Page 16 of Cross Check Daddies (Miami Icemen #3)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Cam

I call her number.

The phone rings once, twice, and I’m expecting voicemail when her voice comes through, slightly breathless.

“Cam?”

“Brooke, hey.”

There’s a pause. “How did you get my number?”

“Called your company line. They patched me through.” I clear my throat and glance at the open laptop in front of me.

“I know it’s late, and I’m sorry for calling after hours, but this is a work thing.

The sponsors are dialing in from South Korea, so we’re on their time zone.

I wanted to make sure you were looped in. ”

“I don’t have my laptop with me right now…”

“Just use your phone. I doubt you’ll need it.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Hey, how come you have my number?”

She’s silent for a second, then says, “I have caller ID, Cam. But okay. I was out walking. Give me ten, I’ll hop on.”

I thank her, hang up, and sit back in my chair. Her voice lingers in my head for longer than it should. Crisp but casual, like always. No edge. No affection. Just business. I should appreciate it. Instead, it grates.

The call itself is uneventful. GameHatch presents an updated build.

The sponsors seem pleased. There are a few adjustments the analytics team recommends, and Brooke handles it with ease.

She doesn’t even look at me once in the video feed, not even a flicker of recognition in those dark eyes. Just calm, confident articulation.

When the meeting wraps, I don’t bother logging off slowly. I close the lid and call Ace. He picks up fast.

“I’m with Leo,” he says. “You good?”

“There was a GameHatch call just now. The brass requested it. All senior leadership had to be there.”

“At this hour?” Ace mutters. “Is something wrong with the game?”

“No. The update looked fine. Brooke was leading the call.”

There’s silence, and then, “Why was Brooke on the call if it was an internal team strategy?”

“I don’t know. I’m just following orders.”

There’s the sound of a beer bottle clinking against the table on Ace’s end. “Come over. We are reviewing games to come up with a game plan. Bring your laptop. We ’dig in.”

“On my way.”

I throw on jeans and a T-shirt, grab my gear bag and car keys, then fire off a quick text to Tanner telling him that I might be home late and he can get started on making dinner.

He doesn’t reply.

The drive to Ace’s building is short and full of thoughts about Brooke— her calm voice, the way she didn’t flinch seeing me on the call.

It shouldn’t get to me, but it does. I miss the version of her who used to laugh at my bad jokes in hotel lobbies.

Who kissed me in the middle of a snowstorm after I got promoted to first line.

I miss what we were before I let it all fall apart.

I’m double-checking the team analytics deck in my inbox before I get out of the car when a Camaro I know too well rumbles into the lot and brakes hard a few feet away.

The door swings open, and my brother jumps out.

Then, on the passenger side, Brooke.

My spine locks. I sit there, unable to process it at first, watching her slide out of the car like she’s done it a thousand times before, her hair still in that same high ponytail she had on the call. They’re heading to the building, laughing at something he just said.

Like they’ve done this before.

Like they’ve done this a lot .

The world goes still for a second. And then I'm out, walking toward them.

“Tanner,” I bark.

He stops walking. Turns. The smile drops. Brooke freezes next to him.

“Cam.”

“What the hell is this?” I snap. “You’re with her?”

Brooke steps back slightly, like she knows what’s coming and doesn’t want it to get worse in public.

Tanner doesn’t back off. “Yes.”

“You didn’t mention this ,” I say, pointing between them. “You didn’t tell me you were hooking up with my ex.”

“Because it’s none of your damn business anymore,” Tanner says. “You ended it. You walked away. And now she’s?—”

“Now she’s what?” I demand. “Yours?”

“I’m not going to lose my chance with someone incredible just because you fumbled yours.” Tanner’s voice rises with each word. “You had your shot. Years ago.”

I stare at him. My own brother. “Years? I guess she did not tell you about us… Did she tell you that I fucked her?”

“Cam,” Brooke hisses. “Don’t.”

“You’re a liar,” Tanner shouts.

"I'm not the one lying here."

He shakes his head. “I never lied to you. I just didn’t tell you. And maybe I should’ve. But I didn’t want this?—”

“This is exactly what you wanted,” I say. “You knew. That night you asked me if I had things sorted with Brooke. You already knew.”

He doesn’t answer that.

Brooke cuts in. “I’m going upstairs.”

