by Toni Aleo
“We text, but nothing worth talking about.”
“He told Chandler he’s gonna get you back.”
I laugh. “We were never together. Just banging.”
She rolls her eyes. “He’s a sweet dude.”
“He is—for someone else. Not me,” I say, but then there is a knock at my door. “Hey, my dad is here. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay! Love you.”
“Love you! And my baby!”
She grins as she waves, and I wave back while I get up off the bed. I hang up as I jog toward the door, excitement rushing through me. Time to ignore what I’ve done and get the hell out of New York. When I throw the door open, my dad is standing as tall as ever in front of me.
Shea Adler is my hero.
At 6’3”, my dad is a brick wall. The years have been good to him, with only a few wrinkles here and there. A nice dusting of gray is in his hair and sprinkled throughout his beard. But his blue eyes are as bright as ever, and his grin takes up his whole face. He reaches for me, and I go to him without any thought. As we hug, tears fill my eyes. I just saw him at Christmas, but I miss him the most. When I’m with him, I feel like I can do anything.
“Hey, baby girl,” he says, putting me back on my feet. I’m so excited to see my dad, I don’t even notice my brothers standing behind him.
“Oh! Hey!” I exclaim as I hug each of them. My twin brothers, Owen and Evan, are spitting images of my dad. Built big, with dark black hair, bright blue eyes, and ready to smash anyone into the boards. They are identical twins, so sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart. But Evan does have a scar beneath his eye from where Owen hit him with the blade of his stick. I’ve never been so thankful for my brother getting hurt since it makes it easier for me to figure out who’s who. They’re defensemen for their high school and play on the same line. It’s kinda scary to see them on the ice together. I wouldn’t want to play them. Quinn, the baby of the family, looks just like my mom. He’s small, a little thick, with green eyes and dark hair. He doesn’t give two shits about hockey, but he loves soccer. Dad says it’s okay as long as he plays something; he has entirely too much energy not to.
“Hey,” Quinn says, hugging me tightly. “Ready to go home?”
“I am.”
Owen hooks his thumb behind them, where another ginormous guy stands. I’ve never seen him before. I raise a brow as he says, “This is Maxim. He’s our billet boy. He’s sleeping in your room.”
I look up at my dad, but he holds up his hands. “We’ll take care of it at home.”
Maxim gives me a shy grin, and I wave. “Hey, I’m Shelli.”
“Maxim,” he says with a very thick accent. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I say, even though I forgot he existed. He went home for the holidays, so I didn’t meet him, and he plays for the Bellevue Bullies. He will move out of my room once I get there, though.
My dad slaps his hands together. “Ready to blow this shithole?”
I laugh as I tuck my phone into my back pocket. “You love New York.”
He shrugs. “It’s all right, but I don’t want my baby here. I want her home.” He gives me a sweet grin as he looks around. “All right, boys. Let’s get to work.”
At once, they all start to pack everything up. It doesn’t take long before I’m standing in a bare studio condo. We’re leaving my furniture in case one of us needs to use the place in the future. Dad bought me this place when I got the lead in my first play. Now, I’m leaving. I thought I’d be sadder, but I’m not. I’m ready to go.
“So we’ll hit up the shipping spot and then go to lunch to kill time.”
I turn back around from grabbing my purse. “Why are we killing time?”
“Your mom is having lunch with the GM of the Rangers.”
Just the mention of the New York Rangers puts me on edge. “What for?”
“You didn’t hear?” Owen asks, a funny look on his face.
“Mom made a blockbuster trade to get Aiden home,” Evan says, giving me the same look. Almost like they’re disappointed I didn’t know already.
But what they don’t know is that the acid from my gut is currently eating away at my heart.
“Aiden who?”
Owen laughs. “Aiden Brooks, dude. Come on. You know who!”
I was worried it was that Aiden.
Shit.
“Yeah, he’s actually moving back home today too,” Dad says. “I asked if he needed help, but he said he’s good.”
