Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 52975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
I wave my hand at the wide-open space in front of him. “No one’s stopping you. Since you’re fine, might as well run.”
Leo laughs from my other side. Isaac is already in Carter’s garage, raiding the chest freezer for one of the M&M ice cream sandwiches he loves.
“Laugh it up, bastards,” Carter grumbles as he limps toward the door that leads into his kitchen. “It could have happened to you, and I wouldn’t be laughing.”
“Yeah...no,” Leo says. “I play pickleball all the time and I’ve never injured myself.”
“I just twisted my ankle. It’s not an injury,” Carter snaps.
We’re making light of it because we all know how stressed he really is. Any injury could keep us off the ice. Even though it’s the offseason, our contracts forbid us from doing things like skydiving, mountain climbing and skiing anytime. Our teams have a lot riding on us staying healthy.
The four of us were playing pickleball. And even though we are too competitive, it’s generally a safe activity. Carter just lunged a little too far to the side and his foot got caught in a weird way.
He went down like a ton of bricks. And of course, he wouldn’t let us carry him to the car or call our team doctor. His right ankle is so swollen that Leo had to drive his SUV home.
Leo and I exchange a look as Carter approaches the step that leads into his house. Neither one of us has to say anything. I cut in front of Carter to open the door and Leo takes his back.
Once I’m inside, I face Carter and bend my knees, offering him my arm to grab for support. Leo’s got more brute strength than anyone I’ve ever known. He ducks down and forces Carter to put an arm around his shoulder to help take the weight off his ankle.
The savory smell of grilled beef fills the air. That’s right—it’s fondue night. Once we get Carter into a chair, I’m going to dive face-first into that cheese fountain.
“Take it slowly,” I say.
“Jesus, you two are like fussy old women,” he gripes.
“What’s going on?” Suki asks from behind me.
“He got into a fight with a little girl and she kicked his ass,” I say. “She’s probably still laughing over how hard he went down when she punched him.”
“Bash, seriously. What’s wrong with my husband?”
I let out a short bark of laughter. “So many things, Suki.”
Carter, inside the house now, smacks away the arm I’m offering him, his brows lowered in a scowl. “I tripped playing pickleball and twisted my ankle. I’m fine.”
“Did he say pickleball?” Dex asks from the living room.
Suki gasps. “You are not fine. Look how swollen your ankle is. Why are you walking on it?”
“Because I’m—”
“Leo, can you carry him to the couch?” she asks.
“Sure.”
Carter bares his teeth like a rabid animal. Jesus fuck. The dramatics.
“You’re not carrying me anywhere. Both of you take one side and I’ll hop on one foot.”
“I’ll get ice,” Suki says.
Leo and I shoulder Carter’s weight. Even hopping makes him inhale sharply and hold his breath, which he only does when he’s really hurting.
Dex and Harry clear decorative pillows off the sectional where they were sitting with Darling.
Darling is taking up almost half of the longest row of seats, his legs in the air and his little wanger peeking out from beneath his tight T-shirt.
“Off the couch, Darling,” Carter barks as he approaches.
Darling looks up and yawns. He has Goldfish crumbs on his snout and doesn’t give a single fuck about moving.
“Darling, come on,” Mara says.
“Offer to sleep with him,” Leo quips. “He’s probably better looking than most of your boyfriends, right?”
“Says the guy who’s so desperate he creeps on women in bathrooms.”
“I wasn’t creeping. I didn’t even know you were in there.”
“There’s this revolutionary thing called knocking. Have you heard of it?”
Carter groans as we lower him to sit on the couch. “If you two don’t stop, I’m gonna make you wear the same T-shirt until you’re besties.”
Mara blanches. “Matching T-shirts? How will that—”
Suki cuts in. “No, literally, the same T-shirt. He made Olivia and Charlotte share one of his T-shirts for two full days last week because they wouldn’t stop fighting.”
“It’s what my mom did with me and my sister,” Carter says. “It works.”
Suki helps Carter get settled, putting pillows behind his back and ice on his ankle.
“Guys, please eat,” Harry says. “We made so much food and all of us and the girls already ate.”
My stomach growls in response to the invitation.
“Thanks, man. And remember what I told you about booking all of us for dinner at a nice restaurant soon. You guys feed me so much, I want to take a turn.”
“Pick a place with top-shelf booze,” Carter calls from the couch. “I’m getting my money’s worth out of him.”
I grab a plate and immediately remember my conversation with Lainey this morning in my kitchen. She looked so proper in her charcoal pants and black shirt, her hair back in a neat bun.