When we hang up, the thin bit of hope I’d been clinging to feels stretched tight. I’m one more letdown away from it being snapped in half.
Coaching at Kolmont would mean starting fresh. A steady paycheck. A chance to be back on the ice without gambling on another surgery. It’s not the NHL, but it’s something. A piece of what I lost. And after the past year, after losing the career I’ve worked so hard to build, it feels like the closest thing left to that dream.
I pocket my phone, roll my shoulders back, and step out of the hall.
And that’s when I see them.
Evan’s already there, standing too close to Tessa by the kitchen doorway. He’s wearing that same easy grin on his face. The same one he’s used to get away with shit his whole life. She laughs at something he says, but I can see the tension in her shoulders. She’s trying to make it look natural, and it’s not.
It hits me like a puck to the chest.
I hate it. Hate even the thought of their history. Hate that she’s looking at him at all. She was supposed to be my brother’s forever.
Now she’s the mistake I’ll never regret.
Because she’s supposed to be off-limits. And because I already know—I’m in too deep with this girl.
Still, the longer I stand there, the tighter my chest gets. My fingers curl into a fist against my leg, a weak attempt to hide the irritation coiling in my gut.
I know what it is. Jealousy—plain and simple. The same kind that used to get me in trouble when I was younger and started more than a few fights on the ice. The kind I swore I’d left behind.
But it’s more than that. It’s fear because watching them, even just laughing together, reminds me of how easily I could lose her. And she’s not even mine to lose.
Evan leans in and says something I can’t catch. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. It’s a nervous habit. It’s probably harmless, but my pulse jumps as I try to stop myself from wanting to step in.
Then Steven’s voice cuts through the noise, dragging me back. “There’s my little sister!”
Tessa turns toward him, relief flickering across her face, and I finally pull my eyes away before someone notices how long I’ve been watching her.
He crosses the room in two long strides, scooping Tessa up in a hug that’s all noise and motion. “You’re late,” he teases, laughing as he squeezes her. “I thought you forgot us.”
“Please,” she fires back, smiling up at him. “You’d survive one holiday without me.”
Erica’s right behind him, pulling Tessa into another hug. “It’s been too long,” she says, smoothing a strand of hair from her face. “You look good, honey.”
By the time they’re done, the twins and their little sister circle Tessa’s legs like puppies. She crouches down, laughing as they throw their arms around her neck. “Look at you guys,” she says, pulling them in tighter. “You’re growing like little weeds.”
One of the twins puffs out his chest. “I’m almost as tall as Uncle Clay now!”
He glances over at me, his smile beaming on his face. His brother throws up his arm and flexes. “And we’re almost as strong too!”
That causes all of us to crack up, and I lift a brow. “Almost, huh?”
He nods, grinning wide enough to show the gap where his front tooth used to be.
Tessa laughs, reaching over to ruffle his hair. “You’ve still got a ways to go, kid.”
She’s glowing now. Cheeks flushed, hair slipping loose, surrounded by people who already love her.
The noise picks up as Erica and Steven come in, laughing about how they took the kids outside to burn off some energy, but it clearly didn’t work. The twins are already arguing while their parents talk over each other. Everyone’s laughing, voices overlapping until it’s too damn loud.
I cross my arms, trying to look relaxed, but my chest is tight. Heat crawls up the back of my neck, and I should look away or walk off, maybe step outside for a breath of fresh air. Anything to help pretend it doesn’t get to me, watching her slide so easily into everyone else’s world but mine.
But I don’t.
She’s laughing now, crouched beside the kids as they dig through the basket of toys our moms kept here for them. One of the twins hands her a homemade cookie, and she gasps like it’s the best thing she’s ever tasted. After taking a big bite, she’s still grinning as crumbs fall from her lips.
The boys crack up, crumbs covering their shirts, too. The little one squeals, frosting smeared across her chin, and Tessa just throws her head back, laughing right along with them.
