Page 27

CHAPTER 26

EMERY

For a kiss that Alexei telegraphed was coming with clear, careful, and slow intent, it still takes me by surprise when his mouth slots over mine and his hunger takes over.

It’s not a long kiss, but it’s deep and powerful, and it leaves my lips tingling in a way that I can still feel hours later.

After he takes Inessa upstairs for a nap.

While I go grocery shopping.

And even after my family arrives and I’ve had to school my kiss-dazed expression into a neutral mask.

My parents head downstairs to catch up with Alexei’s parents, and Forrest and Alexei follow me into the kitchen.

“Fucking hell, did you make crisp?” Forrest feigns his knees buckling beneath him and grabs the counter for support. “I’m not strong enough to resist that.”

“I made a healthy version, too.”

He scoffs. “Fuck that, we’re not making the playoffs.”

Alexei’s gaze meets mine, as if to say I told you so , and I smother a laugh.

Forrest glances between us. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Alexei opens the fridge. “Do you want a beer?”

Forrest shakes his head. “I’m not that checked out yet. Gimme a seltzer water.” He grins after Alexei hands one over. “Thanks. Looking forward to scoring on you tomorrow.”

Alexei gives him a deadpan glare. “Not going to happen. I’ve been studying the Granger weaknesses.”

Forrest laughs.

Alexei doesn’t, and a weird little sizzle skates down my spine.

My brother narrows his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” I say at the same time as Alexei says, “Your sister is a better skater than you. Did you know that?”

I sigh.

Forrest frowns. “Fuck off.”

“The truth hurts,” I say lightly, pushing past Alexei and giving him a leave it alone look that he immediately ignores.

I’m never going to worry about my brothers’ feelings being hurt—hurting their feelings is a fun sport, after all. But I don’t like conversations that bring up why I quit hockey.

Unfortunately, Alexei doesn’t know that.

He claps Forrest on the shoulder. “ She can score on me. She came to practice last week and smoked me. You, though…You are slow in comparison and you project your target too clearly. You have no hope.”

My brother swings around to stare at me. “You skated with him?”

“I skate,” I say like it’s no big deal.

“Not with us.”

“You live in Calgary,” I point out. “A city I haven’t visited in…”

Thankfully, Forrest doesn’t notice the hitch in my voice.

Two years .

Alexei notices, though. Of course he does.

From somewhere that’s not right in the kitchen, my phone chimes. I’ve had to turn on sound notifications because Inessa has a habit of running away with my phone now.

“Excuse me,” I say, grateful for the interruption.

“What are you smiling at?” I hear my brother say behind me.

“Your sister,” Alexei says, and I trip over my own feet.

Pivoting, I glare at him.

He shrugs before leaning back against the counter. “So tell me about this woman you’re seeing…”

As he predicted, Forrest is happy to talk about himself.

I find my phone—wedged in the couch. It’s a group chat message from Kiley, to the WAGs (and me), but excluding Shannon.

Kiley

Hi friends! I know that tomorrow’s game against Calgary is going to be emotional for Shannon. She wants to go to the game, though, so I think we should surround her with as much love and community as we can. You’re all invited to our place first, and then we’re going to walk over to the arena as a group.

Ani

I’m making her a bedazzled Armstrong jersey to wear! Jerseys optional, of course, but it would be cute.

Becca

Charlie and I will be there! #HighlandersStrong #TeamShannon

I wasn’t going to go to the game. I was going to use Inessa as an excuse to stay home and avoid my parents, my brother, and the goalie I keep kissing.

But I can’t ignore my friend in her time of need.

Heart pounding, I watch myself type back a response I would never have sent only a week ago.

Emery

Count me in (I’ll have Inessa with me)

“Everything okay?” Alexei asks, coming up behind me.

I glance up at him. “Yeah.”

“Okay.” He glances over me. “I’m going to see if Mama is feeling up to coming upstairs for dinner. And maybe rescue her from Inessa.”

“And my parents,” I say dryly.

He winks and heads to the basement.

I take a deep breath and join my brother in the kitchen again.

