Shit. How he and Hannah beat me here is a mystery. Figured they’d be getting freaky in their hotel room and I’d have at least fifteen minutes to improve my mood before dinner.
But since I don’t, I force one of my cavalier smiles. “Met a woman in the bar.” I pat my pocket. “Got her number.”
The lie comes easily. I’m sure my sister would have a lotto say about that.
Hannah rolls her eyes and pats the seat next to her. “Well, then we better eat quick, huh?”
Chuckling, I bend and kiss her cheek. Then I slide into the seat. “As if the two of you aren’t itching to get back to your room.”
Daniel drops a hand to his wife’s bare thigh and squeezes.
She turns to him and smiles. It’s one of those soft ones. Sometimes Hannah is a ball buster. Most of the time she is. But when it comes to Daniel and her two children, Maverick and Monroe, there’s only love.
“Mav said if he catches us naked one more time,” she laughs, “he’ll start a TikTok channel about it, so we’re being good on this trip.”
I slap my chest and suck in an exaggerated breath. “Fuck, Han, don’t scar the boy.”
Daniel presses a kiss to his wife’s cheek, smiling like he’s the happiest guy in the world. And he has every right to be. A beautiful family. A hall of fame career. Though we both hung up our skates nearly a decade ago.
After he retired from the game, he went to work with his father. It surprised the hell out of all of us. He’s now an executive with Hall Records, and he’s damn successful, using that charming personality to win over prospects and sign new talent. Most importantly, he rarely travels for work. That was important to him. It always killed him to miss out on anything his kids were up to. Since the moment Hannah first told him she was pregnant eighteen years ago, he’s been a wonderful, dedicated father. And he’s so ridiculously in love with his wife. If there was a picture to go along with the wordwhippedin the dictionary, it’d be a headshot of him.
Though with Maverick following in his footsteps, Daniel still chases the game plenty.
Like today. We’re all in New Hampshire for Mav’s game. He and Beckham, War’s son, play together these days.
And because I’m Mav’s godfather, I hit as many games as my schedule allows. Though this one was actually worked into my schedule as the head of scouting for the Boston Bolts. I’m here trying like hell to draft the number one high school center in the whole country—Maverick Hall.
After the server takes our drink order, Hannah turns to me. “So I take it things are over with the woman from last month?”
I stare at her, my mind going blank.
“The one you brought to the game in Foxboro.”
Fuck. I fight the urge to drag a hand down my face. I don’t even remember the girl’s name. I never bring women around my family—and Daniel and Hannah are my family, blood or not—but when I tried to leave the woman I’d met the night before in her hotel room by telling her I had to head out to watch my godson play, she told me she loved hockey and would be happy to accompany me.
What was I supposed to say? It’s a public place. And she was hot. We spent that night together too. But I have no idea what happened to her after that.
“Oh, uh, Lynne,” I say. “She’s, uh, she’s away this week.”
Hannah rolls her eyes. “Oh my god, you have no idea who I’m talking about.”
“It was, what, three weeks ago?” Or four? I honestly can’t remember.
“Her name was Jasmine,” Hannah says.
Daniel cups a hand over his mouth, hiding a smile, but his dark eyes are full of delight.
“Oh.” I wave a hand and sit back. “We didn’t see each other again after that night, but I met Lynne after that.”
Hannah breaks into a devious grin. “Okay, where’s Lynne, then?”
I shrug. “Didn’t make it past the second date.”
She straightens, her chin lifting in challenge. “No one makes it past a second date with you.”
“Hannah.” Daniel pulls his wife close, his facial expression darkening. “Leave Cam alone.”
I shrug and grin at my best friend. “I can take it. But rather than talking about me, let’s talk about Mav’s game.” As my godson’s name leaves my mouth, the little shit saunters up wearing a cocky grin. “Speak of the devil.”
