Page 21 of Her Hat Trick Daddies (Game On Daddies #3)

Shane

Did Hackney, our oldest defenseman with that chronically busted knee, blow out his ACL again?

Did something happen to Corolla, our starting goalie?

Maybe one of the rookies pulled something stupid and caught a concussion skateboarding or messing around, like one of the guys did during my first year on the team.

What I didn’t expect was to walk in and see the woman I only ever associated with Wilson.

Oh, and let’s not forget, better known as the commentator David somehow lost his damn mind over in the video room.

That whole situation still makes no sense to me.

David isn’t reckless, but man, he was that night.

And now? Now I know. She’s the blonde.

Our Phoenix. From the masquerade ball. The one the three of us took that night.

And suddenly, it actually explains a lot .

I’ve thought about her on several occasions over the years. I think all of us have. Which isn’t really like us. Hookups don’t stick—not in our heads, not like this. There’s a reason they’re called that. You move on. You forget.

But that night? That woman? Unforgettable.

And maybe it wasn’t just the sex. Maybe it was her . The way she moved with us, completely open, unguarded. Adventurous as hell, yeah, but there was something pure about her, too. Like every time she came, it surprised her. Like no one had ever taken her there before.

Andy’s brought her up more times than I can count. Probably because it was his first time sharing a woman like that… and none of us walked away unaffected.

“Hey, remember Phoenix?” he’d say.

David and I would always nod. Because, of course, we remembered. How could we not? She lingered—in our thoughts, in our conversations—long after most names and faces had faded. There was just something about her that stuck.

And now she’s here. Standing right in front of us.

Same woman, different world.

Dressed like she runs the place. Sleek black suit, hair pinned tight, all poise and power. The kind of woman who looks like she could level a room with just one word.

She could walk right into one of my sexy librarian fantasies and fit like a glove .

“Shane?” David says my name, snapping me back to the present.

Or at least trying to. Because I’m still reeling. This is her .

And somehow, three years ago feels like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.

“Does she know about the video?” I ask, realizing too late I’ve stepped right into it.

Leighton freezes. Her face goes pale, her eyes wide. “What video?”

Andy groans and slaps a hand over his face. David shoots me a look sharp enough to draw blood, then turns to her with a sigh.

“Our night together… it was recorded. Somehow. It ended up on an amateur porn site.”

Her mouth parts, but no sound comes out.

“It’s grainy,” Andy rushes to add. “You can barely make anything out. We only recognized it because, well, we knew it was us.”

“The sex,” Leighton stammers. “The sex we had is online ?”

I jump in. “But it’s not gaining traction. It’s already dropped in the rankings.”

I crouch to check the drawer under the mic setup, where our publicist keeps the team’s iPad. It’s still there. I open a private browser window and pull up the site, relieved that it takes me longer than before to find the clip. It’s no longer on the front page.

Progress. Small, but I’ll take it .

But Leighton’s not focused on that. She’s pressing a trembling hand to her throat, her voice just above a whisper. “You think a lower rank makes it better?”

“Well, when it moves further down, that means fewer people are into it. And they’re not looking for it,” David explains.

But her eyes stay fixed on mine. “Knowing my bare everything is floating around the internet for anyone to stumble across? Fuck, that’s bad. And a big fucking deal.”

“But we’re all masked,” I add, trying to keep my voice calm. “We’re anonymous. No names. No faces. No one’s recognized it, and it’s been up for a week.

She still shakes her head, visibly rattled. “I don’t know…”

David lays a hand on her back, gently rubbing up and down in slow strokes. “We don’t know for sure if it’ll disappear,” he admits, “but Shane’s right. It’s already dropped off the front page. That’s a good sign. Either way, we’ll come up with a plan. Something to get it taken down.”

“But if someone does find it… if Ted Cosgrove sees it…” Her voice falters, and she looks up at us. “We could all lose our jobs. Or worse. If a site like TMZ gets hold of it—” She clamps a hand around the back of her neck, rubbing it. “God, this is a nightmare.”

“There’s no reason to think it’ll get that far,” Andy says gently, stepping in on her other side. He peels her clammy hand away and holds it between his. “Take a breath, darlin’. You’re shaking. ”

David grabs one of the foldable chairs against the wall and gestures for her to sit. “Come on. Please, just sit for a second.”

She does, the metal legs squeaking softly as she settles into it. But it doesn’t help. Her whole body is tense, and she’s now fidgeting with her necklace, a solitaire aquamarine pendant.

“How’d you figure it all out? Us…” Andy asks, clearly hoping to shift her focus.

“Well, I’d been meeting with David a few times since I started this role, but it didn’t click right away,” she says, her voice a little steadier now. “I mean, I remember that night, and all of you, very clearly. But there wasn’t anything that tied it together at first.”

She hesitates, then adds, “And it’s not like I came here looking for answers. I just took the job, made the move. That was it.”

“I didn’t recognize any of you until the first scrimmage of the season,” she continues. “David was scratching his wrist, and I saw the hockey stick tattoo inside his glove. Shane, you were standing next to him, with the right stance and build to be Wolf. And Andy was right there on the bench.”