He salutes me with his can of water. “You’re a real gem for helping Arty out through all this.”

“He’s paying me,” I say as I open the fridge, even though that’s not completely true.

He will, once I send him a contract.

“Sure, but this can’t be what you want to do with your life,” Forrest says.

I shove a veggie tray I made earlier at his chest. “Put this on the island.”

He does that without complaint, so I give him a little truth.

“Sure, veggie trays, grilled chicken, and apple crisp isn’t really where I see my career going, but I didn’t love the personal chef stuff back home, either. The program that I’m going to do in Switzerland has a great reputation with fine dining chefs in Europe, so I can leverage that into some stage placements.”

“In Europe.”

I shrug. “Yes! Why not?”

“Because…” He frowns.

“Because we live in Minneapolis? Except you live in Calgary and Logan lives in Buffalo and Wyatt lives in Utah, and if any of you couldn’t make it in the NHL, you’d one hundred percent be playing on pro contracts in…” I draw my hand out between us, asking him to fill in the blank.

“But you’re the baby.” He makes a face. “I’m still struggling with you being old enough to drink.”

“Fuck right off,” I mutter.

He dips his head in acknowledgement. “Fair.”

I pull the three dips that I’ve made out of the fridge and take them to the veggie tray, making a bit of room for them. And once they’re nestled in, I add a few herbs in around the bowl to give the tray a bit of complexity.

“Is that a rainbow?” Forrest asks, his head tipping to the side.

I grin. “Yep. Saw the Duchess of Sussex do it on her TV show and borrowed the idea. I’ve been making little food rainbows for Inessa all week and she gobbles everything up.”

“And what are the dips?” He deftly swipes a purple carrot spear.

I point to them one by one. “Whipped feta ranch, known simply as ranch if Dad asks. A sweet beet dip because Inessa likes all things pink and Alexei’s mom loves beets. And the last one is caramelized onion hummus with a spiced olive oil drizzle.”

“Damn.” He scoops some of the hummus, pops the carrot in his mouth, and groans low and long. “All right,” he mumbles. “Go to Europe and get even more amazing.”

I blush. “Thanks.”

He washes the bite down, then leans in close. “Hey, so… is Arty dating someone?”

My hand slips and a celery stick falls into the ranch.

He sees it.

“Emery.”

“I don’t know.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying.” My voice shakes. “I, uh, haven’t asked.”

I cross the kitchen and grab my notebook, pretending to make a recipe note just so I’m doing something other than being completely, pathetically transparent.

Forrest follows me. “So you have noticed something’s up.”

“Why are you like this?”

He grins, all older-brother smugness. “Because I’m good at reading people. And Arty has that look. You know the one.”

Maybe I’m not as transparent as I feared if the only person he thinks he can read here is Alexei. “I really don’t.”

“He’s quieter. Looser in the shoulders. That’s a man who’s gotten laid recently.”

Blood rushes to my cheeks so fast it feels like my ears are ringing.

“I’m serious,” he goes on. “He looks like he’s not carrying the whole world on his back for once. Like maybe he’s got someone who makes it a little easier to breathe.”

I swallow. “Like your older woman?”

“Oh yeah.” Forrest whistles and gets a dreamy look in his eye. “She makes it a lot easier to breathe, let me tell you.”

Alexei was right. Forrest is easily diverted into talking about himself, and that saves me—for about seven minutes, as he waxes eloquently about his situationship.

“It turns out, the longest and best relationship in my life is one where it’s someone else who puts all the boundaries up, because it’s just sex?—”

He cuts himself off as the basement door opens and Inessa twirls into the living room with her dad right behind her.

Forrest coughs into his fist. “Anyway, I’m just saying.”

I meet his gaze as steadily as I can manage. Since he’s not going to let this go, I need to shut it down. “He’s not sleeping with anyone.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

Because I don’t know if I make him more relaxed, exactly, but three kisses in to whatever is swirling between us, I do know that we’re both changed by it.

So yeah, there might be a woman. But technically, Alexei hasn’t slept with her…yet.