Page 10 of No Rhyme or Roughing (The Golden Guardians Hockey Hearts #1)

CHAPTER TEN

RYDER

A weight landed on my stomach, and I didn’t need to open my eyes to know who it was.

“Go away.” I tried to shove him off, but he didn’t budge.

“What are we doing today?” Teddy bounced once, his massive weight pressing down on me.

Finally, I opened my eyes to glare at him. “Nothing. Sleeping. Get the fuck off me and go bug Rowan.”

“Too late, bro,” Rowan called, his voice still thick with sleep. “I’m here too. None of us are escaping Teddy’s boredom.”

I groaned, shoving my best friend off me and onto the floor. His grin didn’t falter as he got up onto his knees, leaning in way too close. He didn’t look much like his sister, thank God, but the resemblance was there in the way they invaded my personal space and irritated me in very different ways.

Teddy? I wanted to strangle half the time, though he was family.

Sydney? Let’s just say strangling wasn’t on the menu.

I shut that thought down real fast. “What?”

Teddy blinked, his eyes narrowing. “Um, off day? You seriously don’t remember?”

We all loved hockey, but the rare days off were lifesavers, time to step away from the game, clear our heads.

“No practice?”

Rowan rolled his eyes. “Don’t you pay attention to anything Coach says, Mr. Captain?”

Normally, yes. But lately, I’d been... distracted. By my plans for tomorrow’s game. By the girl helping me prepare for them.

“Get your lazy ass up.” Teddy yanked on my arm then let it drop with a grunt. “We’re going hiking.”

“Absolutely fucking not.” I was sore, tired, and too damn curious to see if Sydney remembered last night.

“What if I said there were hot tubs after?”

He knew me too well. There were few things an athlete loved more than soaking sore muscles in a hot tub. Spending all day in front of the jets sounded like heaven.

“Is Sydney coming?” The question slipped out before I could stop it. Teddy was too good, too pure to ever imagine I’d started thinking of his sister in ways that were far from innocent .

Rowan, though? He gave me a look that said, you’re in dangerous territory, dude . And didn’t I know it?

“Nah.” Teddy rocked back onto his feet and stood.

“I tried to wake her up. She chucked her phone at me and threatened to kill me if I didn’t leave her alone.

” He rubbed the side of his head, as if remembering the impact.

“I wish other people could see how mean she is, but that would require her to talk to them.”

“Mean,” I muttered. He didn’t believe that for a second.

Rowan chuckled, his voice deeper than normal. “I heard her come in last night. Shai texted me to check if she got home okay. Sounds like our girl took a trip to booze town.”

Teddy sighed dramatically. “I miss getting blitzed without spending the next year hungover. Getting old sucks, man.”

I’d never been much of a drinker. In college, I’d played Dad, making sure my teammates got home safely and dragged their asses to practice the next morning. It wasn’t glamorous, but some of them were in the NHL now. A messy college career could’ve ruined that.

“Just let me change,” I said, sitting up.

Running upstairs, I knocked on Sydney’s door. Most of my clothes were still in her room.

“Fuck off, Teddy!” she yelled.

“Not Teddy.” I pushed the door open and leaned on the frame.

She was curled under a mountain of blankets, her head buried in her pillows.

“Oh,” came her muffled response.

“I just need some clothes.” I stepped toward the closet, grabbing green hiking pants, an Under Armour shirt, and boots. When I turned back, I found her watching me with squinty eyes and deep circles beneath them.

Biting back a laugh, I shook my head. “I don’t envy you today.”

“Don’t talk so loud.”

“Hold on.” I left and returned a moment later with a cup of water and a bottle of painkillers.

Her face softened into a grateful half-smile. “You’re the best.”

I noticed the full bowl of cereal and glass of juice on her nightstand.

“Teddy?” I asked.

She shrugged. “So, about last night...”

“We don’t have to talk about it,” I cut in quickly, stepping toward the door. I needed to escape before I said something dangerous. Even with her bedhead and bleary eyes, she was beautiful.

“Oh.” Her voice dipped, quieter now. “Good. That’s good.”

“We’re heading out, but call if you need anything.”

She nodded quickly. “Yep. Sure. I mean, I don’t think I’ll need anything from you. Nope, nothing at all.” Her lips snapped shut, and she winced.

I couldn’t help but smile at her, the way she got flustered by the simplest conversations, blurting out whatever popped into her head. “We’ll see about that.”

I could have killed Teddy for dragging us out here. It was raining. Not a cute little drizzle, but the kind of rain that soaked you to the bone, left you cold, miserable, and questioning every life choice.

And the bastard had a smile on his face.

“Rowan and I took a vote. We hate you.” I swiped water out of my eyes.

Teddy shot me a wink and draped an arm over my shoulders. “Friend, sometimes you just have to let the world drown you.”

I pushed his laughing self away. His relentless optimism was usually infectious, but today I had too much on my mind.

Teddy danced ahead of us—literally danced. Most of the tourists had fled the downpour, leaving the trees to us.

Rowan looked sideways at me. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re being more of a dick than usual. Sure, the rain sucks, but Teddy wanted us to spend the day outside, clear our heads.”

