by Ciz, Alley
“Why’s that?” I tease.
“Because if he hadn’t…” He bends, his mouth at my ear. “I was seconds away from taking you right there.”
Ba-bum. Ba-bum.
Ba-bum. Ba-bum.
Breathe, Mels.
I blink, sucking in air like I’m drowning, stunned into silence.
Ba-bum. Ba-bum.
“I can’t wait until tomorrow night.” He pulls back to usher me to the door.
“Why?” I’m operating down a few brain cells.
“Because”—he drapes the jersey back over my shoulder—“I finally get to see what you look like wearing my name like you’re supposed to.”
Ba-bum. Ba-bum.
“Good night, baby.” He slaps my butt and leaves me standing next to the town car he arranged to take me home.
How do I process the last five minutes of my life?
Need a magic eight ball?
My subconscious has jokes, abandoning me when I need help figuring this mess out.
There is one thing that’s clear.
I never stood a chance against Jase Donnelly.
Chapter Twelve
From the Group Message Thread of The Coven
QUEEN OF SMUT: OMG!!! Let me tell you guys, our boy Jase has some good taste.
QUEEN OF SMUT: Well, I mean…I guess we already knew that from him dating Rock for a few years…but whoa baby.
ALPHABET SOUP: *GIF of Shirley Temple saying, “OMG thanks!”*
ALPHABET SOUP: But what did my bestie do to deserve the praise?
ALPHABET SOUP: You know what, hold on.
DAUNTLESS SUPERMAN: Oooo. Who knew dating a Covenette would get me invited into the CCs more than being related to two of you.
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Behave or we’ll kick your ass right back out, Vin.
DAUNTLESS SUPERMAN: Ruthless, Beck. 100% ruthless.
SANTA’S COOKIE SUPPLIER: Don’t worry, I’ll keep him in line.
THE OG PITA: You guys are kinky late at night.
ALPHABET SOUP: Gross, Beth *puking emoji* I don’t need to be hearing about that.
PROTEIN PRINCESS: *GIF of guy pointing up saying, “THIS.”*
MAKES BOYS CRY: Since when did we turn into such prudes?
ALPHABET SOUP: Don’t start, Skye, or we’ll start asking you about Tuck’s latest attempt at talking you back into bed.
MAKES BOYS CRY: *GIF of Lucille Ball sticking her tongue out*
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: Geez, can we EVER stay on topic? *squirrel emoji* *Dory fish emoji*
DAUNTLESS SUPERMAN: So why am I here?
SANTA’S COOKIE SUPPLIER: I think they want you to give up the details you know about Melody.
MAKES BOYS CRY: Wait? Melody? Wasn’t that the name of the girl who turned our boy down all those weeks ago?
PROTEIN PRINCESS: Wait…hold on…we’ll get back to that in a minute, but how come you know about this, Holly, and the rest of us don’t?
DAUNTLESS SUPERMAN: She sleeps with me. She gets ALL the INSIDE information *winky face emoji*
YOU KNOW YOU WANNA: Don’t be gross, Vin.
THE OG PITA: Dude, your sister might be preggers, but I doubt that would stop her from coming down the hall and kicking your ass.
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: Guys, Jake here…I know you love to jump from topic to topic, but can you please get on with it already? I would really like to take advantage of my wife, and your little Coven Conversation is getting in the way of that. So, CAN you talk about the chick who was at Jase’s apartment tonight before one of the twins wakes up and cockblocks me. Please and thank you.
DAUNTLESS SUPERMAN: I second this. I’m having a sudden craving for sweets.
ALPHABET SOUP: OMG! This is the LAST time I invite you into one of these. Also, side note, Jor, you might be down a twin after I get through with him for withholding information.
MAKES BOYS CRY: So Melody was at Jase’s tonight? Pretty girl, pink hair?
MAKES BOYS CRY: And…hold on…how do you three know about it?
QUEEN OF SMUT: I kind of accidentally crashed their date tonight.
MOTHER OF DRAGONS: And of course she video-chatted me right away.
THE OG PITA: Tell us everything.
Chapter Thirteen
During the season, my life is boring—at least as boring as the crazies in my life allow it to be.
Whether it’s a game day or not, each day has a routine to follow.
Silencing my alarm, I roll from my bed, running a hand over my rumpled hair, and bring an ear to each shoulder, cracking my neck and shaking off the cobwebs of sleep.
The happy haze I’ve been in since my date with Melody follows me through the morning portion of my routine.
When I round the corner into the kitchen to grab whatever pre-made meal Gemma left for breakfast, I’m surprised to find Maddey awake, typing away on her MacBook Pro.
“Hey, Madz.”
The coffee pot is half full, telling me she’s been up for a while.
“Hey, Trip,” she says around a yawn.
“Wasn’t sure if I’d see you before I left or not.”
Leaning against the counter across from her, I blow on my piping hot coffee and take a sip. Ah, that’s the stuff. Thank you, Lyle.
