Page 25

Carter Donovan introduces himself to me, his hand extended to shake mine.

He gives me a warm smile that reminds me so much of Drake, it’s scary.

The similarities are apparent, and after reading Sydney’s dirty stories, I know Drake got the monster cock she speaks of in her books from him too.

What a weird thought to have at this moment.

But I can’t stop thinking about how much they are alike.

And apparently, Drake also inherited his father’s love of hockey and skill as a goaltender.

“Don’t mind my beautiful wife,” he says, his voice so much like Drake’s my mouth hangs open in shock. “She’s a little over-the-top. Don’t let her scare you away.”

“No one’s scaring her away.” Sydney shoots her husband a knowing look, and his expression softens. “Drakey wouldn’t have asked Taylor to sit with us if he was afraid of me chasing her off.”

“Mom, don’t call him that around his girlfriend,” Chloe interjects. “You know how much he hates it.”

Drake has admitted he secretly loves his mom’s nickname for him because she gave it to him.

He’s so close with his parents in ways I’ve never connected with mine.

My dad wasn’t around a lot, and when he was, he didn’t understand how to deal with a girl.

He always treated me like a boy or one of his subordinates.

Mom was always kind and there when I needed her, but like me, she also followed my father’s rules.

“Thanks for letting us sit with you,” I say, tapping Bex’s chair.

Sydney’s gaze travels to the open seat. “Oh, I thought you were here alone.”

“I drove up with my friend, Bex. She’s my roommate. We also play on the same basketball team together.”

“We met Bex at Thanksgiving.”

I nod. “Yes, I believe so.”

“Another basketball player,” Sydney says. “Has Drake told you about his Aunt Charlotte? She played basketball in college, too. Now, she’s a sports agent.”

“I know of Coach,” I say, rubbing my gloved hands together. “She’s a legend.”

“She was my agent when I played hockey,” Carter says, his tone deep and firm. “She’ll be Drake’s agent, too, when he goes pro. If anyone will make him a star, it’s her.”

I smile at his words. Drake’s father is so confident he will take his career to the next level. Drake’s dream is to become a professional hockey player. It’s all he’s ever wanted to be.

For his sake, I hope that happens. Only a handful of players make it to the NHL. But I’m sure sharing the same last name with a Stanley Cup-winning goalie will help his chances when the Draft comes around.

Bex appears on my right. When she sees Drake’s family, she raises her hand to wave and says hello. She settles in the chair next to me, and Sydney leans over me to speak to her.

“We didn’t know you were coming,” Sydney says to Bex with a smile. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“I wasn’t planning to be here.” Bex chews on her bottom lip, a hint of hesitation in her demeanor. “But I figured why not? It’s my dad’s first year as head coach and Preston’s last season with the team.”

Not quite the reason she begged me to drive her to Boston, but, okay.

“So,” Sydney says, tapping her long manicured nails on the armrest between us. “Drake mentioned you read my books… and Chloe’s, too.”

Heat burns my cheeks. Why am I embarrassed? She’s the one who writes those dirty stories. I’m only the person who reads them.

“Yes,” I admit. “I’ve read a lot of your books and the series you cowrite with Chloe.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” She leans in close enough for me to feel her breath on my earlobe.

“I only wrote under my legal name to piss off my father. He hates my profession. But you know what, I love it. Writing sexy books makes me happy. It’s also kept my love life pretty… shall we say, interesting.”

“Mom,” Chloe snaps. “You don’t know how to whisper. We can hear every word over here. Please save everyone from hearing another disgusting story about you and Dad.”

Sydney tilts her head back and laughs. “I don’t tell disgusting stories. I save those for when we write books together.” She clamps her hand down on her daughter’s knee and laughs again.

Chloe chuckles and shakes her head, a tiny smile crossing her lips. “Don’t embarrass him,” she warns.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, darling,” Sydney coos.

Drake’s mom is a real character. After reading the bio on her website and watching some of her hilarious YouTube videos, I figured she’d be interesting to meet. Drake shared enough with me to provide a clearer picture, but meeting Sydney Carroway in person is an experience.

Midway through the game, Sydney touches my arm with her long, red fingernails. She leans in close, her sweet perfume filling my nostrils. “I’d like you to come for Easter dinner. I told Drake to ask you, but in case he forgets, I want to invite you.”

