Shot at Love

by Melody Heck Gatto

  She didn’t think it was possible, but her brother’s face became even redder. His voice was stern. “Kassie, watch it. And this”—he mimicked her motion between them— “is unavoidable. And yes, I was up all night. Do you blame me? I was worried about my little sister!”

  Bored with this argument, she sat back down at the counter. Kaden was pacing the kitchen now like a caged animal. Just as she was ready to snap back at Kaden, he stopped dead in his tracks and was staring at something behind her. Kaden’s eyes grew wider than she’d ever seen them before.

  Shit. Please say he didn’t… She turned around to see that her fear was spot on.

  “G’Morning, O’Conner.” Luc stood in the doorway of her kitchen, grinning an evil and delicious grin. He was shirtless, barefoot, and his jeans button was still undone, along with his belt. His t-shirt was tossed over his shoulder, allowing the tattoo by his groin to stick out like a sore thumb. “Or should I say good afternoon?”

  “Oh my god…” Kassie dropped her head into her hands. There is going to be a duel to the death in the middle of my kitchen.

  “Hey there, sweets.” Luc kissed her on her forehead before grabbing a donut and sitting down beside Kassie. With his mouth full of donut, he held out the partially-eaten donut and asked, “Donut, Kaden?”

  “What in the hell? What is he doing here? And that’s the same shirt he had on last— Kassie, are you out of your damn mind? You’re not a bunny!” Kaden complained, once all the pieces fell into place.

  “Why would you even say that? Are you worried about me or how I’d make you look if I was a bunny? Because all I ever think about is you and what will make you mad, or what will be okay to do in the big book of rules by Kaden? What is your problem, anyway? You’re the one who told me to bring a date or you were going to set me up with someone. So, I brought a date.”

  Her brother was infuriating sometimes. She knew this conversation was going to happen when she stormed out of the party last night. Kaden had to flex his big brother muscles, but it was still aggravating. “And by the way, I am allowed to date whoever I want.”

  “Well, if she’s doing this just to spite you, Kaden, then I owe you a thank you card, like a big, fat, thank you.” Luc nodded as he exaggerated his words and smirked at Kaden.

  Kassie swatted at Luc to shut him up, but missed. “Really? Luc, you’re not helping!” She frantically shook her head. “And Kaden, why are you acting like I did something wrong?”

  Kaden kept all his attention on Kassie, almost ignoring Luc. But his face continued to get redder and redder. “Kass, are you serious? You have no idea what kind of guy he is. He’s going to use you and toss you aside like all the others.”

  “Um, dude. Rude. You do know I’m sitting right here. Right?” Luc remarked.

  “You don’t know anything about him!” Kaden yelled, ignoring Luc.

  “Maybe I don’t, but isn’t that what getting to know someone is all about? Finding out who they are and what they’re like?” Her brother was being unreasonable, and it was causing her blood pressure to rise. She looked at Luc and smiled, then took his hand. “I like him.”

  “But he’s—”

  “He’s what, Kaden? What? Kaden, you used to be just like him. Maybe worse. You and Dom were a mess. But it didn’t mean you were a bad person. Dom either. You forget that I was there with you for the early years, and later I watched you two act like fools on social media. You grew up and you changed.”

  “Bu—”

  “No, Kaden. Just no. You might be my big brother, but you can’t change my mind.” Kassie jumped off the stool and stood beside Luc.

  “I just want you to listen to reason. He isn’t for you.” Kaden still directed his words only to her. “You deserve someone so much better than him.”

  “Hello—still right here,” Luc interjected.

  “And how do you know that he’s not for me?” Kassie moved closer to Luc and he circled his arm around her waist.

  “Because you’re my little sister!” Kaden grunted in frustration.

  “Don’t you think I know that? I’ve always been Kaden O’Conner’s little sister. I’ll always be your little sister, and forever branded as such. That’s how people see me, and that’s fine. Being Kaden’s younger sister is all I know how to be, and I’m okay with that. But someday I’ll be someone’s wife and that—”

  “Woah!” Kaden held his hands up in front of him, and grimaced. He was so overdramatic. “Let’s slow down just a bit. You’re no one’s wife anytime soon.”

