Page 37 of SlapShot Sweetheart

“Mon frere…you are well and truly screwed,” Lafreniere chuckled, walking into the locker room where they were all sitting around talking and getting ready. “Guess who that was?”

“Your mother?” Thierry joked, causing several of the guys to chuckle at the joke.

“No, that was my sister.”

“Big deal…”

“Did she finally divorce that nitwit, and she’s looking for a real man now?”

“No – and you are never dating any of my sisters, Boucher.”

“So who cares if she called then?”

“So, apparently, Loverboy over here…” Theo looked up at the goalie’s words and felt his whole world turn sideways, instantly making him nauseous. “Loverboy got busted calling a certain redhead his soulmate… and got caught lying to her.”

“Qu'est-ce que vous avez dit?”Theo yelped in a panic.

“Don’t act shocked. You heard me, Batiste,” Lafreniere grinned. “Your girlfriend showed up at my sister’s bakery, started asking what a few French words meant, and then beganasking other questions – questions about a person’s car with a certain vanity plate. You are so screwed.”

“No…”

“We shoulda used your Jeep.”

“No, no, no… she’s not mad.”

“I do believe the word ‘Liar’ came flying out of her mouth,” Lafreniere chuckled as Theo fell off the back of the bench onto the floor, horrified. He stared at the other man, remaining where he was, as he looked through his ankles and noticed the world was visibly dimming along the edges of his vision.

“She thinks I’m… a liar?”

“Why would she think you are a liar?”

“Oh my gosh,” Theo whispered aloud as everything came crashing down around his head. She’d asked him point blank at the house if he was the person leaving notes on the door, and he’d said ‘no’… but obviously, she’d already suspected it was him, or she wouldn’t have spoken with Madeline to verify her thoughts.

“I said it before, and I’ll say it again – screwed.”

“Stop that,” he balked, tasting something sour in his mouth as he accepted Thierry’s hand and rose from the floor. He looked at the blond man’s grim expression and then slowly slid his eyes to Giroux’s, Boucher, Coeur, and then Lafreniere’s amused one as the man gave him two thumbs up.

“Way to go, Romeo.”

“You need to explain,” Coeur said bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Women have long memories.”

“And short tempers,” Thierry added as Giroux nodded slowly, his gaze looking almost as concerned as Theo felt.

“Is she coming to the game?” Giroux asked. “I can ask Becca to talk to her, but she might say ‘no.’ She doesn’t like to get in the middle of stuff and…” his words faded at the abrupt movement nearby.

There was a massive POP that reverberated in the room as the door was slammed open, hitting the lockers and the wall. The six men jumped at the sound, drawing all of their attention… as Theo felt his heart plummet.

“Uh, hello?” Boucher retorted, waving his hands pointedly at his bare torso because he was only wearing pants and socks.

“My bits!” Lafreniére snapped, pulling another towel from beside him on the bench onto his already covered lap. The man was late getting ready because of the phone call from his sister.

“Miss! You can’t just go in there!”

“Hey! We’re changing in here!” Giroux snapped, yanking a shirt over his head while Coeur just stood there in his towel, unfazed, with a smirk on his face.

Aimee’s bright blue eyes met his, and he could feel the intensity of her gaze as she glared at him angrily.

“You lied to me,” she hissed in a hushed voice.

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