“Come,” Chloe says, leaning over to flash a set of bright white teeth. “Jacque makes the best honey glazed ham with sweet potatoes.”

Confused, I ask, “Who’s Jacque?”

Chloe chuckles. “Oh, Drake didn’t tell you about our chef? Jacque is amazing.”

“He mentioned you have one just not by name.”

“Drake keeps begging Mom to send him to his house to cook for his teammates.”

“Probably because Shannon stopped cooking for them,” Bex says.

“Regan mentioned Jamie’s girlfriend,” Sydney says. “Poor thing, little Jamie.”

I almost laugh at the way she says little Jamie because he’s a big guy until I remember Jamie is a junior.

“He screwed that up,” Bex adds. “What an ass?”

Sydney looks taken back by Bex’s forwardness, but she brushes off her comments, made aware of the situation by Jamie’s mom. Their families are so close I doubt there’s a single thing they don’t share with each other, their children’s love lives included.

“So…” Sydney says to me, “… dinner. Will we see you at the house?”

“Yes. I’d love to come. Thanks for inviting me.”

“You know…” Chloe says, “… you’re Drake’s first girlfriend since high school.”

“Yeah, he told me.”

“He’s a big guy,” Sydney says. “But my Drakey is sensitive. Please be careful with my baby’s heart. Don’t hurt him.”

“Syd,” Carter says in a tone that sounds threatening. When their eyes meet, I can see Drake’s dad issuing a silent warning to his mom.

It says stop embarrassing the damn kid.

“I would never,” I whisper, and Sydney smiles in response.

His dad leans forward in his seat, gaze set on the game playing out before us.

He mutters something under his breath when the Strickland Senators take a shot and miss.

Sydney and Chloe go back to talking about books, and I’m sure I hear his mom say the word cock at least once.

I laugh to myself thinking about how much she uses it in her books.

“What is Preston doing?” Bex chews on her bottom lip, speaking so low only I can hear her. “He keeps arguing with Kellan.”

I was so nervous about making a good impression with Drake’s family that I forgot about the game.

Now that the introductions are over with, I can sink into my chair and relax.

But Bex’s concern is transferring to me once I inspect the ice.

Preston and Kellan are in each other’s faces.

This goes way beyond two players scrambling for possession of the puck.

“He promised not to get his revenge,” I say.

Bex leans forward with her elbows rested on her thighs and cups the sides of her face in her hands. “It looks like Kellan’s the one going after him.”

“Think of it this way… if you never told Preston about Kellan, you would have a lot more explaining to do.”

“Preston will end up fighting Kellan if he keeps getting in his face.”

I cup her knee with my gloved hand to offer her support.

Once the game ends, the crowd erupts into a mixture of boos and cheers.

The Strickland Senators win the game, though there are very few people from Strick U in the stands to give them the round of applause they deserve.

Drake was amazing. He guarded the net like the wall of man he is, forcing a win in his team’s favor.

Our team congratulates each other, about to line up to slap hands with the Boston players when Preston swings at Kellan. My mouth falls open in shock as I watch the horror unfold in front of us. Bex gasps, covering her mouth with her hand.

Preston lands a punch to Kellan’s jaw, backing him up against the glass.

Kellan attempts to dodge Preston’s fists, though he takes more hits than he misses.

But Kellan eventually gets a clean hit on him.

Bex cries out as if she’s in pain when Preston’s head turns to the side as Kellan hits him hard in the nose.

Before it escalates further, both teams are surrounding them, their teammates clawing at their jerseys to pull them apart. The linesmen force their way through the crowd, but even they can’t stop Preston as he takes one last shot that spews blood from Kellan’s nose and mouth.

From this vantage point, I can see Preston covered in blood. He stares down at his knuckles after Kellan’s body slumps to the side, forcing his teammates to catch him. But the madness doesn’t end there. Nope, Preston spins around to face his teammates and ends up elbowing a linesman in the face.

“Oh my God,” Bex says with tears streaming down her face. “What the fuck did he just do?”

Drake’s dad shakes his head and lets out a deep breath. “He just killed his career,” he growls, his voice so deep and scary it sends a chill down my spine.