Chapter 43

forty-three

MADDOX

"What in the hell happened out there?" Coach Cross shouts. The vein in his temple throbs as he paces the locker room. Back and forth, back and forth.

"Look, I'm sorry, Coach, but the assholes sitting next to my girlfriend and my sister were talking shit and calling them vile names. I couldn't let that stand."

"So you threatened a paying fan?" Coach grabs his hair. "Jesus, Graves. What were you thinking?"

The rest of my team watches us like this is some juicy soap opera. They have my back on this—we know anyone who dates or marries us will end up with some level of public scrutiny—but no one gets to make our significant others cry because we're underperforming at a game. "I was thinking I needed to protect two of the most important women in my life, coach. You've got a daughter. I'm sure you understand. "

"No, Graves," he shouts. "I don't. Because my daughter knows the score. When I'm coaching, hockey is everything. I don't have a daughter. When I was married, it was the same with my wife. At the arena, I'm not a husband or father. When I'm here, I'm just a coach."

"That's probably why he got a divorce and none of us have ever met his daughter," Navarro mumbles under his breath. And I have to agree. To me, family comes first. The people I love come first. Now, that includes the guys on my team. But a game is a game. Sure, I want to win. And yes, how I play is important to me. This is my career, after all. It's my passion. But hockey isn't everything. I'm seeing that with more and more clarity.

"Everyone shower and get the hell out of here," Coach grumbles. "But hear me when I say that this kind of shit will never happen again. Understand?"

"Understood," we say in unison.

"Your sister looked like she was about to punch that guy in the nose," Wright says gleefully as we head for the showers. "She's always been a spitfire."

"She knows how to hold her own," I agree. I never like that she has to, though. I wonder if Isla knows how to defend herself? Something to ask her later. "I should have insisted they sit in the box, but she was so excited to show Isla the whole experience."

"Hey, man." Logan squeezes my shoulder. "That wasn't your fault. Wasn't the girls' fault, either. Sometimes people are the worst. The best thing we can do now is get ready as quickly as possible, meet them out there, and make sure they both have so much fun tonight that they forget the whole thing. "

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Nah, I'm Wright," Griffin sniggers. Logan punches him in the arm.

"Moron."

Isla's quiet. She has been since the moment I emerged from the locker room and wrapped her up in a long, tight hug. She was stiff at first, but eventually melted into my arms. I haven't stopped touching her since. As soon as we sat around the large table at the back of the restaurant we invaded, I pulled her to my side.

"You sure you're okay?" I ask her for the tenth time. The words are a soft caress against the shell of her ear. I know she's feeling out of sorts, and I don't want to draw undue attention to her.

"Yeah," she says. It's not all that believable. "I'm just…" She gnaws on her bottom lip until I pull it away from her teeth with my thumb. "I just feel bad."

"Why in the hell should you feel bad?"

She sighs, and I hate the way her shoulders slump. "I embarrassed you."

What? I rear back like she's slapped me because what in the hell? She thinks she embarrassed me? "Baby, how do you think you embarrassed me?"

"I shouldn't have let those guys bother me," she huffs out. "But I did, and then I caused enough of a scene that you got thrown out of the last few minutes of the game and you guys lost." She peers up at me with sad, sapphire eyes. "Did you get in trouble? "

"No, baby, I didn't get in trouble. Even if I had, it would have been worth it. Besides, you are not the reason we lost."

"Nope," Griffin pipes up from across the table. He takes a break from cracking jokes to my sister to quirk an eyebrow at Isla. "We lost because we weren't in sync enough, and Boston's defense was on point tonight."

"He's right," Sebastian agrees with that calm demeanor of his that puts everyone at ease. "Even if Madds hadn't been sent to the sin bin, we probably would have lost. Which is my fault, actually."

Navarro always blames himself when we lose. I suppose that's par for the course with most goalies, but it's still bullshit. He let one shot through, but how many more did he block?

