Page 157 of Silver Fox Puck

Something inside me snaps.

“I love him.”

The words fly out before I can stop them.

The hallway falls silent.

Grant turns to me, his expression unreadable.

Jake shakes his head, exhaling harshly. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing.” My voice is steady now. “And I’m not asking for your approval, Jake. I love him. And he loves me.”

I can feel Grant go still beside me.

I said it. Out loud.

To my brother.

To the world.

And the crazy part?

I don’t regret it.

Not for a second.

Chapter 35 – Grant

The office walls feel too damn small.

I sit across from the Eagles’ PR director, arms crossed, jaw locked, as the woman flips her laptop around and hits play.

A video loads on the screen—the post-game media frenzy, cameras flashing, reporters shouting.

And then? Kenzie.

Standing in the tunnel, wide-eyed, caught between the press and my hand at her waist.

The freeze-frame says everything.

“This is the problem,” the PR rep says flatly.

I drag a hand down my face, my patience hanging by a thread. “This isn’t news.”

“Coach Maddox, it absolutely is.” She leans forward, folding her hands. “Your relationship is all over sports blogs, hockey analysts are speculating, and social media is eating it up. And now? It’s in the hands of ownership.”

My muscles tense.

I expected blowback. Hell, I’ve been coaching long enough to know how the game works. Scandal sells.

But this? This is my personal life being spun into something it’s not.

“The problem,” the PR woman continues, “isn’t that you’re dating. Kenzie Williams is not an employee of this team, so technically, there’s no violation of conduct.”

I grit my teeth. “So what’s the problem?”

She sighs, glancing at her notes. “Optics.”

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