Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
“He also dated my sister under my nose,” Matthew hisses.
“Guilty.” Max holds up his hands. “Also eloped with her.” He looks at Matthew. “Might as well get it all out there. There are no secrets in this family.”
“Jesus,” I say, laughing for the first time in ninety days because something was funny.
“Oh, these two are a riot.” Another voice cuts in, and I swear it’s a group meeting; something we only had on the other team when shit was getting bad. “Hi there, I’m Evan, team captain,” he says, coming in wearing a blue suit and holding his hand out. “I see you’ve met M&M.”
“That fucking name,” Matthew says. “What are you doing here?”
“I asked him to come,” Max says. “I figured it was a good time for us to get to know each other.”
“Good idea,” Matthew says to Max and then looks back at me “Let me show you around.” I nod at him and get up.
“Jesus, you’ve been hitting the gym,” Evan says. “Good. I need to know the guy next to me can hold his own,” he jokes. “I’m going to go say goodbye to my wife while she talks to Oliver about what she wants to do with the foundation.” He turns and walks away.
“Stay away from my sister!” Matthew shouts at him.
He turns back and walks backward. “Not a chance in hell. Besides, it’s a little late for that since my child is in her.” I try not to laugh when he winks at Matthew, who just throws his head back and groans.
“It’s a battle I lose every single time. Thank fuck, Zoe is a hard ass and too busy building her empire to care about guys.” I hear him mumble under his breath, knowing I’ll meet her soon.
“That’s what she has you thinking,” Max teases him. “She was out the other night with that reality guy.” He snaps his fingers. “What’s his name?” Matthew has a vein in his forehead that looks like it’s going to pop when Max points at him and teases him. “Fucking with you,” he says, laughing and turning around to walk away.
“Asshole,” he hisses at Max’s retreating back. “Be in the conference room at one.”
“Is it always like this?” I ask Matthew while we walk down the hall, and he points out things like the kitchen and the gym.
“You will come to see that we’re not just a hockey team,” he says, beaming with pride. “We’re a family.” I nod. I thought the guys on my team in LA were family, but when push came to shove, they all dropped me. I mean, some still talk to me, but it’s on the down low. No one wanted to be associated with the guy in rehab.
I meet all the coaching staff, and the head coach and the assistant are both happy to have me on their team, or so they say. The equipment manager and I go over all the how I like and want my equipment set up, and he already has my equipment shipped over from LA.
When we finally get into the conference room, Max and Evan are already there sitting down. I sit down on one of the empty chairs right next to Evan, facing Max, and I notice they left the seat at the head of the table empty. Matthew sits in it and looks around the table.
“Well, let’s get this started,” Matthew says, and I almost hold my breath.
“I, for one, am happy you’re here,” Matthew says.
“I’m not going to lie and sugarcoat shit for you,” Max pipes up. “I did not agree with him at the beginning.”
“We know you can play hockey,” Matthew interjects.
“No shit,” I say.
“Now you have to earn the trust to play hockey,” Evan says. “No one is going to want to have your back on the ice if they think you don’t have theirs.”
“I always have my team’s back,” I say, my throat suddenly dry.
“Really?” Max says. “Because after Matthew showed me those two games where you played your heart out, I showed him the last game of the season you played.” I sit up straight now, and Max must see it, but he just leans back into his chair. “We want to make sure that guy doesn’t follow you here.”
“I’ll fight for you,” Evan says, “because I’m your captain. It’s my job, and that is what we do.”
“Bottom line,” Matthew says, “I want to fucking win. I want my team to win. I want them to hold up the cup. I want to give that to them, and I know with you as a piece of the puzzle, it just may happen.”
“I know this means nothing,” I finally say, “since I have to prove it to you, but I want to be that guy who holds up the cup. I want to be the one who fights with a team and not just myself.”