Page 29 of No Rhyme or Roughing (The Golden Guardians Hockey Hearts #1)
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
SYDNEY
“Is it ready yet?”
The door to my room burst open, revealing an eager Ryder. He was practically vibrating with energy as he crossed the room and perched on the edge of the bed.
I barely looked up from my computer, where I was painstakingly editing the video. I’d have finished it sooner if I hadn’t been dragged to that weird dinner.
“Five minutes closer than the last time you asked.” I rolled my eyes, biting back a smile.
Was this the same guy I’d had to convince to go along with this plan?
Seeing him out on the ice tonight had been different.
He was better, sure, but also more… into it , I guessed.
There was something else about him, though, something I couldn’t quite place.
“Ready yet?” Teddy popped his head through the doorway.
“And you,” I said, shaking my head, “asked six minutes ago.”
He bounded into the room like an overgrown puppy, wiggling up onto the bed between me and Ryder to watch me work. I could practically feel both of them breathing over my shoulder.
“Do you guys mind ?” I tilted the computer away, trying to scoot over to get some space.
“Thank God.” Teddy slid into the gap I’d created, stretching out. “I was feeling cramped.”
“For fuck’s sake.”
“Language,” they both said at the same time.
Teddy held up a hand, and Ryder slapped it in perfect sync. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought Sullivan and Ryder had swapped places. He was too… smiley tonight.
I knew what it meant. Forgiveness. He was finally putting Sam and Sullivan behind him, finally getting his brother back. It didn’t mean I wanted him all up in my space while I worked.
The video had to be perfect. This time, I was determined to make it go viral. I’d call in every favor I had, which I should have done last time. I just hated asking for anything.
“Can you guys, like, go ?” I pointed toward the door.
“You don’t want us here?” Teddy pouted. “After we shook our asses all over the ice tonight? We did it for you. ”
I rolled my eyes, still scrolling through clips. “You did nothing for me. Get that right out of your head.”
“I think I liked you better when you barely spoke.”
I paused for a moment, fingers stilling on the trackpad. We both knew why I’d changed, but neither of us wanted to talk about Thanksgiving. It was easier to pretend everything was fine, so it could be fine.
“Ted, this isn’t even your project,” I said finally. “You butted into what Ryder’s doing to save the team. You don’t get control here.” I looked sideways at him. “And I’m not even being paid for this, so just let me work.”
“Rude.”
“Annoying.”
“Rude again.”
I snorted. “Creative.”
“They fighting again?” Rowan asked, stepping into the room. “I thought we solved this last time Teddy interrupted her.”
Ryder bit back a smile, though the corners of his lips twitched upward. “Reminds me of very old times.”
“Shut up, Ry,” Teddy said.
“Ryder, please shut up,” I chimed in at the same time.
Rowan bent over, laughing. “At least she said please .”
There was a sharp flick against the back of my head, and I turned to glare at Teddy. “Did you just flick me?”
“Maybe. You deserved it.”
“Don’t flick me.” I shoved him harder than I meant to. He toppled into Ryder, sending him tumbling off the bed.
Both Teddy and I burst out laughing as Ryder’s head popped up over the edge, glaring at us. “Really? Violence against me is what it takes to get you two to get along? ”
Rowan leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. “I think we need to separate them.”
Ryder seemed to agree, crawling back onto the bed and shoving Teddy toward the edge. He took the space between us, his leg pressing against mine. My breath caught, and suddenly, I wished my brother and Rowan would disappear. It took every ounce of my willpower not to press back.
I slouched lower into the pillows as Rowan climbed onto the bed too, forcing the others closer to me.
“You need a bigger bed, Ry,” Teddy complained. “Gonzo, you’re practically sitting on my leg.”
“You know you like it.”
“I do,” Teddy deadpanned. “You caught me.”
“Will you all just be quiet ?” I said through gritted teeth. I was almost done—just a few tweaks left. I scrolled through, clipped in the last shot, and skimmed the video one last time. “And… touchdown!”
“Wrong sport,” Teddy coughed.
“Not everything in the world is about hockey,” I shot back, setting the computer down so they could all see. I hit play.
The music started over a black screen. Slowly, the ice came into view, one lone figure standing at center ice. Then, Teddy appeared, the two of them dancing—awkwardly but confidently.
It cut to clips from the arena.
“Look at Jules.” Rowan pointed at the screen. “He looks so embarrassed for you two.”
Then, we saw the fans. They were on their feet, screaming and cheering. There weren’t many of them, but they loved it .
“Oh man, Mr. Mac,” Ryder said, grinning. He met my eyes, and I remembered how that smile tasted.
They watched the whole thing raptly, until the screen faded to black. Then, they all turned to stare at me.
“What?”
Ryder spoke first, his voice soft and close to my ear. “That was amazing.”
“Brilliant,” Teddy added. “We look fantastic out there.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Rowan laughed. “But Sydney’s editing sure did you guys a favor.”
My cheeks went red. I wanted to say thank you, but the words got stuck. I wasn’t used to compliments, and I didn’t know what to do with them.
Ryder, seeming to sense my discomfort, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, squeezing me into a side hug. I relaxed into him—until my oblivious brother shouted, “Group hug!”
Teddy launched himself at us, dragging Rowan with him. All three of them ended up piled on top of me. I barely yanked my computer out of the way.
“Can’t… breathe,” I gasped.
Ryder pressed a discreet kiss to my cheek. The others didn’t notice as they scrambled off me, laughing.
“What’s next?” Rowan asked.
“Well…” I slid my computer back onto my lap, emailing the file to myself so I could upload it. “Now, I post it.”
“Great.”
All three of them wore matching grins. I recognized it for what it was. Hope .
I shrank back a little, retreating into myself as I pulled out my phone to upload the video.
Please, hockey gods, I thought. Don’t let me let them down.