Seeing is believing,” I mumble, and Ramona flashes me a blinding smile.

“Exactly. The more you show up for them consistently, the less likely they are to worry about whether you are going to be there when they need you.”

“So why were you late?” Alise asks again, not willing to let this go.

“Momma made lasagna for dinner,” Beau and I respond in unison as both girls gasp loudly.

“And you didn’t bring anyone any?” Alise asks.

“We were in a hurry,” I respond, trying to smooth things over with both ladies. It seems that Beau isn’t the only one who would do anything for Momma’s cooking. “But she promised us a fresh batch of snickerdoodles after the game.”

“I like where you are going with this.” Alise and Ramona high-five, before Ramona says, “We can bring both the boys over. If I know Ms. Melanie, she has more than enough food in that house to feed an army.”

“Or in your case, two starving teenage boys.”

“Exactly.”

The crowd erupts loudly, causing us to turn our attention to the field. Ford slides across the grass on his knee, pumping his fist in joy before jumping to his feet. The entire team surrounds him, giving him high-fives and slapping him on the back.

“You must be proud,” I say to Ramona, putting what I think is a smile on my face.

Small talk has never been one of my strong suits, but with the woman who is potentially becoming my sister-in-law soon, I decide to give it a shot. But instead of responding, her eyebrows pull down slightly. “Proud of who?”

“Your son, Ford.” I motion toward the field, the boys done with their celebration and ready for the game to restart. “Beau told me that Cooper was his hockey coach this past season. I assumed that was how you two met. Isn’t it?”

I should’ve known better than to take Beau’s word for something. He loves playing practical jokes. Why would this time be any different? I’m about to apologize for overstepping, but Ramona has other plans.

“Yes, it is how we met, but—” Ramona begins, but Beau cuts off whatever she was about to say.

“But they don’t really like to advertise things like that. No one really knows anything about Ramona other than she lives in Redwood Falls.”

Ramona’s eyes snap to his, the two of them having a silent conversation before Ramona looks away first. Now everything is making sense. I drop into the empty seat in front of Ramona, my attention focused on the field.

“Ah, the rule follower doesn’t want a blemish on his record.”

“No, that has nothing to do with it,” Ramona quips. “Cooper wanted to respect our privacy.”

“Sure. Whatever you say, Ramona.” I chuckle before someone smacks me in the back of the head. “What the fu…”

I spin around and find Alise waving her finger back and forth in front of my face. “Ah ah ah. There are children around.”

I narrow my eyes at Alise before spinning around. The last thing I need is one of these kids' parents reporting back to Momma that I was swearing at the kids' games. Not only will she tan my hide on the spot, but I know for a fact there will be a bar of soap in my future. Momma might be five feet nothing, but there is nothing in this world that terrifies me more than her.

“So.” Alise drops into the seat beside me, bumping her shoulder with mine. “Are you going to accept the offer from the Timberwolves?”

I sigh loudly, not even a little surprised that the whole town knows about the offer. “Did everyone know before I did?”

“Not really.” She smiles, patting my cheek lightly. “Remy told Cooper, who told Beau, who told Ms. Mel. She’s been telling anyone who will listen that her baby boy is finally coming home.”

“I’m not the baby. Kyle is.”

“All four of you are her babies. Don’t try to fight it because you will not win.”

“Whatever.” I roll my eyes, trying and failing to focus on the game.

Everyone seems to be invested in my coming back to Redwood Falls and joining my brothers on the Timberwolves. Momma wants to spend more time with me. Cooper wants to ease his conscience after all these years, and Beau…I’m not entirely sure what Beau wants, but he wants something. Everyone has their own reason for wanting me to accept the offer, but no one has given me one good reason I should want to do it in the first place.

At this point, I have two choices. I can either accept the contract with the Timberwolves and hope I get a chance on the ice or never play hockey again. Giving up all my dreams of ever having a chance at winning the Stanley Cup. My choice is a no brainer, but man, does it fucking suck.