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Everly laughs and looks at me. “By the way, whatever she says about her ex-husband, I think it’s totally true, but I think she’s lying about how she feels about your brother.”

Yeah, I am starting to get that impression too.

CHAPTER 19

LAWSON

It turns out that it really sucks to fall in love with a woman you can’t have.

I played an amazing game tonight. My sister and mom were in the stands, and they loved Bonkers Hockey. They had a great time, and everyone in Rebel is welcoming them warmly. The Revelers won, and the polar bear “rivalry” was a huge hit—no one even missed me and Beckett.

But I’m crabby as hell.

I had sex with the woman of my dreams for the first time last night, and I can’t stride across the diner where my teammates and family are gathered, laughing, talking, eating, and generally enjoying life, wrap my arms around her, and kiss her.

I know she has to feel my eyes on her. I’ve been watching her nonstop since Patty, Muriel, Brewser, and the rest of the gang swept my mother up and took her to their table near the windows. She’s quite a bit younger than all of them, but I’m expecting her to be exhausted by the end of the night.

Lydia and I are now perched on stools at a tall table in the middle of the room with the rest of the team.

Sutton, on the other hand, is talking to Andi and Nora on stools at the front counter, adamantly refusing to even look at me. The way she’s acting almost makes it more obvious that something is going on between us.

I’m not worried that something is wrong or that she’s upset. I know exactly what this is. Her brother is here, and she’s trying not to be obvious that things have changed between us.

But I don’t know how much longer I can do this.

I knew going in it was going to be a challenge. Sutton was very difficult to ignore even before I got a taste of her.

Now I’m completely screwed.

“I think the Polar Bear with Oreos is my favorite,” Lydia says, and Wes’s exuberant whoop yanks me back to the people I’m sharing a table with.

Lydia is between Beckett and me with her crutch propped against the table next to me. Wes, Hudson, and Teddy are across from us.

As a part of this new polar bear “rivalry”, Bruce has introduced two new milkshakes. Both are marshmallow-flavored, but the Revelers version has crushed Oreos mixed in per Wes’s request, and the Rascals version has peanut butter cup bits for Hudson.

I give Lydia a side eye, and she just winks at me.

My sister does not like Oreos more than peanut butter cups.

“Really?” I ask her under my breath.

“They’re both cute. But I think Hudson has a thing for someone else.”

She’s able to talk without being heard because our table’s food has just arrived, and Teddy, Wes, and Hudson sharing their fries, onion rings, and fried cheese balls is the loudest transaction yet tonight.

“Really?”

She tips her head toward Quinn. I scoff. “She’s just a teammate. We all like Quinn.”

Lydia picks up the milkshake again and takes a drink, then licks her lips. “Okay.”

I have to admit that my sister is pretty good at recognizing chemistry. I also realize that she distracted me for a moment from the fact that she is flirting with my goalie.

I glance across the table at Wes, who is counting the number of cheese balls Teddy and Hudson each has, then back to her. “You’ve been in town for like six hours. You’re already going to cause me trouble?”

She giggles. “Sorry.”

“You’re not, though. Not even a little.”