  Kassie rolled her eyes. Her brother’s words were comical. “No. But someday I will be. And you can’t dictate every guy that I’m interested in. I’m not going to ask your permission to date someone. I told you, I like Luc, and that’s all that matters.”

  Kaden let out a heavy sigh. The big brother glare on his face annoyed Kassie. “If he hurts you, I’ll kill him.” Kaden’s scowl landed on Luc.

  “Oh, for goodness sake. Cut out the caveman crap, Kaden. I’m a big girl, and I can take care of myself. In case you missed it, I’ve grown up. I’ve had to do a lot of that with losing dad and then mom getting sick, not to mention our living between the US and Canada. This is my life, Kaden, and I like Luc.”

  Kassie swore that her brother was going to stomp his feet like a little boy.

  “He knows better. He knows all about the code. And he knows this is wrong.” Kaden didn’t have to direct the comment to anyone; they all knew it was meant for Luc.

  “The code, oh my god. I hate that damn code! I’m pretty sure no one actually follows it. Shouldn’t it be up to me who I date, not some dumb-ass, age-old, out-of-touch bro code? Kaden, I’m a person, not a possession. I have my own mind and my own heart. Maybe I lead with my heart. Maybe I’ll get hurt because of it. But that’s a lesson for me to learn.”

  “I just don’t understand. You were never interested in hockey players before.” Kaden acted as though she was never allowed to change her mind.

  “You’re right, I never was. It’s not the occupation that attracted me.” She had long stayed away from hockey boys for this exact reason. Before Luc, it was never worth the fight.

  Kaden grunted, unapprovingly. It did nothing but annoy Kassie. She found herself taking deep breaths to keep control of her emotions. She loved Kaden but wished he would just shut up right now.

  “What about Sam? He’s married to Tyler’s sister, isn’t he?”

  Kaden shook his head and ignored her attempt to make sense. “We’re not talking about them. We’re talking about you.”

  “You aren’t going to micromanage my life for me. I never let you do it before, and I’m certainly not letting you do it now.”

  “Fine.” Kaden shuffled his feet and stared at the floor. Kassie knew better than to think anything was fine.

  “You want a donut?” Luc asked again, not to break the tension, but solely to be an ass.

  Kassie ignored Luc for the moment. He wasn’t making this any easier on himself, but at the same time, her brother needed to just chill. She walked up to her brother. Her voice was calm, and she made a point to no longer yell. Sometimes an angry whisper was scarier anyway. “You deal with your household, and I’ll deal with mine. No friendly brawls in practice, and no accidently injuring Luc to send a message.”

  Kaden shook his head. “Sorry, Kass. On the ice, it’s just me and him.” Kaden gave Luc a look of death before he stormed out of her apartment, no goodbyes, just slamming the door behind him.

  “Well, that was fun,” Luc said after Kaden was gone.

  “I thought I told you to stay in the bedroom.”

  “You did.” Luc wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. “But I couldn’t let him talk to you like that. It wasn’t fair.”

  Kassie put her palms on Luc’s chest. “Luc, I know you mean well, but he’s my brother. I can handle myself. Plus, his bark is worse than his bite. He just needs to say his piece, even if it is annoying.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt t
hat you can handle yourself, sweets. I just didn’t like that you had to be the one getting yelled at. I’m part of this, too. He didn’t need to zero in on only you.”

  Well, look at that, he really is my very own knight in shining armor. Life has an odd way of working out. I always swore I’d never get involved with an athlete, and then I went and fell for this hockey boy.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Luc

  The buzz of Luc’s cell phone woke him up from his afternoon nap. Hoping it was Kassie, he didn’t mind the interruption. Things had been crazy, ending up in bed with her and then Kaden knocking down the door like the big bad wolf. Then there was more overdue bedroom fun for the rest of the afternoon and into the next day. It was an exhausting, yet satisfying, use of his days off. It took a moment before his eyes focused on the phone. But it wasn’t Kassie. It was an unfamiliar number. He was already awake, so he might as well answer it.

