Page 44 of Playboy Husband

He waited until I got back to the living room before he nodded, but his lips pressed into a pout. “I do, but Grandma said she and I are going to do something together this morning instead. I think she’s going to take me shopping.”

His nose crinkled on the last sentence. I chuckled but grimaced in sympathy. “I’m sure you’ll have fun. Do you want me to talk to her, find out if you can come and I’ll drop you off at the mall later?”

He sighed. “No, it’s okay. She’s also taking me out for breakfast and she said Grandpa and my uncles want to get to know you.”

I wrapped my fingers around my mug and inclined my chin, leaning back on the couch as I gave him a slight smile. “Then don’t eat too much cereal. We won’t be long though, okay? Maybe you and I can hit the ice this afternoon. Depending on their plans.”

A grin spread across his face immediately and my heart swelled. I would have loved to have him with us, and not only because he’d been a great icebreaker and an even better buffer last night. I simply would’ve liked to have been playing with him, too. But I understood it.

This wasn’t just a friendly game. It was a test. A means of taking my measure.

Michelle and Matthew came downstairs, showered and ready for the day themselves, just a few minutes later. They spent most of the early morning with Brody while I got some work done on my phone.

After Michael finished work, he came to pick us up. His SUV rumbling in the drive drew Matthew and me to the porch. Michael grinned like a kid on Christmas morning as he rolled down his window and stuck his head out.

“Are you ready to get your ass handed to you, Westwood?”

And so, it begins. “That depends. Do you play as good as you talk?”

Matthew chuckled as he climbed into the passenger seat. “Simmer down, boys. Save the trash talk for the ice.”

Nerves slithered through me, but I shoved it all away. After all the hockey I’d played in my life, this might just be my most important game and I wasn’t about to let any of them get in my head. We met Mason at the rink and he was already lacing up like he’d been born with skates on his feet.

Michael and I joined him on the ice when we were ready, with Matthew watching from the sidelines. The moment we got underway, I knew I’d been right about this not just being a friendly, family game. It was war—brutal and fast.

Michael had the same kind of speed Brody did, but he also had a mouth to match, calling out plays like he was live on air. “And Callum has the puck and he takes the shot. Oh, that was weak. Someone call an ambulance. That man’s ego is shattered.”

I laughed, panting but having a good time. Mason was quieter than his brother, reminding me somewhat of a shark who came out of nowhere to bodycheck me into the boards. As I connected, he shot me a grin that made me suspect he’d been waiting for that since he’d first found out I existed.

Pain shot through my arm to my shoulder, but it wasn’t bad. I gave as good as I got. My lungs burned after a while and my muscles screamed, but it was worth it. I wasn’t about to let Maisie’s brothers just have the win.

By the time we were in our own version of the third period, I was grinning like a lunatic. Sweat was stinging my eyes, but my stick connected with the puck for the winning shot. As I watched, it sailed easily into the net.

I threw my arms up in the air, but they dropped again almost immediately.

Panting like I’d just completed a week-long run, I doubled over, bracing my stick against the ice so I had something to lean on.

The twins weren’t doing much better, with Mason gasping for breath and Michael cursing as he skated over to his dad and grabbed a bottle of water.

Matthew held up two more and Mason and I followed. Once I’d pulled off my helmet and downed half the bottle, I realized that this was my chance. I’d just won and the twins were too tired to fill every second of silence right now.

“For the record,” I said between labored breaths. “I actually really like your sister. Love her, even. I realize it’s unorthodox what we’re doing, but I’m looking forward to her becoming my wife. I’m going to take great care of her. And of Brody. That’s a vow.”

Three sets of eyebrows jumped up. Complete silence stretched between us. Just as I was starting to worry that I hadn’t made myself clear or that I’d just blurted it out way too randomly, Matthew smiled.

Maybe not a full smile so much as a twitch at the corners of his mouth, but it was something. Michael and Mason exchanged a long look, then shrugged in perfect unison. Michael clapped me on the back hard enough to nearly knock me over.

“Well, at least you can skate,” he said. “We’ll have some fun together.”

Mason chuckled like he hadn’t just tried to break every bone in my body. “Brody wanted to come. We’ll have to bring him back here after Mom’s done with him, but yeah. You’re alright. We’ll keep you.”

Matthew didn’t say anything, leaving the talking to his sons, but as our gazes connected, he lowered his chin in the slightest nod.

Just like that, the knots in my chest eased.

They might not know me yet, but they were willing to give me a chance, and that was so much better than I’d even dared hope for.