“It wasn’t the original plan, but after a highly entertaining Coven Conversation last night, I had a few characters who wouldn’t shut up until I wrote some of their words.”
I don’t even bat an eye at the mention of the voices in her head, but there is nothing scarier than the phrase Coven Conversation. After the events of last night, there is only one thing—or in this case, person—who could have been the topic of conversation: me.
“I take it you and my other half didn’t waste any time filling in the girls?”
She takes a sip of her own coffee before saying, “To be fair, I was the one to bring it up.”
“Shit.”
My mug hits the counter with a slam, and I wince at the loss of one of my favorites. Cracked porcelain is the least of my worries, though.
“Yup.” Maddey pops the P all too proudly. “Rocky isn’t all that happy with you for withholding vital information.”
I so didn’t need my suspicions confirmed.
“It’s like you really are my triplet. You read my mind almost as much as JD does.”
“What can I say?” She lifts a shoulder. “It’s a gift.”
No respect. Madz is over here laughing at my expense, not at all concerned I’m about to get my ass kicked. Maybe I can convince Gage his pregnant wife shouldn’t be hitting people in her condition, but with my luck he’ll just be enlisted in doling out my punishment. Hell hath no fury like a best friend kept in the dark.
Yoshi!
Speak of the devil. I’m pretty sure I know who that text is from.
I chuck the remnants of my broken mug in the trash, wipe down the mess, and walk around the counter to drop a kiss on Maddey’s head. “Gotta go.”
“Tell Cali I need to talk to him about something later,” she calls out as I grab my gear bag.
Cali may not be my favorite person after last night, but now I’m looking forward to seeing him. I know exactly what Maddey wants him for.
Another one bites the dust.
“You coming to the game tonight?”
“Thinking about it.”
With a wave, I exit my apartment to find Cali already waiting for me in the hall, twirling his keyring around his finger. Living in the same building, we switch off which one of us drives the forty minutes to the Storm practice facility in Tarrytown.
“Well if it isn’t our resident Romeo. And how are we this fine morning? Balls a little blue maybe?”
I flip him the bird, to which he only chuckles.
Hitting the button for the building’s private underground lot, I turn and say, “Oh, before I forget.” It’s my turn to chuckle, knowing I’m about to drop a bomb on the smartass. “Madz wanted me to tell you she needs to talk to you later.” I let the threat—yes, th
reat—hang there for a moment then add, “So don’t make any plans for after the game.”
“Shiiiit. She wants me to get half naked for one of her covers, doesn’t she?”
“Probably.” Definitely.
I ignore him for a minute to check my phone and wince when I thumb open the message.
ALPHABET SOUP: *GIF of Ricky Ricardo saying, “Lucy, you got some ’splainin’ to do!”*
THE BIG HAMMER: Shit. You need to stop hanging out with Sammy.
ALPHABET SOUP: And YOU have to STOP telling my brother things instead of me.
THE BIG HAMMER: I’m sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you.
ALPHABET SOUP: Yeah you will.
“Eh.” Cali slips on a pair of aviators, pulling out from the underground garage, bringing my attention back to him. “I guess there are worse things than having a gorgeous woman hang all over me for pictures. Maybe I’ll get lucky and it’ll be your fine-ass sister as my partner.”
“First off.” I level him with my fiercest enforcer look, the one generally reserved for Nate Bishop. “Too far. JD is off limits.”
“You know I joke.” His hands lift from the steering wheel in surrender.
“It’s the only thing keeping me from shoving a hockey stick up your ass right now.”
He laughs, not intimidated at all.
My sister can take care of herself. Hell, there are very few people—male or female—more respected than her and Skye in the sports industry. That said, my sister is very beautiful—I mean, how could she not be when sharing genetics with me?—so her presence in the locker rooms naturally comes with talk. We’ve had each other’s back since the womb, and those protective instincts are imprinted on my soul.
“I take it by the way you and Broadway were trying to check each other for strep the date went good?”
Why am I not surprised he’s already given Mels a nickname?
I play back all the highlights from last night: the dinner, the easy conversation, the way my girl’s dark eyes sparkled when she opened the Mr. Potato Head I got her, and of course, the kiss.
Why don’t I have a diary? The details of it need to be recorded in full-on glitter pen glory. I wonder if Jake’s younger sister Carlee has one. She’s nine, so she might. Sure, it is probably filled with all sorts of stuff about my younger brother Sean, but I can ignore that while flipping through for a blank page to borrow. Girl loves me; I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.
I’ve never been more grateful to be pulling onto the campus that houses our practice facility.
I have a feeling Cali’s razzing is only the start of what I’ll be facing today.
* * *
Waking up from my pre-game nap—the best part of my job, if you ask me. I mean, who doesn’t love naps?—I’m not at all surprised to find JD working on an iPad in one of the massage chairs in the living room, an episode of How I Met Your Mother on the TV, volume on low.
“Morning, sunshine.” She doesn’t even look up from her work.