  He tried to clear his rough voice as he grumbled into the phone. “Hello?”

  The male voice at the other end was familiar. “Luc? It’s Drake.”

  Drake was a guy Luc had met after spending way too many nights at the local casino. Luc had been young and new to the Renegades, didn’t know many people in the city, and in the beginning, money and fast women were a comforting replacement for friends.

  Drake, an employee at the casino, had befriended him. Drake kept an eye on him and made sure he didn’t overdo it at the table games. Being young and stupid, a buddy like Drake was just what Luc had needed.

  Maybe he was just still sleepy, but he was confused as to why Drake was calling him. Luc hadn’t been to the casino lately. He had Kassie and actual friends now; he didn’t need to gamble.

  “Luc, I have your dad here.” Drake’s words rattled around Luc’s brain.

  “My dad?” Luc pulled the phone away from his ear and double checked the date. The annual Dads’ Trip, when the players’ fathers got to spend a week of hockey life with their sons, was in a few days. It was important to the players, and it gave the dads a chance to see inside their sons’ world of hockey. They got to experience every step of the away trip, breakfast, the bus, meetings, practices, the plane, and games in the suite. Then back home for more. But Luc wasn’t expecting his dad for at least another day.

  “Yeah. It wasn’t easy getting him to admit his identity. He’s not in any trouble, but I really think you should come get him before he is.”

  Drake didn’t have to say much more. Luc knew the situation. He’d been through this a few times as a teen. He had lost his mom to illness when he was five, and his dad hadn’t handled it well. His father had worked a lot to provide for them, but after a full day of hockey, and once Luc was tucked away in bed, his dad would often turn to the bottle. After Luc moved away to play juniors, the drinking got worse. It was his dad’s selfish way of coping with being alone.

  Young Luc would help out by making peanut butter sandwiches and mac ’n’ cheese for dinner and have it ready when his dad got home from work.

  “You still there, Luc?”

  Shaking the past away, like he had done so many times before, Luc snapped back to reality. “Yeah. I’m here. Can you hold him till I get there?”

  “Absolutely, my friend. See you soon.”

  Luc lay in his bed, staring at the cell phone. The call was now disconnected, but he couldn’t help questioning the conversation he just had. Over the last year, his dad had gotten better with the gambling, or so Luc had thought.

  Tossing his cell phone to the comforter, Luc’s glance moved along his walls. He had framed his Renegades jersey and hung it up. He had a stick signed by all his Renegades teammates, as well as one from his minor team. There was other memorabilia in his closet; he just never got around to putting them up. They would be best displayed in a large house with a man cave. His bachelor pad was nice, but not worth all his memories. Plus, in earlier years, he would’ve had to worry about bunnies taking them while he was asleep.

  His phone buzzed again. Slowly reaching for his phone, he assumed it was Drake telling him how difficult his dad was being. But it wasn’t. This time it was Kassie. Her timing couldn’t have been worse.

  Kassie: Since there’s no game tonight, you wanna grab some lunch or early dinner?

  If only he could do that, rather than deal with his dad, who was more than likely drunk. Drake didn’t say as much, but Luc knew how things went at the casino. He played and won, then kept playing, and when his winnings ran out, he kept playing and added alcohol. That’s what Luc had done his early days alone in a big city. The next day hangover was never fun, either. It didn’t take long for Luc to figure out that wasn’t who he wanted to be.

  Luc typed a message, explaining what his afternoon would be spent dealing with, then deleted it. She didn’t need to know all that mess. At least, not yet. Only his closest friends knew about his dad’s periodic alcohol issues. Luc wanted Kassie in his world, and that would include sharing this with her, but he just wasn’t sure that she would want to be that deep into his family issues yet.

  The way she stood up to her brother about them was a good sign. But Luc needed some kind of a commitment before he disclosed anything too personal about his family. Maybe being an only child caused him to not be too trusting of others, or maybe he was overly trusting and had been hurt too many times. Whatever the case, he should be ready, but he wasn’t.

