Page 56 of One Pucking Life

“Well?” Iris enters the VIP box, clasping her hands together.

With Caroline on my hip, I turn to face her. “OMG, Iris. This is insane.”

“So you approve?” She grins.

“Every possible need has been taken care of. This trip hasn’t had a single ounce of stress. I’m surprised you didn’t have someone here to feed Caroline her bottle for me,” I tease with a laugh. “Seriously, thank you.”

She gives a half curtsy. “You’re so welcome. And it was no big deal. Beckett and Elena have been traveling with a baby for a while now, so I’m used to planning accommodations around it. It’s fun.”

“Yeah, I’ve stayed away because I didn’t want it to be too much for the baby, but besides the extra noise, she’ll barely notice. Plus—” I motion to the enclosed box. “I’m guessing these windows block out some sound. It’ll be like her sound machine at home.”

“Exactly. There’s no reason you can’t come to more of Max’s games,” she adds with a wink. “So will the hotel room suffice? Or more specifically, the king-sized bed?”

“Seriously.” I raise a brow, puckering my lips. “I shouldn’t have said anything to you.”

She laughs. “Like you could keep it from me. You’ve never been a good liar.”

She’s got me there. I’m one of those people who wears most of my thoughts on my face. I have a bunch of obvious tells when I’m lying—and Iris knows them all. When she asked me a week ago if anything physical was going on between Max and me, I tried to dodge the question for about two-point-two seconds before realizing anything but the truth would be pointless.

“Okay, but don’t say anything around the team or Max. This is all very casual.”

She nods. “Casual.”

“What? It is.”

“Oh, I believe you,” she says, her tone making it crystal clear she doesn’t believe me at all.

“Don’t do that.” I laugh.

“Do what?” She feigns innocence.

“Don’t placate me.”

“What? Do you want me to argue and say I don’t buy your story for a second? Where will that get me? You’ve always been stubborn. I know you’re not going to do anything—or admit anything—until you’re ready. And that’s fine. Whatever’s going on between you and Max is exactly that… between you and Max.”

“I told you. It’s just a friends-with-benefits type of deal. Nothing serious.”

She lifts her hands. “Nothing serious. Gotcha. So the guys will be back out for a few minutes of warm-ups before the game begins. If you need anything, a server will come by to take your order. There are beverages in the mini-fridge for now.”

“Perfect. Are you coming back to join me?”

She nods. “Yep. I’ve just got a few things to take care of first, but I’ll be back in a little bit.” She heads for the door, pausing to glance over her shoulder. “Laney?”

“Yeah?”

“For what it’s worth, I think Max would be worth it.”

“Worth what?” I ask.

“Tearing down a few walls for,” she says before disappearing into the hall.

Before I have time to let her words sink in, my attention is drawn to the ice. The guys are exiting the locker room and stepping onto the rink for warm-ups. My heart flutters when I see Max.

Oh, Max.

My chest warms as all of my attention zeros in on my boss. Caroline’s dad. My Max.

Mine? He isn’t though, is he?

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