“Hey, wombmate.” I grab a protein shake and plop onto the couch adjacent to her. “I’d ask what you’re doing here, but I honestly expected you to be here before my nap.”
“I wanted to get the girls settled with Mom first.”
“I take it you’re coming to the game tonight?”
“Yup. Already worked out all the details with Madz and the others.”
I choke, almost suffocating from my protein shake going down the wrong pipe. Fuck my life.
“So…” The smile that blooms on her face doesn’t do anything to soothe my nerves, because it’s not a smile—it’s a warning, one I’ve learned to heed in my twenty-five years. “Do we get to meet your girlfriend tonight?”
“Nope.” I look toward the TV to keep her from picking up on the lie.
There is not one person—not even my mother—who has had my back like my twin. I call her my other half for a reason. But in the same breath, there isn’t another soul more willing to slap me with reality when needed.
If I make a mistake during a game, she’s not afraid to tell me how I fucked up. It’s not in a mean way, but to help improve my play on the ice. Ryan and I may be the professional hockey players in the family, but JD has just as much ice in her veins, if not more.
It’s why I don’t want her anywhere near the woman I’m still desperately trying to impress. I need to keep Mels as far away from JD’s crazy couch coaching as possible.
“Bullshit.” The iPad makes a slap as it’s tossed onto the extended footrest. Eyes flashing golden fire turn my way. “Don’t you dare lie to me, Jason Richard.”
“Ouch.” I mime a hit to the chest. “Low blow, Jordan Danielle. Real low blow.”
“Whatever.” She waves me off. “Now tell me why I’m not meeting her. Scared?”
“Hell yeah I’m scared.”
She laughs—in my face.
“Cute, Jase.”
I narrow my eyes. “Don’t patronize me.”
“Who me?” A hand goes to her chest, a mocking look of offense on her face. “I would never.”
“Smartass.”
She shrugs.
“Look.” I shift forward, resting my elbows on my knees, letting her read how serious this is. “This isn’t like when Madz and Ry started dating. Melody doesn’t just know hockey, she follows it. So, whereas most of your couch coaching comments went right over Maddey’s head, they won’t with her.”
She goes silent, studying me, looking for what’s not being said. Thank god my vulnerabilities are buried deep enough not even she, who is known for reading my mind, can pick up on them.
“If what you’re saying is true, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Hell, you’ve just made the All-Star Team for the second time.”
“I know.”
“You also have an Olympic gold medal”—her frown tells me Jake was right and she’s pissed about my post taunting Bishop—“to your name. Not many guys can say that.”
“Only the two dozen other guys from our team,” I mumble.
She gives me her serious mom face as one of her hands caresses the volleyball-sized bump under her shirt.
“What’s with the crisis of confidence? Does this chick have you tied up in knots that bad?”
“Like she learned them from the McClain boys,” I deadpan.
Maddey comes from a Navy family, and sailors are known for their knot skills, after all.
“Well then…I guess it’s a good thing the girls are coming in for tonight’s game.”
I groan, already knowing I’m not going to like the answer but needing to ask. “Why’s that?”
“Because, my darling brother”—she pats my knee like I’m one of her dogs—“just like Vince, it looks like you’re gonna need the help of your precious Coven to help you get the girl.”
I hate, hate that she’s probably right.
“Now stop wasting time. You have to leave for the Garden in an hour. Give me all the deets.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Your first week was good then?”
I let out a curse as I stab myself in the eye with the mascara wand. I’m already running late for the game, so the last thing I should be doing is video-chatting with my older brother, but I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see him—even if it is only through a screen—for the world.
“Care Bear?” The use of my childhood nickname reminds me he asked a question.
I squeeze the now irritated eye in hard blinks, moving from the makeup mirror to the open MacBook next to it.
“What? Oh…yeah, it was good. We did our first read-through, and I can already tell I have decent chemistry with the majority of the cast members. And what we heard of the score was pretty epic.”
“Am I going to have to sit through watching you kiss some guy in this one?”
I snort—hard.
God love him.
Good ol’ Mom and Dad supported us financially, but the buck stopped there, so to speak. Even though the two of us spend the
majority of our time living in separate cities, we work hard at keeping our relationship close despite the distance. Just because our parents are absent from our lives doesn’t mean we have to be.
“Teddy.” I rest my cheek against my fist and lock eyes with him through the webcam. “I’m playing Marilyn Monroe…I’m kissing lots of guys in this one.”
Another snort escapes when he mimes gagging.
“Don’t worry, three of them are my husbands.”
“It is scary how much research you do for your roles.”
“To be fair”—I go back to putting the finishing touches on my mascara—“outside of being eligible for a Tony, Marilyn is a dream role for me.”
“How could I forget? You had that huge painting of her in that gold dress from whatever movie hanging in your bedroom growing up.”
“Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. One of my favorites.”
“What?”
“That’s the movie it’s from.” I use a Q-tip to clean up the mascara underneath my eye and lift the laptop. “And what do you mean by had?” I swivel the screen so he can see the three-foot-tall painting in its place of honor above my bed.