Page 4

Drake

After I find Jamie practically fucking a sorority girl on the counter, I sit at the table in the kitchen.

Shannon’s been around a lot lately and offered to make us dinner.

I guess she thinks Jamie will date her. We’re not interested in settling down in college.

And we still have our pro careers ahead of us.

This is the first time a woman has cooked a meal for our house.

I’m surprised most of the guys aren’t home for the occasion.

Killian Kade, a right winger on our team, left a few minutes ago.

He hung around until he got a text and ran out the door.

He’s one of the most secretive people I’ve ever met.

With his big mouth, Tucker fills the void with his usual jokes and stupid comments.

He hasn’t stopped talking about Shannon’s ass or how much Jamie scored since he entered the kitchen.

Tuck can be such an asshole to Jamie sometimes.

Tucker is a dick to most people, even though he means nothing by it.

Tucker and Trent, whom everyone on campus calls the Kane twins, sit next to me at the kitchen table.

They’re identical in every way, from their height and build to the dimples in their cheeks.

Tucker spikes his blond hair in the front, and Trent’s falls over his forehead.

Their hair is the only distinguishing factor, though I could tell them apart if they shaved their heads.

Our fathers are best friends and former teammates. Like Jamie and Preston, we’ve been close since birth. Except for Jamie, all of our fathers were professional hockey players. They played for the Philadelphia Flyers and even won the Stanley Cup together.

We learned how to skate almost as soon as we could walk. And we did it together. Then, when we were old enough, we played hockey for the same team. Our parents made sure of it.

I’ve spent every holiday, birthday, and vacation with Tucker, Trent, Preston, and Jamie. We’re like one big non-related family. But that’s also what makes us formidable opponents on the ice.

After Jamie and Shannon set the last bowls on the table, we dig into the food Shannon prepared. The scent of garlic and spices fills my nostrils. I take it all in, unable to remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.

Shannon works at a bakery, and after I sink my teeth into the first bite, I can honestly say this girl knows her way around a kitchen.

My mom wasn’t much of a cook. We had a personal chef who would make us whatever we wanted to eat.

Though, my mom made bacon for me every morning before school.

It’s one of the few foods my mom can cook without burning the shit out of it.

My dad said she ruined a lot of meals while they were dating.

After they married, he hired Jacque, so we didn’t have to worry about my mom setting the kitchen on fire.

I miss having a chef around. And now we’ve gotten a taste of Shannon’s food.

None of us will want her to leave. Jamie better not fuck this up.

We need her.

Shoving a heaping forkful of pasta into my mouth, I laugh at the conversation, only catching the tail end of it.

“So, that makes you two like brothers,” Shannon says, pointing her finger between Jamie and Preston.

“Yeah,” Jamie says. “Sort of. We’re all family, like a dysfunctional family.”

I snort at his comment. “Speak for yourself.”

Shannon glances around the table at each of us. “That’s cool. You all knew each other before you came to Strick U. It must make it easier for you to play hockey together.”

“I don’t know about all that,” I say, just to give the guys a hard time.

Jamie rolls his eyes at me.

“It’s an advantage we have over other teams.” Preston sounds like our team captain. He loves bossing all of us around. “Coaches have a hard enough time getting all the egos to play together,” he adds.

“We fight all the time,” Tucker says.

“True,” Preston counters. “But we don’t stay mad at each other for long.”

I can’t help but laugh, seeing this as the perfect opportunity for another stupid remark. Anything to annoy Preston. “I just beat the bitchassness out of you.”

“You wish.” Preston moves his finger toward his chest, staring me down. “Come at me, bro. Let’s see how tough you are.”

I shake my head, entertained by his proposal.

Preston knows I would kick his ass. Built like my dad, I’m close to seven feet tall.

Well over five inches taller than everyone at the table, my arms and legs are thick and corded with muscle.

None of them could take me, even if they tried.

But I wouldn’t mind seeing them attempt it.

Trent holds out his hand to silence me. “I’m hungry. Would you two stop measuring dicks until after we eat?”

“Are you planning to make this a regular thing?” Tucker asks Shannon with a mouth full of food. “I could get used to this.”

“Me, too,” the rest of us mutter in unison.

I hope Jamie doesn’t fuck this up with Shannon. This is the best food I’ve eaten in a long time. We could use a woman’s touch. Jamie and Preston do most of the cleaning in the house, so they have that covered. But neither of them can make more than macaroni and cheese.

“Wanna play Mage Wars after we eat?” Preston asks Jamie. “I’m finally out of level twenty-five. That one was such a bitch.”

I’m one of the few people alive who’s not obsessed with the video game world Jamie’s dad created. Jamie’s the son of a tech billionaire. Yep, that’s billion with a ‘b.’ His family has more money than all of us put together. And somehow, he’s the most down-to-earth.

“Oh, I love that game,” Shannon says, shocking everyone at the table.

Few girls like video games. I wonder if she’s full of shit and only trying to impress Jamie.

We stare at her as if she’s a freak of nature.

“My younger brother loves it,” she explains. “I still live at home with my parents. At least for now. My brother makes me play with him. It’s the only way I can get him to bed on time. We play Mage Wars for an hour and then bedtime. Seems to work.”

“My dad created The Fallen Universe,” Jamie tells her.