“Brooke…” Tanner starts.

She waves him off and moves quickly past us. Her steps are clipped, her face unreadable. My jaw clenches as she disappears into the building.

And now it’s just me and my brother.

Silence.

Tanner exhales, like he’s trying to rein it in, but I’m already past that line. He looks down at the pavement like he might find something there that’ll explain all this. But I’m done with him playing the reasonable one .

“You could’ve picked literally anyone ,” I bite out. “Anyone else. And you didn't even have the guts to tell me.”

He looks up. “And what—ask your permission first? She’s not your property, Cam.”

“Don’t twist this into some feminist bullshit. It’s not about ownership. It’s about respect. You know she is my ex.”

“Exactly—she is your ex, Cam. Whatever happened with you was in the past. This is now.”

I cock my head to the side. "I didn't lie, Tanner."

He flinches. “When?”

"When we first ran into each other a few weeks ago. But… If she didn’t tell you, then it clearly didn’t mean anything.”

“Did it mean something to you?”

I don’t answer. Because I don’t know the answer. Because maybe it did. Maybe it didn’t. Maybe it only meant something to me.

“Right,” he mutters. “You don’t even care that she is moving on. You just don’t like that it’s me.”

“You were supposed to be my brother ,” I spit. “The one person who’d never go behind my back. But you’ve been sneaking around like a goddamn coward.”

“I wasn’t sneaking around,” he snaps. “I was trying to figure out if it was real before blowing up the team, the season, this . But maybe you would’ve preferred I just rubbed it in your face from day one.”

“You were rubbing it in my face,” I shout. “Showing up late. Ducking questions. Talking about some mystery woman like it wasn’t her .”

Tanner shakes his head, disbelief etched across his face. “You really think I planned this? You think I wanted to fall for the one woman you’d make into a ghost story?”

“Don’t you dare ,” I say, stepping forward, chest brushing his. “Don’t act like I made her up.”

“You did ,” he hisses. “You turned her into this symbol of everything you lost instead of just owning that you let her go.”

The hit lands. Not physically. Not yet. But the way it punches straight through my chest, I wish it had.

“I gave up everything for this game,” I growl. “And she couldn’t handle that.”

“No,” he says, stepping into my space now. “You pushed her away. You iced her out, stopped showing up for her, and when she finally left, you didn’t chase her.”

“You don’t know shit about what happened between us.”

“I know enough,” he says, voice lowering to a scalding edge. “I know she deserves someone who doesn’t make her feel like second best. And I’m not gonna apologize for wanting to be that guy.”

“You already are second best,” I snap. “You always have been.”

The words hang there.

And for a second, we both just breathe in the poison I let out.

Then his fist slams into my jaw.

My head snaps sideways. The world tilts. Blood floods my mouth. The sting is immediate and hot. I laugh. Actually laugh.

“Feel better?” I say, spitting crimson to the pavement.

“No,” Tanner growls. “But I will.”

I swing. My fist connects with his cheekbone, hard enough that he stumbles now. He snarls as he straightens up, and then he’s charging me. We crash into each other like we’re back on the ice, two bulls locking horns with nothing but bruises between us.

I shove him. He shoves me harder. Fists fly again. I clip his ribs; he lands another hit to my face. Grunts. Impact. The dull slap of bone on bone. This isn’t sparring. This is years of shit spilling out in one goddamn parking lot.

And somewhere in the middle of it, I hear Ace’s voice.

“Hey—HEY!”

I barely register the heavy steps pounding down the sidewalk before I’m yanked back by a pair of strong arms.

“Cam,” Ace barks. “Fucking cool it .”

Leo’s grabbed Tanner, dragging him backward.

We’re both panting.

“What the hell is wrong with you two?” Ace growls. “You wanna destroy each other before playoffs?”

Neither of us answers. I’m glaring at Tanner like he’s a stranger. Like I don’t even recognize the kid I grew up with.

“He knew,” I mutter. “He knew and he didn’t say anything.”

Ace looks between us. “Knew what?”

“Let’s go,” I say, shoving past him. There is no way I am going back to the same house as my brother. My knuckles are raw. My jaw aches. My heart’s worse.

“Cam,” Ace calls behind me. “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

I punch the elevator button. Step inside. Watch the doors close between me and the wreckage of my brother.