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CHAPTER EIGHT

Brooks

I stand in the cold parking lot, the neon glow of Surf’s Up lighting up the twins’ faces as I let them have it.

“What the hell were you thinking?” I growl, my arms crossed tightly over my chest.

Tyler shrugs, his smirk replaced with something more sheepish. “I apologized,” he mutters, avoiding my eyes.

“Yeah, well, you can’t apologize your way out of stupidity,” I snap back. “You kissed the team doctor. Do you even realize how bad this could look? For her? For you? For all of us?”

Nick steps in, trying to play mediator. “It’s not like he meant to screw things up, Brooks. It just happened.”

I shake my head, running a hand through my hair. “And that’s exactly the problem. You don’t think. Either of you.” I glance at their slightly flushed faces, catching the slight sway in Tyler’s stance.

“You’re both tipsy. You’re not driving.”

Nick frowns, holding up his injured hand. “I wasn’t planning to anyway. But Tyler?—”

“Tyler’s not driving either,” I cut him off, glaring at both of them. “Get in the truck.”

Tyler opens his mouth like he’s about to argue, but I silence him with a look. “Now.”

They grumble but obey, climbing into the passenger and back seats of my full-size truck. I settle into the driver’s seat, the leather cool beneath me as I start the engine.

I grip the steering wheel, my knuckles tight as I steer us onto the main road. The twins are unusually quiet.

But my thoughts aren’t on them.

Ally’s face flashes in my mind.

I shouldn’t be thinking about her, not like this, but I can’t seem to help it. There’s something about her that draws me in, something so damn sweet and good.

I know it’s wrong. She’s young, too young, and she’s the team doctor, for God’s sake.

There’s a hundred reasons why I should keep my distance, and yet…

I sigh, the sound heavy in the quiet cab. I know I come off as grumpy and detached, but I wasn’t always this way.

There was a time when I was different, when I believed in things like love and trust. But those days feel like a lifetime ago.

I glance at the twins, their heads tilted as they look out the windows on either side of the vehicle.

They’re noisy, messy, and immature, but they remind me of something I once wanted.

A family.

I wanted kids, a home filled with laughter, and someone to share it with. Instead, I’ve got a big, empty house and two overgrown children as roommates.

The memory of my ex-wife creeps in, uninvited and unwelcome. She was the only woman I ever really loved, and she threw it all away. Cheated on me. Shattered everything we built together.

The trust she broke, it’s not something I think I’ll ever get back.

I push the thought away, focusing on the road. But the ache lingers, a dull reminder of what I’ve lost and what I might never have again.

The cab stays quiet until Tyler and Nick start squabbling again, their voices cutting through my thoughts.

“Are you kidding me?” Tyler says, leaning forward. “That post was perfect. Of course she’s going to notice it.”

Nick snorts. “She didn’t even like it, man. And if she did, it’s because she’s into me, not you.”

“Please,” Tyler scoffs. “She’s clearly into charm, which means me.”

“Charm?” Nick retorts. “You mean your inability to keep your mouth shut?”

I sigh, glancing at them in the mirror. “Would you two knock it off? You sound like a couple of teenagers.”

They ignore me, their argument escalating into something about a model and whether she’d prefer Tyler’s “rugged charm” or Nick’s “brooding intensity”.

I tune them out, my focus drifting back to the road. They have no idea how easy they have it— in their mid-twenties, talented, with the whole world ahead of them.

They’re living life, enjoying every moment, while I’m staring down forty with nothing to show for it but a hockey career and a house that feels more like a mausoleum than a home.

I take the long way back, needing the extra time to clear my head. The twins’ voices have died down, leaving just the muffled beat of a quiet song on the radio.

When Nick and Tyler got drafted, they were raw talent with no sense of direction. I’ve seen it before—bright-eyed rookies drowning in the temptations of this life. The booze, the women, the drugs—it’s a graveyard for careers if you’re not careful.

I wasn’t about to let that happen to these two. They were too damn good, too full of potential, to burn out like that.

Taking them in had felt natural. They needed someone to guide them, and I needed something to anchor me in that big, empty house.

They’re knuckleheads, sure, but they’re my knuckleheads.

The road winds ahead, the streetlights casting intermittent halos of gold onto the asphalt. My thoughts drift to the first night Nick and Tyler moved in.

I can almost see it: the kitchen lit by the soft glow of pendant lights, the smell of fresh pizza mixing with the tang of the beer they brought over.

We sat around the big wooden table, their wide-eyed excitement giving way to something deeper as we talked about where we came from.

Nick and Tyler grew up with parents who couldn’t keep their lives together long enough to raise kids. They bounced between grandparents and the foster system until hockey became their saving grace.

I could see the relief on their faces as they talked about their college scholarships. Hockey gave them structure and a sense of purpose, and it kept them out of trouble.

I could relate. My dad was a deadbeat, more interested in the bottom of a beer glass than raising a family. My mom worked herself to exhaustion trying to make up for his absence, juggling three jobs to keep the roof over our heads.

I’ll never forget how tired she always looked, her hands rough and calloused from years of hard labor.

My mom’s been gone for nearly a decade now, and my dad’s still the same selfish bastard he always was. Nick and Tyler might not share my blood, but they’re the closest thing I have to family now.

My thoughts circling back to Ally and Tyler’s impulsive move tonight.

Tyler’s always been a bit reckless, especially when it comes to women. He doesn’t stop to think about the consequences; he just acts. That kiss might’ve been a dumb move, but I can’t entirely blame him.

Ally’s… different .

Tyler kissing her was a bonehead move, but I’ll deal with it. It’s what I do: clean up their messes, make sure they stay on track.

The house looms ahead as I pull into the driveway, its dark windows reflecting the glow of the headlights.

“Home sweet home,” Tyler mutters, his voice low and a little slurred as he opens the passenger door.

Nick snickers, shoving him lightly. “Don’t act like you pay the mortgage.”

They climb out, their footsteps crunching on the gravel as they head toward the front door.

I sit in the truck for a moment, watching them stumble their way inside.

Nick fumbles with the keys but manages to get the door open, and they disappear into the warm glow of the entryway.

Tonight was a mess, but I know what to do to make it right.

A plan forms in my head, and a small smile creeps onto my face.

Tyler might’ve made the first move, but I’ll make sure this doesn’t blow up in all our faces.