I can’t help my feelings.
I catch a few hours of sleep, but after fighting with Harper when trying to help her study and that ridiculous truth game I never should have agreed to, I’m not the least bit tired.
I’m overstimulated.
I wake before the sun rises, which isn’t a surprise since practice always starts at six-thirty sharp. We do warmups on the ice and drills.
At least the ice arena gives me purpose, and maybe it can help clear my head.
“How’s married life?” Chase skates alongside me as we work on our passes and then shooting into the goal.
“Fucking wonderful,” I say.
“Trouble in paradise already?” Rowan overhears us.
Fuck.
I need to play it cool. These guys don’t have an inkling of what’s going on between us, why we got hitched, or that my family is mafia.
Asking questions will just get all of us into trouble. I’m not an idiot. I know that Ashton has been spying for Dante. I’m just not sure if I’m his target or Harper.
Possibly both of us.
“She wanted a honeymoon,” I say. It’s an easy and believable lie.
“Don’t they all?” Chase quips. “Take her somewhere for spring break.”
His suggestion wouldn’t be bad if I didn’t want to spend another moment in the same room as Harper.
I skate off, avoiding any more discussion of my wife. Maybe I should have pretended that we didn’t get married, but the ring on my finger is a blatant reminder that it happened.
We finish drills, shower, and the team grabs breakfast together in the dining hall.
I’m starving, and Ashton grabs a seat next to me. I swear he’s trying to make sure that I don’t crack under pressure, and not from hockey.
“I can’t believe you didn’t invite us to the wedding,” Rowan says as he gestures at the ring on my finger. “When did that happen?”
“Saturday,” I say, between bites of eggs. “It was a very small ceremony.”
Not a complete lie, since when we did exchange vows, there were only a few people present. It wasn’t the wedding Mom had planned for us. It wasn’t the wedding day I envisioned either, chasing down my bride.
“Is the wife going to be at Thursday’s game?” Brooks asks. He’s the least annoying of the freshmen who are interrogating me about the wedding, probably because he hasn’t met Harper yet.
“Harper?” I say and take another bite of breakfast. “Doubt it. She has a kid, early bedtime and all that.” It’s an easy excuse that I can use, and since we’re playing an away game, I don’t have to lie.
“Your kid?” Brooks asks, his eyes widening.
“Only by marriage,” I say and pause, rubbing the back of my neck. That’s a conversation that we never had. If something does happen to Harper, who gets custody of Zeke?
A heavy conversation that I don’t ever want to think about, so I push that thought aside.
“Damn. Marriage and a kid,” Rowan says. “You really signed up for the entire package.”
Ashton grins. “Harper is the entire package. Have you seen her? Curves and all.” He makes a chef’s kiss gesture, and I want to fucking end him.
I glare at Ashton. If he’s trying to help, it’s not working. All he’s doing is making me jealous the way he speaks about my wife.
Ashton notices my discomfort and forces a smile. “I’m just saying congrats, man. You got the best of both worlds.”
