Page 5 of The Winning Hat Trick (The Steel City Knights #1)

I see him waiting on a customer, so I make my way over to the romance section to look for it. I shake my head when I spot Carson on one of the bean bag chairs, a romance book in hand and snickering like a prepubescent boy.

I jump as a pint-size, gothic princess appears at my side. "It's like he's never had sex before." Wren rolls her eyes at Carson, then steps into my open arms.

"Hey, how are you doing?" I give her a quick squeeze.

"I'm great. I saw you pull in, so I figured I'd come say hi. Brooks didn't tell me you were coming to visit."

"It was a spur of the moment decision. These two showed up at my house, and we decided to do dinner. Figured we'd come wrangle our big brother to join us since our schedules are about to get wild. Not sure when we'll get the chance to do it again."

"That makes sense. You heading to The Tavern ? Maverick has street tacos as a special today. They're the fucking bomb."

"Fuck yeah. That was the plan, but we are definitely heading that way if that's Mav's special of the day." My stomach growls as if to confirm it's on board with that plan.

"Hey, Cam. What are you reading these days?" Wren turns her attention to my brother, who's perusing the MM section.

He hands me the next book in my current series.

"Oh, did he get you pulled into that series? It's so good, isn't it?" Wren says.

"Yeah, I'm really enjoying it," I reply. "I wasn't so sure, since I spend all day around hockey, but they're really good. I love how close the guys are. It makes me think of my relationship with some of my teammates."

"Aww, I love that for you. The girls and I are on a romantic suspense kick right now. We've been binge reading CM Smith's entire backlist. They're so good."

"I don't think I've read anything by her. I'll have to add her to my ever-growing list."

Brooks interrupts our conversation. "Hey, I wasn't expecting you guys."

"We were all free, which is going to be rare soon, so we figured we'd come steal you away for dinner."

"That sounds awesome. Let me make sure Gracie is cool with me heading out, and then I'll be ready to go. Are you going to join us?" Brooks turns to Wren, who narrows her eyes at him.

"Umm, no." She crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. "Your brothers are here to see you, not me."

"They wouldn't mind if you came. You know that." Brooks reaches out to pull Wren into his arms, but she dodges his advances.

"He's not wrong. You're more than welcome to join us, Wren," I chime in and earn myself an eye roll.

Cam just smirks at Brooks and me as if we're stupid.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna pass. I have a client coming in soon. The girls and I wouldn't mind if you want to bring us back some dinner, though."

"You got it." Brooks leans down and kisses her as if nobody is watching.

A pang of longing hits me in my chest as I watch my brother and his girlfriend. The two couldn't be more opposite from the other, but they work. I'm happy for Brooks and Wren, but damn, what I wouldn't give to have a relationship like theirs.

"Ugh, quit sucking face already. I'm fucking starved." Leave it to Carson to interrupt.

Wren pulls away from Brooks with a laugh.

Carson has his arms open, waiting for a hug from Wren, who steps away from Brooks to greet him, but before she makes it, Brooks tugs her back.

"Go find your own girl, asshole," Brooks growls as Wren laughs.

Carson pouts.

I swear those two love teaming up to push Brooks's buttons.

Sensing them about to torment Brooks some more, I step in. "Come on. I'm hungry too, and Wren said Mav had street tacos on the menu today. Let's go."

We all take turns saying bye to Wren then make the quick walk to The Tavern. Carson prattles along the entire time, as per usual, while the three of us enjoy his antics.

When we enter the bar, I'm relieved that we're early enough so it isn't very busy. We've been coming to town enough since Brooks has moved here that the locals leave us alone for the most part, but we still try to find a table that's tucked back in the corner so as not to draw too much attention.

Carson orders a pitcher of beer and several appetizers to hold us over while we wait for our food to get here.

I limit myself to one beer, which is fucking painful since Mav's brews are delicious, but I know I'll pay for it at practice if I overindulge.

Hell, the decadent food is already outside of my normal diet, and I'm gonna be in hell tomorrow.

At least I know Mav uses the best ingredients, and I can avoid the deep-fried apps that Carson has no problem downing.

"So, how are your seasons looking?" Brooks turns his attention our way.

"We're looking great. We didn't lose any of our offensive line last year, and we got some good draft picks for our defensive line, so we should be in good shape this year.

Plus, you know, with Cam and I and our freaky twin telepathy, we're damn near impossible to beat. " Carson smirks as he slaps Cam's arm.

Cam rolls his eyes.

"What about you?" Brooks asks me.

"Not sure yet. We had some pretty rough hits last year, injury wise, and too short of a break between seasons. I'm not sure if everyone is coming back at full potential, but they're doing their best to get there."

"Yourself included," Carson mumbles as he takes a drink of his beer.

I shoot daggers at him.

"What's wrong? Did you hurt your shoulder again? How bad is it?"

I had no plans of telling anyone in my family that I tweaked my shoulder, but leave it to Carson to get Brooks riled up. Leaning forward, I smack Carson in the back of the head.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"For freaking Brooks out." I glare at him, then turn to Brooks. "My shoulder is fine. I just took a hard hit today. I was icing it when these asshats showed up at my house earlier. It's nothing to worry about."

"Promise? I know there's a ton of pressure to perform, especially with that no-trade contract, but being able to use your arm once you're retired is more important than hockey will ever be." Brooks looks worried as he swipes at the condensation on his glass.

"I know that, Brooks. I iced it and will do it again once I get home, then I'll check in with the team doctor tomorrow. I swear it just feels sore, though. Nothing like it did when I fucked it up before."

"Okay, good."

The rest of dinner is spent in typical fashion when we all get together.

Cam is quiet and watches the chaos, while Carson pokes and irritates the shit out of Brooks and me.

It's the normalcy I crave yet miss so much once the season starts and I end up spending half of my time living out of a suitcase.

I never minded it much, but as I get older and return to an empty home, I'm starting to long for the love I know Brooks has found with Wren. I'm ready for more than just hockey.

I want a house, wife, kids, and dog. The world of a professional hockey player isn't for the faint of heart, and I know finding a woman who understands my life won't be easy, so for now, I'll focus on hockey and let love lie.