Page 67 of Breakaway

“How did you meet?”

“I picked him up in a bar.” Remi clapped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, that sounds bad. It wasn’t exactly like that. Neither of us was really interested in the other, but we both needed to pretend we were because…” She closed her eyes. She should just stop now, before she blurted out that they’d been so hot for each other they’d gone back to her place and then the cops had showed up and…she swallowed. “And then we met again when Jase came to the school I teach at, as part of the Stars for Reading program.”

“Oh, you’re a teacher?”

“Yes. I teach sixth grade. The kids really love having Jase come and work with them.”

The horn sounded to end the warm-up and two hulking young men appeared in the aisle.

“There you are.” Laura stood so they could squeeze by her. “Where did you disappear to?”

“Reporter from the CBC spotted us and wanted an interview.” The younger of the two men smiled, his broad grin just like Jase’s.

“Remi, this is Matt, Jase’s youngest brother.” Remi stood too, and Matt shook her hand, the charm in his smile tugging at her. There was a definite family resemblance between all the brothers, although she hadn’t met Tag yet, who was still down on the ice.

“And I’m Logan,” the other said with an equally engaging smile and a sparkle in his dark eyes. “The good looking brother. Matt’s the baby.”

Hardly a baby. Remi let Matt squeeze his big body past her to his seat and Logan shook her hand, towering over her, giving her an up and down look that made her feel warm and tingly. Those boys had good looks and charm just pouring off them, and how unfair was that, along with their mega athletic talent?

They settled into their seats.

“Does this feel weird for you?” Remi asked Jase’s mom. “Watching your sons play against each other? Who do you cheer for?”

“It is hard, although it’s happened many times. I just want them both to play well.”

From down the row, Remi heard a snort. “Tag’s too old and decrepit to play well,” Logan said and Matt guffawed.

Laura rolled her eyes. “Do you enjoy hockey, Remi?”

“Sort of. I don’t know much about it. I’ve only ever been to a few games.”

“Hmm.” Jase’s dad Doug spoke up. A big, quiet man, he’d barely spoken since they’d arrived at the arena. “We’ll have to teach you a few things about the game, then.”

“Don’t bore her.” Laura leaned forward to look at her husband.

“No, please—I want to learn. The last game I came to with a girlfriend and neither of us knew what was going on.”

“Trade places with me, Dad,” Logan demanded. “I want to sit beside Remi. I can explain things to her.”

“You stay in your own seat,” Doug told him. Matt laughed.

Remi’s cheeks warmed and she caught Laura’s smile.

A sell-out crowd packed the arena tonight, the last home game of the regular season for the Wolves, and it was do or die. If they didn’t win tonight, the season was over. All the fans—including Remi and Jase’s family—wore white, thanks to a huge media campaign. Five guys sitting behind them had painted their faces like wolves and howled repeatedly. Remi found herself bouncing in her seat, the excitement in the air electric, energetic, galvanic.

The players skated back out onto the ice to thunderous cheering, blasting music and a blinding light display. Remi stood with the others and clapped until her hands throbbed. The crowd started whistling and cheering again halfway through the national anthem. Remi couldn’t help but laugh, exchanging smiles with both Jase’s parents at the exuberance of the fans. Compared to the last game she’d been to, this was way more intense.

Jase moved to center ice and she leaned forward, her body tense, as he prepared to take the face off. “That’s Tag,” Laura said in Remi’s ear. Holy crapsicle. Jase was facing off against his brother. Nerves clutched at her stomach.

The referee paused with the puck in the air as the two centers appeared to exchange words. What were they saying to each other? Then the crowd went wild when Jase won the face off and one of his teammates took off with the puck.

“They both play center,” Laura explained to Remi. “For a lot of years Jase played right wing, I think because he didn’t want to try to compete with Tag, but he’s so good at center.”

Remi nodded. Sibling rivalry was a difficult thing at the best of times. She’d seen it with Jasmine and Kyle, despite her best efforts to treat them equally. What on earth would it be like in an intensely competitive environment like hockey?

She focused on the game, her eyes constantly seeking and finding Jase. The Wolves played well, attacking and keeping thepuck down in the Phoenix zone, and it seemed like Jase was everywhere, all the time. And yet the other team was right there with him, constantly hitting him and knocking him around.

“Why are they doing that?” she asked in frustration, when once again he’d taken another brutal hit into the boards and lost the puck.

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