Page 5

FOUR

DANIEL

Noah pulls back his stick, and with barely a flick of his wrist, the biscuit is flying past Brooks’s shoulder and into the net.

Gavin closes his eyes and breaks into a smile. Then, with a clap, he yells to the guys on the ice to switch out. To me, he silently nods, telling me I’m up.

With that look, I know what he’s going to say at the end of practice. It’s been coming for the last six weeks. Since Noah showed up and Gavin announced that we’d test out different lines.

We’ve done it before: Brought Camden up to first line with me or War. Put our second-line center in for Aiden. But for the majority of the last two years, War and Aiden and I have made up the first line. We have a chemistry that hasn’t been replicated.

Then Noah walked in, and from day one, he’s fit perfectly. No matter where Gavin puts him. I’m pretty sure he could hang with the defensive guys and still score. He’s just that sly.

Even on second line, he’s incredible. But there’s no denying that he and War communicate better together than he and Camden. I’m close to both guys. I’ve practiced with them for two years. I know that’s at the heart of this decision. Noah and War played together in college and in Minnesota. He doesn’t know the rest of the team. After the hefty chunk of change Bolts’ management surely paid to get him here, putting him anywhere else makes little sense.

This is what’s right for the team.

But that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.

Aiden and I run the same drills. I pass to him, and he sinks it into the net.

The result may be the same, but if I have any chance of staying on the first line with my boys, this doesn’t help one bit.

I try not to be too hard on myself. Whether I scored that last goal or not, Gavin says exactly what I expect when he’s speaking to the whole team at the end of practice.

“Warren, Harrison, and Langfield are on line one this weekend. Hall, Snow, and Keegan on line two?—”

He continues, firing off line assignments. Assignments that haven’t changed at all. The only person who has been moved is me, and the glances from the guys tell me I’m not the only one who’s realized this.

“Now go get some rest. The flight for Arizona leaves early.”

I’d been looking forward to this weekend for months. Now, though? I can’t get out of this arena fast enough.

As I step onto the plane in my travel day suit, duffel in hand, and find Noah already settled beside Aiden—the seat I normally occupy—a surge of pain overtakes me.

As soon as War sees me, he slides from his aisle seat to the window and nods at me. War never sits in the window seat. Fuck, am I pathetic. My ass has barely touched the cushion when he leans forward. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine.” I adjust my seat belt so I’m comfortable. “You all don’t have to keep checking on me like I’m going to lose it any minute.”

With a grin, War glances down at my groin and back up. “I was asking about your dick. It’s the big weekend. You’re finally off probation.”

At the mention of it, phantom pain tingles inside my pants. Dammit. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the feel of the bar or the ring. “Since when do you care about my dick?”

His smirk grows. “Since I’m trying to get you to smile.”

I roll my eyes, but his comments have the desired effect. “I’m fine. Seriously.”

I glance at Aiden. His head is bouncing, which means he’s singing the songs he’s made up for each play as he and Noah run through them two rows in front of us. It’s what he and I would normally do before a game. Aiden communicates by singing. It throws off the other team. Every game is different. He changes up lyrics and song choices in order to keep our opponents from figuring out our plays. It’s not easy to keep up with his brain, but it is fun. And it’s like using flashcards to study. It’s not the physical flashcards that cement the information in a person’s brain. It’s going over the plays consistently that makes our game strong. Putting lyrics to plays creates little ear worms, and they get stuck in our heads. It’s kind of genius, really.

I glance back at Keegan. Wonder if we should come up with our own thing?

“You know he’s not replacing you, right?” War says.

Without my permission, my attention darts to Noah. “No, he actually literally replaced me,” I say evenly. There’s no sugarcoating it.

“I mean as our friend.” War’s voice is low. Like he knows I wouldn’t want this conversation to be broadcast to the entire team. “Regardless of what line you’re playing on, our friendship hasn’t changed.”

I survey Aiden. It certainly feels like it’s changed. Though I keep that to myself. War isn’t an emotional person when it comes to most things, but he makes an effort when it matters. When the people who matter to him need it.

I’m touched that he’s gone this far. That he’s sitting here and talking this out. Sure, he’s my captain, and sure, the general good of the team has something to do with it. But that’s not his primary motivation. As hard as he looks on the outside, he truly cares.

“Yeah.” I sigh. “I know. Appreciate it, man.”

He nods. “It’s going to be a good weekend. We’ll kick ass tomorrow, then we’ll relax. I can’t fucking wait to get my wife in that hot tub.”

I ignore the part about his wife in the hot tub. The two of them look like opposites in every way, but they work. “I’m excited about the house. It looks awesome.”

“And Hannah will be there,” he murmurs, his elbow on the armrest between us.

“Nope.”

That single word has me spinning.

My sister walks down the aisle, head shaking, and when she stops in front of me, hands on her hips, she frowns.

“What do you mean nope ?”

Millie accompanies Gavin as often as she can. Vivi too, though I don’t see her. That’s concerning. My sister is nicer when her daughter is around.

“I mean nope. As in no, you will not sleep with my friend. No, you won’t even think about it.”

War barks a laugh, but when Millie glares at him, he sucks it in. “She’s serious?”

I eye my twin. It’s hard to believe we shared a womb. She’s five-foot-two, and I’d be surprised if she weighed more than a hundred and thirty pounds. I’m six-one and weigh two-ten. Regardless of our size difference, her death glare is scarier than my muscles in this moment.

“Hannah’s an adult,” I say. “If she wants to enjoy the company of me and my glitter dick, who are you to stop her?”

Once again, my mouth and the words that come out of it don’t do me any favors. Fuck my life.

Millie bends at the waist, her face only inches from mine. “I told her years ago she could touch you at her own risk. But I’m telling you, if you make things weird with my bestie, I’ll talk to your coach, who I’ll remind you, I fuck.”

A full-body shiver runs through me as she stands tall, her lips twitching into a smirk.

“I thought twins were supposed to be best friends,” War mutters as she walks away from us, that evil smile still on her face.

I cross my arms, lean back, close my eyes, and smile. “We are best friends. Didn’t you hear? She just gave me the all-clear to fuck her best friend.”

He huffs. “Did we just sit through the same conversation?”

“Yup.” I chuckle. “I’m not sure if you caught it, but she said she told Hannah she could touch me at her own risk, which means,” I roll my head to the side and open my eyes, “that Hannah asked for permission.” I tap on my forehead. “Twin telepathy. It’s a thing.”

“You Halls are fucked in the head.”

I smile and close my eyes. Yeah, we are.