“I can’t wait to see him on the ice!” Evan says, super pumped.
“He’s gonna kick ass. It’s so awesome,” Owen agrees.
Dad nods. “Yeah, he should help bring the Cup home.”
Home.
My home.
Aiden is coming home to Tennessee.
Well, isn’t that just peachy?
CHAPTER FIVE
AIDEN
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”
I’m standing by the gate I just walked out of. I should head to the front of the airport where my family is waiting, but when I turned my phone back on, there was a text from Chris.
About Grace.
“She doesn’t want to see you again. She’s pretty pissed at me, actually.”
“Why?” I ask incredulously. “We had a great night.”
“I may not have been up front with her on the conditions.”
My blood runs cold. “What the fuck do you mean, Chris?”
“No, dude, I promise. She won’t ever say anything. She’s solid, but she was pissed that I basically made her a call girl and didn’t tell you who she was.”
“Oh, well, that was a dick move.”
“Probably, but in my defense, it was getting her back for all the times she rejected me.”
“And now you’re a double dick,” I say, and I’m not joking, though Chris laughs. “But nevertheless, she has to want to see me.”
“Nope. She said she didn’t want anything to do with you. That if I gave you her name and number, she’d file a lawsuit against me. She’s kinda crazy, I’m finding out.”
“Well, in her defense, you did actually try to turn her into a call girl and deliberately kept her identity from me,” I say simply. “I think that’s shitty, and she has every right to be upset.”
“Well, fuck. I was just doing what you wanted.”
“No, I want girls who know the score and want me anyway.”
“She wanted you! She’s just pissed it didn’t play out like her little fantasy.”
“Fantasy?” I ask, confused. “Dude, I don’t like this. Just give me her info so I can talk to her myself.”
“Can’t. She kinda scared me and threatened to beat my ass, so I’m washing my hands of this.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. You’ve moved, so why does it matter?”
“It matters ’cause I want to talk to her. Get to know her.”
“Yeah, I can’t help you.”
“Can you give me her last name? I’ll find her myself.”
Chris lets out a long sigh, and I realize I’m getting nowhere. “Sorry, bro. Can’t help you.”
When the line goes dead, I throw up my hands, a curse falling from my lips. When an older lady side-eyes me, I press my lips together. “Sorry. News I didn’t like.”
I even shake my phone at her, but she raises her brows. “You’re entirely too handsome to be using that language, son.”
I nod, a grin covering my face. “Yes, ma’am, you’re absolutely right. Can I help you with those bags?”
“Well, my goodness, yes, please. It’s a long walk to baggage claim.”
“I know, and for some reason, I always come in to the gate that’s the farthest.”
She grins, her crinkled eyes making my heart swell. “It does always seem that way.”
I reach for her suitcase, and she takes my arm. By the time we reach baggage claim, I learn she is here to see her granddaughter be born. She lives in Manhattan with h
er husband, who is coming in at the end of the week. Their daughter is married to a country singer. Not that she’ll brag who he is. I wait for her to get her bags, and then I help her out to the car that is waiting for her.
“If you’ve got yourself a rich son-in-law, make him hire someone to help you with your stuff,” I tease, but she flashes me a big smile.
“But if I did that, I wouldn’t get to enjoy having such a handsome man to come to my rescue.” When she winks, I feel my face burn with color before she gets in her car. When she waves, I wave back, just as I hear my name being screamed.
“Aiden!”
I turn at my sisters’ united voices. They run toward me with wide grins on their faces, and my heart about explodes out of my chest. I haven’t seen them in months, and I swear they’ve gotten taller. They both run into me full force, but I catch them in my arms, hugging them tightly. Being the oldest, it was my job to make sure they were always taken care of when my parents were busy. Because of that, I love them way more than a normal brother would. Asher, my nineteen-year-old brother, is completely over them, finds them annoying, but I don’t. I think my siblings are amazing. Even his weird self.
