Page 74 of No Rhyme or Roughing
“Will you all justbe quiet?” I said through gritted teeth. I was almost done—just a few tweaks left. I scrolled through, clipped in the last shot, and skimmed the video one last time. “And… touchdown!”
“Wrong sport,” Teddy coughed.
“Not everything in the world is about hockey,” I shot back, setting the computer down so they could all see. I hit play.
The music started over a black screen. Slowly, the ice came into view, one lone figure standing at center ice. Then, Teddy appeared, the two of them dancing—awkwardly but confidently.
It cut to clips from the arena.
“Look at Jules.” Rowan pointed at the screen. “He looks so embarrassed for you two.”
Then, we saw the fans. They were on their feet, screaming and cheering. There weren’t many of them, but theylovedit.
“Oh man, Mr. Mac,” Ryder said, grinning. He met my eyes, and I remembered how that smile tasted.
They watched the whole thing raptly, until the screen faded to black. Then, they all turned to stare at me.
“What?”
Ryder spoke first, his voice soft and close to my ear. “That was amazing.”
“Brilliant,” Teddy added. “We look fantastic out there.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Rowan laughed. “But Sydney’s editing sure did you guys a favor.”
My cheeks went red. I wanted to say thank you, but the words got stuck. I wasn’t used to compliments, and I didn’t know what to do with them.
Ryder, seeming to sense my discomfort, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, squeezing me into a side hug. I relaxed into him—until my oblivious brother shouted, “Group hug!”
Teddy launched himself at us, dragging Rowan with him. All three of them ended up piled on top of me. I barely yanked my computer out of the way.
“Can’t… breathe,” I gasped.
Ryder pressed a discreet kiss to my cheek. The others didn’t notice as they scrambled off me, laughing.
“What’s next?” Rowan asked.
“Well…” I slid my computer back onto my lap, emailing the file to myself so I could upload it. “Now, I post it.”
“Great.”
All three of them wore matching grins. I recognized it for what it was.Hope.
I shrank back a little, retreating into myself as I pulled out my phone to upload the video.
Please, hockey gods,I thought.Don’t let me let them down.
CHAPTER THIRTY
RYDER
I didn’t see Sydney after she posted the video. She spent the night in her room, and every time I went to talk to her, I heard her on the phone and turned back.
Whoever it was, she sounded happy. Part of me wondered if Jameson had called again. If itwashim, I had to let her be happy. We’d only hooked up once, and I’d known plenty of people who preferred the one-night thing—Teddy being one of them.
That wasn’t me. I’d only ever been with one woman. Sam. For most of my adult life, it was her body I knew as well as my own, but I’d buried those memories as best I could. Because it wasn’t her I wanted now.
The next morning, the first thing I did was opensocial media to check the video. Two thousand views. Better than the last one, but still not enough to make a difference.