I sighed, running a hand through my wet hair. The truth was, I was nervous. Every step forward felt like a step closer to tomorrow—when I’d have to perform for our sparse crowd and all of social media. This team needed saving, and I couldn’t back out now. Not with Sydney so invested.

So, why hadn’t I told the guys about the plan?

Probably because they’d try to talk me out of it—or because Sydney had asked me not to. “Just a lot on my mind.”

“When don’t you have a lot on your mind, Ry?” Teddy called, glancing at us. “You always act like the world’s falling apart. But guess what? It’s not. You’re allowed to live a little.”

His words echoed Sydney’s on the beach. Why did they have to be so alike? But he was right. So was she.

Live a little.

It was the only way I’d get through tomorrow.

I shook my head with a chuckle, already imagining his face when I took the ice during the first stoppage in play.

The three of us walked in step as we headed to the parking lot and made our way along the winding roads. The rain came down harder before finally easing as we pulled up to Teddy’s father’s house.

Calling it a house didn’t do it justice. The place was a castle—stone pillars, an expansive second-floor balcony, and immaculate turf lawns that probably cost a fortune. Rich people and their fake grass. I shook my head. Teddy’s dad never scrimped on anything.

Teddy’s parents had divorced in college, and I knew most of the story. His dad had an affair and got caught. Teddy had never quite forgiven him, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the trust fund or palatial property.

We skipped the front door, heading around back to the pool area.

The pool house was lit up, white lights lining the walkway to a waterfall that cascaded into a custom-built pool—ridiculous in a state with constant water shortages.

Two hot tubs flanked the pool, steam wafting over their bubbling surfaces.

Chlorine tinged the air, and the inviting hum of the hot tubs pulled us in.

Inside the pool house, we stripped off our wet clothes and changed into trunks before stepping outside. I sank into the hot water with a sigh, letting the jets chase the cold from my body. This, right here, made the miserable hike worth it.

Teddy and Rowan groaned their own sighs of relief. If anyone was listening, they might think we were in the middle of an orgy. Honestly, it might’ve felt just as good.

“Why don’t you have one of these at your place, Ted?” Rowan asked. “Imagine coming home from practice to this every day.”

I smirked. “Teddy avoids anything he’d have to clean or take care of.”

Teddy splashed water in my direction. “I do not.”

“Sure,” I said, grinning.

We soaked in silence for a while, reveling in the warmth. But Rowan couldn’t keep his mouth shut for long.

“So, Sydney.”

“What about her?” Teddy growled. His little sister was the only thing he got truly serious about. Not possessive, just... protective.

“Relax, man. I’m just wondering if any of the guys have hit on her yet. You know how the team is.”

Teddy’s eyes flicked to me, but I averted my gaze, saying nothing.

He sat up straighter, his tone sharp. “If they do, they know I’ll?—”

The sliding door opened, cutting him off. An imposing figure stepped out, suit crisp and expression stern.

“Son?” His sigh was audible even over the rain. “It’s not an intruder, Carrina. Just my idiot son.”

Teddy grinned, seemingly unfazed. “Hi, Pops. ”

“You know, I have a front door.”

Teddy shrugged. “The hot tub’s back here. Why walk through the entire house?”

His dad rubbed a hand over his face. “Fine. But you’re staying for dinner. Ryder, Rowan, you’re welcome too.”

“No can do, daddio.” Teddy leaned back, the picture of indifference. “We have a late practice.”

We absolutely did not.

“Boy,” his dad snapped. “You show up to enjoy my pool and hot tub, spend my money without hesitation, but you can’t even have a conversation with your own father? I swear, you and Sydney are going to send me to an early grave.”

“Don’t talk about Sydney,” Teddy said, voice low. He pushed to the edge of the hot tub, closer to his father. “Leave her name out of your mouth.”

His dad sighed, treating him like a petulant child. “I heard she’s in town. She won’t answer my calls. Your mother says she hasn’t seen her either. Do you know where she’s staying?”

“No. And if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. Leave her alone, Dad. I’m begging you. Haven’t you two done enough to her?”

The man stiffened, a flicker of something unspoken in his expression. “Have a good game tomorrow, Theodore.” He turned and disappeared back inside.

Teddy jumped out of the hot tub, yanking a towel from a nearby rack. “I need to get out of here.” He stormed into the pool house to change.

Rowan and I exchanged a look. The things that fractured this family wasn’t something a phone call could fix. Sydney had been a kid when she caught their dad cheating and told her mom. She’d been paying for it ever since.

I followed Teddy inside, barely taking the time to dry off before climbing into the car. Rowan joined us, and we drove toward Alameda in silence.

Halfway home, Teddy slammed his hands against the wheel. “He just can’t help himself, can he? My parents are the reason my sister can’t trust anyone, and I’ll never forgive them for that.”

I wanted to run straight to Sydney when we got home, to pull her into my arms and promise her the world. But I couldn’t. Not with Teddy storming through the house. Not with Rowan watching me.

It helped that Sydney was already asleep, probably still recovering from her hangover. And in the morning? She was nowhere to be found.