Stella Ann is almost eighteen and such a diva, it’s scary. She does her makeup like Kylie Jenner, even though my mom loses her freaking mind. Stella thinks she’s one of the Kardashians, though. Without the ass, of course. She’s built like a string bean, which she says is good since she wants to be a model. Drives my mom crazy. I think it’s funny. Stella’s already been featured in some local photography—for good reason too. She’s absolutely stunning. She looks so much like my mom…if my mom wore a whole palette of makeup and shorts way too short. I can still hear my mom screaming at Stella to change her shorts.
Scary, I tell you.
Emery, my fourteen-year-old sister, well, she’s…Emery. There is no other way to describe her. She’s absolutely insane. She’s quick with her mouth, does what she wants, and if you don’t like it, oh well. She’s gonna do it anyway. If I thought my mom and Stella fought, it doesn’t even come close to Stella and Emery. Emery isn’t disrespectful—she’s actually very smart and very talented on the lacrosse field—but sarcasm gets her in a lot of shit. Add in the fact that she thinks Stella is an idiot, and it can be very loud in my parents’ house.
And somehow, I’m living there until I can find a place I like.
But I don’t mind. I’ve missed them. I kiss them both on the cheek as they cling to me.
“I’ve missed you so much!” Stella gushes as she holds me.
“Me too. I cleaned your room today. For real, Aiden, I missed practice for you! I even polished all your awards.”
I grin as I put Emery to her feet. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to! I’m hoping you’ll never leave.”
I scoff. “Oh, I’m leaving. I can’t handle you two plus Mom and Dad. You four will kill me. Why do you think Asher left so quickly?”
That puts grins on their faces because they know it’s true. Asher turned eighteen and hightailed it out of the house as fast as he could. I thought he would stay in town to go to school. Nope, he went to California. He’s wicked smart, though, and has a full ride to UCLA. I thought I would be the one the girls would look up to, but Asher’s got me beat.
Kind of hate him for it.
“So, how long will you stay with us?” Emery asks, wrapping her arm around mine as Stella does the same to my bicep. They carry my bags, which is totally backward, but I don’t mind.
“Just until I find a place. I’m stuck at the moment since Elli wanted me here so quickly and all.”
“Yeah, I think we’re going by there before we go home.”
I make a face. “Why?” Not that I don’t want to. I love the Adlers, but I want to go home. I’m tired. Flying sucks.
Stella lets out a long breath before bringing in another. “So, she has chickens.”
“Chickens?”
Emery nods. “Nine of them.”
“Who?”
“Mom.”
“Why?”
“Because she wants to be all healthy and stuff. So she makes us eat the eggs from the chickens, but what she didn’t realize would happen was that those things lay enough eggs to feed an army. So now we are distributing them to Elli because Mom has her on this healthy eating craze too.”
“Healthy eating craze?”
“No processed foods or carbs.”
I make a face. “Holy crap. I’m not gonna make it without Pop-Tarts.”
Emery scoffs. “If I can, you can.”
“I’m not as strong as you,” I complain, and she beams up at me.
“Oh, hush. You’ll be fine.”
At the sound of my mom’s voice, I look up and am immediately in awe of her. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t aged at all. She’s as stunning as always, in a power suit and ass-kicking heels. I let go of my sisters to wrap my mom up in a hug. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen all of them.
She kisses my cheek hard, hugging me tightly. “Oh, my baby.”
I squeeze my eyes shut as I hold her. She always calls me her baby, and even at twenty-seven, I’m okay with it. My mom was all I had for the first part of my life. It wasn’t by my dad’s choice or anything. Mom thought she was doing what was best for me. My dad wasn’t all that great when she left him, and I get it now. I understand why. I’m pretty sure all that is why I don’t rush into relationships. My mom always knew that my dad was it for her. If she didn’t have him, she wouldn’t waste her time with anyone else. I think I’ve applied that to my life. The most important thing is hockey—and hockey only. If I need someone to keep me warm, I find someone for the night. I’m good with that.