"Not your fault," Logan says, taking a break from flirting with our waitress. He rolls his eyes at Navarro. "The success of the team doesn't rest solely on your self-deprecating shoulders."

"Oooh." Griffin waggles his eyebrows. "Nice vocab word, Byrne. Was that part of your word-of-the-day calendar?"

"Shut the hell up." Logan throws a piece of broccoli at Griffin's head, but Wright dodges it. They both laugh.

Mira shakes her head. "I'm surrounded by children. Giant, six-foot tall children." She turns to Isla and her face softens. "The point is, as much as those shit-for-brains guys around us would love to blame you, that's ridiculous. You are not responsible for anyone else's actions or performance. If Maddy sucks, that's on him. If he's distracted, that's on him. He's responsible for his own damned self. "

"She's right," I tell Isla, lightly gripping her chin so she has to meet my gaze and see how serious I am. "Besides, having you there was motivating. Please don't let this turn you off from coming to more of our games."

"I won't," she murmurs, her pretty lips tilting up into the first smile I've seen from her since the end of the game.

I don't care if we're surrounded by my teammates and my sister. It doesn't matter that the other patrons are watching us and some of them have their phones out. None of that matters. All that matters to me is that I help my girlfriend understand how much I want her, and that no bad game will change that. So I dip my face to meet hers and take her pouty lips in a possessive kiss. Her response is instant and perfect. She presses into me, one hand moving to my neck, the other tangling in my hair. And when I open my mouth and encourage her to do the same, she lets out a breathy sigh that I swallow up. Her sexy little noises are for me to hear, and me alone.

Everyone at the table hoots and shouts, even Mira. And by the time Isla and I pull away from each other, she's breathless and pink-cheeked. She glances around the table, adorably embarrassed, then covers her face in her hands.

"Oh my god," she mumbles into her palms.

"Aren't they sickeningly cute?" Griffin asks Mira.

My sister chuckles, her smile stretching wide across her face as she turns my way. "Yeah. Yeah, they are."

After that, Isla relaxes.

"So." Griffin turns to my sister. "Madds said you moved in with your boyfriend. Things are pretty serious, huh?"

Mira shifts in her seat. Her eyes dart to me before returning her attention to Griffin. "Uh, yeah. About that." Mira clears her throat. "I didn't want to say anything, but since this night has turned into a bit of a downer anyway, I guess it can't hurt."

The table falls silent, and I lean toward my sister. "What can't hurt, Mi-Mi?"

She lets out a nervous giggle. "Um, well, I moved in with Jared, and it… It became clear pretty quickly that our relationship wasn't as strong as I thought."

A frown pulls at Griffin's mouth. "What does that mean, Lil' Gravesy?"

"It means I'm glad I wasn't done unpacking because I need to find somewhere new to live." Mira shrugs, a fake-ass smile plastered on her face.

"What?" My voice is deadly. I'm going to kill her asshole boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend .

"Look, don't make it into a whole thing, Maddy. I've taken it as a sign that I should move back home. Chicago's great and all, but I miss Minneapolis and you and Mom." Mira leans to the side and bumps shoulders with Griffin. "Plus, it's been fun hanging out with these weirdos again."

"Did he hurt you, Mira?" Griffin's not amused. In fact, his tone is just as dangerous as mine.

Mira sighs. "No, nothing like that, okay? We just got in a few fights and he made some comments about our future that didn't line up with where I thought we were going, and one thing led to another…" Her lips twist to the side. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that now I need a place to stay. So if you guys know of anyone with a spare room to rent, let me know, okay?"

Shit. I should offer a room in my place, but things are going so well with Isla. I don't want to screw that up. But this is my little sister. And she needs help .

Clearing my throat, I glance at Isla before opening my mouth. "Mir, if you need a place to stay…"

"No," she says, cutting me off. "I will not cock block my older brother and his girlfriend right as things are getting serious. Not doing it."

"Mi-Mi," I shake my head.

"Nope. Seriously, Maddy. I didn't bring it up to guilt trip you into offering me a place to live. Just putting it out there in case you know someone who's looking for a roommate."