They talk about video games and boring shit, so I tune out until Jamie hooks his arm around Shannon’s back and kisses her. My stomach turns at their inappropriate affection at the dinner table. I thought I was over that after I moved out of my parent’s house.

My parents are that couple, the ones who are still madly in love and never stop touching each other, even during meals. I constantly had to yell at them while I lived in their house. And I’m not dealing with that shit in this one.

My mom is known for taboo and dirty books that would make a sailor blush.

Sometimes, I hear her talking to my dad about scenes she’s writing in her books, and I want to throw up at the thought of them re-enacting them.

The thing about my mom is she’s very open.

Like way too open with her words and actions.

She says it’s part of her creative process. Maybe that’s where I get it from. My dad is more of the shy and silent type, where Mom doesn’t give a shit and just puts it all out there. Sort of like me with my dick pics, I guess. I’m a weird mixture of them both.

Luckily, Jamie and Shannon take that shit upstairs, and now the vibe in the room goes back to normal.

“You ready for the game?” Tucker says.

Preston drops his fork onto his plate. “Yeah, I guess. I think this will be my best year.”

“Best year for the team, too.” Trent bites into a slice of garlic bread. “We’re winning again this year.”

Last year, we won the Frozen Four, the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. We’re hoping to do it again. Next year, if we’re lucky, we’ll be playing on different teams in the NHL, so this season is important to us.

“I wish the announcers would stop comparing us to our dads,” Tucker says.

His words hit me hard. Having famous fathers doesn’t help any of us. Our stats and abilities are constantly being compared, making stepping out of our father’s shadows impossible.

I often wonder if having the same last name hurts or helps us. Until we get into the NHL, it’s hard to say for sure. But I wouldn’t want to get picked by a team because of my dad. None of us do. We all want to earn our positions on our own.

“Oh, I know,” Preston says. “Like I need a fucking reminder of the ghost of Alex Parker.”

“It pisses me off.” I shake my head, annoyed by the last time an announcer threw my father’s stats in my face. “My dad retired years ago.”

“Trying to live up to the legacy of Alex Parker ain’t easy.”

Tucker and Trent nod.

“These asshole announcers expect us to be them…” Tucker says, “… when all we’re trying to do is play as hard as we can to get NHL scouts to notice us.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m living in the shadow of Tyler Kane.

Our dad…” he says, pointing at Trent, “… retired over ten years ago. Get over him already.”

Tyler Kane is the general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Preston’s dad is the head coach. Neither of them wanted to leave the Flyers organization after they retired.

Thankfully, my dad has kept his distance from the league. He says he enjoys being home with my mom and is her muse. She’s a famous erotic romance author, so I’m glad I’m not home. Because being her muse means…

Gross.

“Right,” I interject. “It’s fucking bullshit. My dad’s shutout against the Blackhawks in game seven has been in highlight reels since I was a kid.”

“They won the Cup, though,” Tucker says. “That game was sick.”

No one understands the complexity of our lives. Our teammates think we’re lucky or blessed to have pro hockey players in our family. But their legacies are hard acts to follow. Our fathers bred us to become hockey players. They forced us to be better than them—as if that’s possible.

“Are you coming this weekend?” Tucker asks Preston.

He cocks his head at him. “To the dance contest?”

“Yeah. All the sorority chicks are dancing for money.”

“Count me in,” Trent says.

“I’ll be there,” I add.

Preston laughs. “Like any of you would miss half-naked girls dancing on bars.”

“You bringing Coach Bryant’s daughter?” Trent asks Preston.

He bites the inside of his cheek. “Bex is meeting my mom. I doubt she’ll come to the club with me.”

“Get her there,” I interject.

Why is he acting like such a pussy about this girl? Preston would have pounced like a shark on blood if she were anyone but our coach’s daughter. But with this one, he’s taking his sweet-ass time. And if he likes Bex for real, then maybe that gives me a way in with Taylor.

“I’ll see if she wants to come,” Preston says.

“Make sure she brings Taylor with her.”

I still can’t get her sassy mouth out of my head.

Preston raises his eyebrow. He’s quick to notice that Taylor has somehow got under my skin. “You like her or something?”

I never talk about women, let alone ask about them.

None of them have been memorable. The only girl who ever mattered to me left such a poor impression in my mind that I still can’t escape my past. Every time I try to have sex with a woman, the horrible reminder from high school floods my vision.

And then, it’s like I’m seventeen again and can’t get it out of my fucking head.

My friends still don’t know the truth. It’s too embarrassing to share. They wouldn’t believe me even if I told them. I’ve worked too hard to maintain my fake persona.

I shrug. “She’s okay. I’d fuck her.”

Tucker snorts. “I’m sure you would.”

“She’s cute,” Trent says. “A little too tall for me.”

“She’s the same height as Bex,” Preston says, nostrils flared.

For whatever reason, Trent and Tucker always hook up with short chicks. I can’t stand bending down and breaking my neck to kiss a girl. Short girls also remind me of my girlfriend from high school… and I can’t go there. Nope, never again.

“Not for me,” I counter. “Taylor’s just right.”

Preston nods in agreement.

Even at her height, Taylor will fit perfectly in the crook of my arm. Or at least she will once I get her in my bed, and I plan to make that happen. No matter how much of a challenge she gives me.

I need to find a way for Preston to get Bex to the club this weekend, and I’ll handle the rest from there.