A hand grips my bicep, and I open my eyes to see my dad pulling me to him. Like my mom, he hasn’t aged either, in my eyes. They both look how they did when I was younger, just a little bit grayer and with deeper laugh lines. My dad holds me tightly in a backslapping hug.
“It’s good to have you home.”
“I’m excited to be home,” I say as I pull back, looking at the family I haven’t been able to spend much time with in the last ten years. Hockey has stolen me from them, but they all understand. It was my dream, a dream they all supported.
“Was it a good flight?”
I nod as I take a step back. “Yeah, a little long, but I watched movies.”
“Is everything packed?”
“I paid someone to pack all my stuff. It should be here Friday.”
Mom nods. “We’ll store it in the garage until you get a place.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s too much. I paid for a storage unit. Hopefully I can find something before long.”
Dad nods. “We will. I’ve got a real estate agent on it. We’ve all used her.”
When Dad says “We’ve,” he means the whole Assassins team. If one Assassin does something, the rest always follow. It’s such a family mentality. I love that about my team. “Great. I hadn’t had time to look for one.”
“I got ya,” Dad says, smacking my back before picking up my bags and throwing them into the back of his Lexus. “Like my new wheels?”
“Fancy,” I tease as I open the doors for my sisters and my mom.
“Such a sweetheart,” Mom says before climbing in. “But hurry up. We gotta get to Elli’s, and then we have plans for lunch.”
“My favorite restaurant?” I ask, hoping to God it’s Hattie B’s, and she nods.
“Yes, even though it’s full of the gluten and so many carbs.”
“Thank God,” my dad, Stella, and Emery all say under their breaths.
I chuckle. “Mom, what are you doing to my family here?”
“Trying to save their asses from cancer and death. The food is trying to kill us!”
Everyone is rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. “Dad, didn’t I tell you to keep her away from those Netflix documentaries?”
Dad scoffs. “I try, but she watches them at work.”
I grin as I lean back, my sisters cuddling into me. I feel so complete, I almost forget the fact that Grace has blown me off. Almost. I really don’t get it. We had a really good time. When we weren’t having sex, we talked hockey. There aren’t many girls who can spit out stats like they’re reading from a book. She knew the game, she loved it, and she enjoyed talking to me about it. So quick with her mouth too. If she didn’t like something, she let me know. I don’t know… It was fun. I wouldn’t mind exploring her a lot more than I was able to.
I’m lost in my thoughts, though Stella and Emery haven’t stopped talking since we left the airport. Even so, I can almost taste Grace on my lips. Totally inappropriate while I’m sitting with my sisters, but I can’t help but think of her. I’m craving her. I want to see her again. I need to call Chris again. A little pressure and he’ll crumble like a fortune cookie.
When we arrive at the Adlers’ house, I’m surprised by how excited I am. This is my new GM’s house. The woman who brought me home. Also, it holds one of the greatest hockey players of his time—well, besides my dad. Shea Adler is a beast. Even now, the dude is amazing. We talk weekly, and I look forward to our discussions. Usually, they’re about hockey, but then sometimes we talk about life. He’s just a good guy.
Once I’m out of the car, my mom hands me two dozen eggs from her chickens, and I roll my eyes. “Why am I carrying these?”
“I don’t trust the girls, and we have some already.”
I make a face. “How many chickens do you have?”
“Nineteen.”
I look back at Emery disbelievingly. “What? I thought it was nine.”
She shrugs.
“Jesus,” I say under my breath as we head up the driveway of the massive house the Adlers own. With how many kids they have, they need this big ol’ house. I’ve grown up with this family, and it’s weird being back. Not that I haven’t been by in the last ten years, but it’s mind-blowing that I can come over whenever I want and it will be totally normal.
Because I’m home.
Man, what a feeling.
After knocking on the door, my dad pushes it open. “Be decent! The Brooks family is here.”
Shea’s booming voice answers back. “I’m completely naked in the kitchen.”