Griffin's gaze bounces to me before he turns and faces my sister. "I've got a spare room, Little Gravesy. It's a suite, so it has a bathroom and everything. You can live with me."

I open my mouth to say absolutely not, but Mira beats me to it.

"I couldn't do that, Griffin."

"Why the hell not?" he asks. "I've got the room, and you need a place to stay. I'm gone half of the time, anyway, so you'd be doing me a favor. You can grab my mail and shit and make sure the place doesn't burn down when I'm out of town."

"Griffin." Mira shakes her head. "You don't know what you're asking."

"Bullshit, Mira. I know exactly what I'm asking. I also know you're being a stubborn ass."

Bash pinches the bridge of his nose. Logan's attention pings between my sister and my best friend.

"Come on, Mir. We're friends. It would be fun, and you wouldn't even need to pay me rent. I own the place outright, so it's not like I need the money."

Narrowing my eyes, I study my best friend. His typical flippant attitude is nowhere to be found. His expression is determined. Serious. Maybe my sister living with him wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

"I think it sounds like a great idea," Isla offers. Her words are soft, but everyone gives her their attention. "Breakups suck, Mira. It would be nice to have a friend around to cheer you up when you need it. Especially one that will be gone sometimes so you can have the place to yourself occasionally."

"See?" Griffin smiles widely. "If Isla thinks it's a good idea, it is."

My sister's lip twitches with a suppressed smile. "If we do this, there will have to be rules, Wright. No walking around naked or banging your puck bunnies on the couch."

Griffin holds a hand to his chest. "I'm wounded that you think so little of me."

"And you definitely won't touch my sister," I add. "Or I'll kick your ass. I don't care if you are my best friend. Keep your diseased dick to yourself."

"It's not diseased," Wright growls. "He's perfectly healthy."

Mira rolls her eyes, but I can see her caving. She's going to agree to move in with him. Hopefully it's not a huge mistake. "You're serious about this?"

"Yeah. I am."

"All right. I'll move in with you. But I'm paying rent."

Griffin runs a hand through his blond hair as a smile crinkles the corners of his eyes. "We'll see about that."

Mira turns to my girlfriend. Most of the tension I've seen plaguing her since I picked her up at the airport has disappeared. "Looks like we're going to have plenty of time to establish our new bestie status."

Isla laughs. She looks so happy. "Can't wait."

With Mira's living situation settled, we sit there for hours, laughing, talking, and eating. Our server doesn't seem to mind because she knows we'll tip well—we always do—and because she's spent the last fifteen minutes perched on Logan's lap.

It's two a.m. by the time we settle up and leave, and Isla's hardly able to keep her eyes open. She's so tired she barely protests when I scoop her up in my arms.

"I can walk," she mumbles. The guys chuckle.

"I know, baby, but I want to carry you. Don't spoil my fun."

She presses her face into my neck and huffs out a silent puff of laughter. "Bossy."

"Stay at my place?"

"Oh, yes, please stay, Isla. It'll be like a sleepover," Mira says. "We can make a big breakfast in the morning and hang out. Please say yes."

"How do you have so much energy?" Isla asks Mira, lifting her head from my chest to look at my sister.

Mira shrugs. "I'm not a teacher, so I don't have to get up as early as you."

"Shit." Isla winces. "I have school tomorrow. I'm going to be so tired."

My sister and I share a grimace. I completely forgot it was a school night for Isla. "Is your car at your place?"

She nods. "I kinda figured we'd end up driving together, so Mira and I took an Uber to the arena."

"All right, then. I'll take you home. You and Mira will have all the time in the world for sleepovers now. "

"Mm, okay." She burrows back into my body and closes her eyes. "That sounds good."

Guilt at keeping her out so late nibbles at my chest. I'll just have to bring her coffee tomorrow. And some donuts. Maybe I'll bring enough to stock the teachers' lounge.

"Let's get you home, baby."