Page 4 of Rebel Secrets (Devils Hockey #3)

Chapter Three

A little less than four months to the wedding

Rebel

“Damn, Reb, you never said your sisters were hot.”

Stopped just outside the locker room in the Reading arena after the game, which we’d won, I glared at Ian Clark. But he wasn’t looking at me. He was staring down the hall.

Glancing in the same direction, I saw Rain nodding her head and smiling as Erin babbled on, using her hands to talk like she always did.

“Only one’s my sister. She’s got dark hair. And don’t even think about it. Her boyfriend’ll rip you in two if you touch her. And then I’ll get to work on what’s left. Even your parents won’t be able to identify you.”

Ian’s attention snapped back to me, wide-eyed and mouth open. Which made me want to smile. Good to know I could still keep the kids in line. I was new here, but I wasn’t a rookie so that gave me some seniority over the younger guys. Not that I pulled rank. Ever.

I’d never say this to anyone, but the Redtails still didn’t feel like my team. I gave my all every game, of course, but I still felt like an outsider. And it wasn’t because the players treated me like one. They were great. This was all me.

So I ignored it like I did everything I didn’t want to think about. So far, it’d been working to keep me on track.

“Dude, that might be most words I’ve heard you speak in a row.”

I didn’t bother to respond to that. The guys had learned quick that I didn’t like to talk.

And most of them accepted it as just who I was.

Ian, who also happened to be my roommate, liked to talk, but he reminded me of my oldest brother, Rowdy.

Good-natured, easy-going and generally in a decent mood.

Rowdy had rounded out my rough edges. Ian…Well, sometimes, he did stupid shit like tell me my sister was hot.

“So who’s the other girl? She’s pretty, too. She’s not, like, a cousin or anything, right? Oh, wait? Is she your hometown sweetheart?” Ian’s goofy smile made me roll my eyes. “She’s not, right? You never talk about a girl.”

Sighing, I shook my head. “She’s my sister’s best friend. And trust me, she’s not anything to me.”

“So are you gonna introduce me?”

“Yeah, sure. Come on.” And then I had a brilliant idea. “You wanna come out with us? We’re just gonna get something to eat. Won’t be out late.”

Ian’s face lit up. “Sure! I can do that.”

Okay, so I wasn’t above using Ian as a buffer. If it was just gonna be me and Rainy, it’d be a different story. It’d just be me and her and a quiet dinner. Erin changed the equation. And though I’d never admit it, that pissed me off. We just didn’t mesh.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

With Ian bounding along beside me, I headed down the hall, my lips cracking a smile as Rain’s face lit up when she saw me. She took a few skipping steps to meet me then threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tight.

“Hey, Reb. You played a great game tonight.”

“Good to see you, Rainy.” I gave her an extra squeeze. Despite the fact that I didn’t talk about it, I missed my family. “Thanks for coming.”

She pulled back to smile at me. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. You looked good out there. For a rookie.”

Her smile widened at the jab, which I took with the good nature I’m known for.

“Fuck you, Rainbow Brite.”

“Ah, Jedi, I miss you.”

At the mention of my Devils nickname, Ian’s gaze bopped between Rain and me.

The guy didn’t miss a thing, which made him an amazing forward with the skill to be in the NHL.

He just needed a little more seasoning to be truly great.

And a break from the big club. Or to get traded to another team who needed a forward.

That’d be a blow to the Redtails, though, who were having a pretty good season and were on track to be in the playoffs.

The team I still didn’t quite consider my own yet.

I shook off the thought. My keen-eyed sister would read my mind, and I didn’t want to have to deal with her empathetic anxiety. Plus, I knew she’d tell our parents and so far, I think I’d been able to keep them from realizing I was having regrets about leaving the Devils.

Yeah, it was stupid, but that’s just how my brain worked.

Still, I couldn’t resist hugging her tight again and feeling just a little closer to home.

Accidentally, my gaze slipped to Erin, who was watching us with eyes just as big as Ian’s and an expression that fought between goofy emotion and nose-wrinkling disdain.

And since disdain probably wasn’t even a word in her vocabulary, it was the goofy emotion that won out.

The smile on her lips softened and, when our eyes met, she actually looked happy to see me.

And I could honestly say, in that moment, I wasn’t unhappy to see her. My therapist was going to have a field day with this at our next session.