She exhales deeply. “I couldn’t be completely sure, but everything lined up. And once it started making sense, I made it my mission to talk to each of you.”

“But, it turned out to be more than just talking, right?” I ask, nodding toward David.

He smacks me on the back of the head.

Andy gives me a look. “Seriously, man? ”

“I don’t mean any disrespect by it, seriously. I’m just following the facts,” I say calmly.

Leighton’s cheeks turn pink, but she lifts her chin anyway. “I’m not denying it. Any more than I’m denying that Andy and I had a moment in the locker room yesterday.”

“Dude?” I stare at Andy, stunned. That tips me over the edge, my inner frat boy making a brief appearance despite my best efforts. “Really?”

“I didn’t plan for it to happen,” Andy says, almost shamelessly. “It just did. I can’t explain it… right space, right mood, I guess.”

David clears his throat, his voice low but steady.

“Look, what they’re trying to say is… we all felt it, Leighton.

That night wasn’t just some one-off hookup.

Maybe it started as a fantasy, but it turned into something real—something none of us forgot.

And maybe now it’s time we get to know each other without the masks. No pretending. Just us.”

“I think I’d like that,” she says.

“So, this might sound strange, but I’m curious. Tell us about your friend. The one you were with that night,” David asks.

“You might know her.” Her blush softens into something warmer. “Ava Sterling. She used to be the team’s massage therapist. We’ve been best friends since we were kids in Jersey.”

Andy perks up. “Ava? Yeah, I remember her. She was our masseuse for a short stint. She was great. Left the team to have a baby, right? Sven’s. ”

“She did,” Leighton nods. “Her son, Trevor, is my godson. And since we’re sharing secrets that cannot leave this room…”

She gives each of us a serious look. We nod. We’ve all got things to lose, and we’d never burn each other like that.

“What isn’t known is that… she’s also in a relationship with Eric Schwartz and Levi Corolla.”

My brain stalls for a second. “Wait. What?”

She nods.

I sit with that for a beat. Ava? With three men? One a former captain, the other two still active on the team? It’s not just surprising; it reshapes how I see the world we’ve all been quietly orbiting.

I glance at Leighton again.

Of course, it tracks. She’s never flinched at intimacy that doesn’t follow convention. She hasn’t once made it feel strange or shameful, the way the three of us seem to keep getting pulled into her gravity.

And suddenly, I wonder if what we have isn’t some weird exception or impulse. Maybe it’s not just a one-time thing we’ve been chasing. Maybe it’s not a fluke at all.

Maybe it’s real. Something that makes sense in a way we’ve never let ourselves say out loud.

A buzz breaks through my thoughts. David’s missing phone lights up on the edge of the dais. I grab it, glancing at the screen before handing it to him.

“Cecille’s texting you. ”

David waves it off, sliding the phone into his pocket. “I’ll check it later.”

But then my phone vibrates. And Andy’s. And again, David’s.

The message is from Cecille.

Cecille: Team, I don’t want to alarm anyone, but there’s been a pileup on I-70. Strisik and Panabaker were involved and have been taken to Denver Health by ambulance. That’s all I know right now. Please don’t speak to anyone about this.

David, Andy, and I move as one, heading for the door.

“What’s going on?” Leighton asks, confused.

I pause, showing her my phone.

She reads it. “Oh no…”

“We’re going to check on them,” I say, turning to go—but before I can take a full step, her hand closes around my arm, stopping me cold.

“Wait. I still need to tell you guys something. It’s important.”

David, looking over his shoulder, asks, “Is it life or death?”

She hesitates, then shakes her head. “No. I guess it can wait.”

But she looks so disappointed. I can see the weight in her expression, whatever it is, she’s still holding on to. So I reach for her hand, squeeze it, then press a kiss to her temple. Gentle. Quick. Reassuring .

“It’ll be okay,” I tell her softly.

“We’ll find you later,” David says, one foot out the door.

I look between them, then back at her. “How about after we get back, you come to David’s place. I’ll text you the address.”

She frowns. “I can’t tonight. I have other… obligations.”

She checks the clock, but her expression gives her away, guarded. Like she’s already bracing herself for whatever storm is coming next.

Andy reappears from the hallway. “Yo, what’s the holdup?”

“I’m coming,” I call back, but I don’t move. Not yet.

I turn to her instead, letting my gaze linger, meeting those beautiful blue eyes that have haunted me more than I ever cared to admit to the guys.

I’m glad you found us,” I say, my voice lower now. “Even if it was by dumb luck. I never stopped thinking about you, Leighton. None of us did.” I pause, giving her a chance to respond.

She says nothing.

“And if we weren’t being pulled away for this emergency, I’m pretty sure this conversation would’ve ended differently. And… I’d show you exactly how much I’ve wished we could relive that night.”

I catch the faintest smile tugging at her lips. A small, knowing smile that says she might feel the same way.

And somehow, I know. This is just the beginning.