38. Keir

It's a bit surreal watching her drive off. I never thought I'd see Emma Thornton again, let alone spend time with her like this. She's different now, but somehow, she's still the same bubbly, beautiful girl I fell for back in school.

"She's a force to be reckoned with," Lachlan says, breaking the silence. His eyes are still fixed on the spot where Emma's car disappeared.

"Yep. Think she can handle Colin?"

Lachlan shrugs, but there's a confident look in his eyes. "Emma's tougher than she looks. She'll win him over."

I want to believe that, but Colin's as stubborn as they come. Still, if anyone can make it happen, it's Emma. "Yeah." Pulling out my phone, I text her so she will get it when she arrives home.

Loved spending time with you today.

That's it. Simple, sweet and hopefully will make her see that I need her.

Lachlan and I head to his car to go back home and wallow in the mess that has become our lives.

The drive is quick but silent. Both of us lost in our thoughts. I glance over at Lachlan, wondering what's going through his head. He's always been good at hiding his emotions, and today is no different. But I know this has to be bugging the shit out of him. He is used to getting what he wants, and Emma is not falling for it. "What's the real deal between you and Taran?" I ask, knowing there is more to this story now. There has to be.

Lachlan sighs. "We went to the same primary school for a while before his family moved him to a private school. We were friends. And then everything changed."

"Like what?"

"Like people grow up and move on. Then all this bullshit with him playing for the Arrows and becoming Captain, chasing what I had but never acknowledging me, like I was nobody but the competition. It fucking sucked."

"Yeah, can imagine."

I slump further into my seat and think about Taran Fraser and how he was with Emma. He didn't seem to be a massive dick with her. Are we putting too much stock in this team rivalry to not be able to see past it?

We reach our place, and Lachlan parks the car. He's quieter than usual. The air hangs heavy with unspoken thoughts. I decide not to press any further for now. Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words.

Inside, I drop my gear onto the floor by the door and head straight for the kitchen. "Beer?" I call out, already grabbing two from the fridge.

"Yeah, cheers," Lachlan replies, dropping onto the couch.

As I hand him his drink, I notice he's scrolling through his phone.

I crack open my beer and take a sip, leaning against the counter. "So, tomorrow, we start team practice seriously," I say, trying to steer the conversation away from the tangled mess of our personal lives.

Lachlan nods. "Yeah. We need to get everyone in top shape before the season starts."

"New drills?"

He grins, finally looking up. "Oh, I've got some right corkers planned. The lads won't know what hit them."

I chuckle, feeling slightly better. Hockey is something we both understand, something uncomplicated and separate from all this drama. "Hope Emma likes what she sees."

"She will," Lachlan says confidently. "We just need to show her we mean business."

"Agreed." I take another swig of my beer and glance at my phone again. Still no reply from Emma, but then it buzzes in my hand as if by fate.

The message from Emma lights up my screen.

Had a great time, too. Looking forward to tomorrow.

I smile like an idiot. Lachlan notices and raises an eyebrow. "Good news?"

"Yeah, just Emma," I say, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably.

He smirks and takes another sip of his beer. "We definitely made steps to winning her over today."

"True," I admit, leaning back and running a hand through my hair. "Is it enough?"

"It's a start," he says and leaves it at that.