Amazingly, Erin managed to rein in her impulse to blabber all over everyone, but I knew it wouldn’t last. She just couldn’t help herself. So I offered up Ian as sacrifice.

“This is my roommate, Ian.” I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him a nudge forward, but he really didn’t need any help. “My sister, Rainbow. And her best friend, Erin.”

I managed not to grimace when I said her name, thought I sounded pretty normal as I introduced her. Maybe that’s why she gave me a second look? Usually all of our interactions involved snark.

I wanted to say, “See, I can be a polite human,” but I didn’t. That would’ve negated the no-snark thing, so…

“Hi.” Ian stuck his hand out to Rain first, who shook it with a smile, but when he turned to Erin, his expression just… Hell, I don’t know. The guy looked like he’d just scored the game-winning shot in the playoffs.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes and tell him he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. And when Erin smiled at him with that sunny look on her face, I wanted to tell him to run.

“Hi,” Erin said. And didn’t say another word.

Huh. That was different.

“So,” Rain said into the silence, “why don’t we go get something to eat?”

Half an hour later, I was still trying to figure out what the hell had happened to Erin.

She was actually tolerable during dinner. It helped that she spent most of the time talking to Ian, who seemed thrilled to have her attention. It left me more time to talk to Rain. Or rather, let Rain catch me up on all things Devils. And home.

“So Kat gets the puck and starts staking up the ice before the ref can blow the whistle. Everyone else is paired off because Rowdy said something stupid to Wilhelm, who took offence, which meant everyone started to go at it since there was, like, thirty seconds to go in the third. And the Stags had already pulled their goalie, so the net’s wide open. ”

Since I can see where this is going, I’m shaking my head, my lips curved in a smirk. Rowdy is notorious for saying stupid things, usually with a smile on his face and a laugh that makes other teams wanna throw their gloves down and wipe away the grin.

“Now, I can see Body Johnson, who was reffing the game, catch sight of Kat weaving his way down the ice,” Rain continued. “And I’m pretty damn sure he knew Kat had the puck, which is why he didn’t blow his whistle.”

I could see it all in my mind’s eye. Kaden “the Kat” Felix, the Devil’s goalie, gliding down the ice at a snail’s pace, because he really wasn’t a great skater. He was a decent goaltender, but wind sprints were his nemesis.

“I think the other team, at first, thought he was just getting out of the way of the fights. The game had been chippy from the start. You know Rowdy and Bonesaw have had this rivalry with Wilhelm and his brother, Johann, for years. I don’t even think they know who started it anymore but?—”

“Oh, they definitely know who started it. Remember that New Year’s Eve game during our first season? Jo made a dick comment about dating you.”

“Oh?” She got a look on her face that made me roll my eyes. “And why was that a dick comment? I wouldn’t have been opposed to that.”

“Yeah, well, your brothers were. They hit on any girl with a pulse back then. Before Wil met his wife.”

“Ooh, you know I haven’t talked to Katie for a while. I need to call her.”

I could practically see the mental note my sister made to call Wil’s wife and shook my head. Rain was the queen of multitasking, a skill that just wasn’t in my DNA. It’s why she and Rowdy would make a great team leading the Devils going forward.

I just wanted to play hockey.

Yep. And that’s exactly what you’re doing.

“I didn’t know you kept in touch with Katie?”

Rain nodded, her smile bright. “I keep in touch with a lot of people. And I’d keep in touch with my brothers even more if they’d text me back once in a while.”

I rolled my eyes but reached across the table to cover her hand with mine and squeeze for just a second. “I know. I suck. I’ll try to be more responsive.”

Rain’s smile widened. “Good. I’d hate to have to track you down every couple of months and yank on your ear until you get back to me.”

Her smile faded and her expression turned serious. And when she spoke, her voice was barely even loud enough for me to hear over the low hum of conversation from the rest of the restaurant.

“You’re okay, right? I know leaving was hard for you.”

I didn’t blow her off because she was right. It had been. And anyone who knew me well knew how hard it had been.

Therapy helped. Having someone to talk to who wasn’t my brothers or sister or parents had been one of the best decisions I’d made for myself after crashing out in college.

That’s been the lowest point in my life.

Untreated depression and anxiety had cost me friendships and nearly cost me my hockey career.

But my parents hadn’t let me falter and I’d gotten help. And I still had it today.

“Most of the time…” I nodded. “I still miss home. I miss my family and my team.” I grinned. “I even miss my nosy sister.”