  Luc: Wish I could say yes, but I have plans this afternoon. My dad is coming in.

  At least it wasn’t a lie. He hated lying to people he cared about.

  Kassie: Oh, okay.

  Kassie: Maybe I can see you before you leave for the road trip?

  He hated turning her down. He’d prefer to be spending his afternoon with her than babysitting his dad while he slept it off. Maybe if he cleared things up with his dad, and if his dad wasn’t too hung over when he woke up, they could meet up. Luc wouldn’t mind some fatherly advice, either.

  Luc: Absolutely.

  Luc: And sweets, if I can get away later, I’ll let you know.

  Kassie: I’d like that. Hope you can.

  Luc: Me too. I’ll see what I can do.

  Things with Kassie were still weird since they’d slept together. They hadn’t defined what they were yet. Were they just friends with benefits, or were they a couple? It sure didn’t feel like just friends with benefits. All he knew was that he would spend every minute of every day with her if he could. That had to mean something.

  There wasn’t much said as they left the casino, and Luc’s dad passed out as soon as they pulled away from the parking garage. There was no discussion, no excuses, just snoring. It was better that way. Luc was irritated and needed to calm down before they had this discussion. He let his dad finish his alcohol-induced nap in the guest room for the good part of the afternoon.

  Not wanting to leave him alone, Luc stretched out on the couch and channel surfed. Sitting here was not his ideal plan for the afternoon. They didn’t have a game tonight, and he could’ve been hanging out with Kassie.

  After about an hour, he was bored with television and picked up his cell phone. He wanted to text Kassie. Maybe having her here wouldn’t be such a bad idea, after all. As Luc was contemplating that idea, the sound of the guest room door opening startled him.

  His dad slowly shuffled out to the living room. His shoes scraped against the hardwood floor as he walked. He yawned before flopping down in the armchair. Luc studied him as they sat in silence. Luc was aware that his dad had aged, but the lines seemed deeper and the hair grayer since the last time he’d seen him.

  Luc was the spitting image of his father, even though relatives and friends always told him he looked just like his mom. He didn’t have a lot of visual memories of her; his memory of her was more like just a sense of love. Referencing old photos, it was possible that he was the perfect blend of them both. The thought of him being like his mom made him happy and sad all at the same time.

  His dad had the same haircut as Luc ha
d, but his father’s was just less styled, and honestly, less neat than Luc’s. The back was shaved short, while the top was longer and brushed backwards. His eyes were once dark brown like Luc’s, but now they were dull and faded, like a stormy sky.

  “Feel better, Dad?” Luc hated seeing his father like this. Maybe staying here for a few days would do him good. At least Luc could take care of him and make sure he stayed out of trouble.

  His dad shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I guess. No worse for the wear. Thanks for picking me up, son. Sorry I had to drag you out for that. I thought I had everything under control this time.”

  Luc could tell his apology was sincere, even if it was one he had heard all too often. Their relationship was a weird one. After his mom died, Luc’s father did his best, although it was a struggle while he worked through his grief. He was a kind man who had tried to teach Luc the value of honesty and hard work. But things seemed to get worse once Luc moved away to play hockey. Luc was sure that being all alone in that house had created in his dad that need for an escape.

  The gambling was new, and not a common situation, as far as Luc knew. But then again, he wasn’t around all that much. And no matter what trouble his dad got himself into, he was still Luc’s dad. He had done his best as a single parent to raise Luc, and had still managed to push Luc to play hockey, and succeed. Luc owed him, and it might just be time to repay that debt.

  “Dad, is everything okay?”

  “Luc, I’m fine. I had a little too much to drink, and things got out of hand. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m here to see you, for the Dads’ Trip and to see my son play hockey. Let’s focus on that.”

  “When did you start drinking again? I thought things were going better for you the last few months. Is there something going on that I should know about?”

  His dad scrubbed his weathered hands over his face and sighed heavily before answering. “Things are fine. I just slipped up.”