Page 62 of Cross Check Daddies
One hour later, I wake in the dark.
Her hand is still curled against my chest, soft and trusting, her mouth slightly parted. I ease away gently, pressing one last kiss to her temple. I dress in silence, grab my phone, and leave the apartment without turning on a light.
I walk back up to my place, slide my key into the door, and step inside, then lean against the wall for a second, breathing out slowly.
I’ve slept with her now.
And somehow, I’m more certain than ever.
I like her.
God help me, Ireallylike her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Tanner
I’m stillsore from last night’s game, sprawled on the couch with an ice pack on my shoulder, when I hear the front door open.
Cam’s steps echo down the hall. He tosses his keys into the bowl and pauses in the kitchen like he’s deciding if I’m worth acknowledging today.
Then he walks over, stands just inside the living room, arms crossed over his chest. “Good game.”
I sit up and drop the ice pack on the table. “Thanks.”
He nods. The silence stretches. Then he rubs his jaw like it itches, which means there’s something on his mind.
“Can we talk?”
I exhale, nod, and pat the spot beside me on the couch. He doesn’t sit. Just stands, eyes fixed on the floor like the woodgrain’s about to spell out what he wants to say.
“I’m not going to pretend this is easy,” he starts. “It’s not.”
I brace myself. My throat’s dry, but I keep my tone even. “I know.”
“She was mine once. Or I thought she was. That shit doesn’t just vanish.”
I nod. “I’m not trying to erase anything.”
He finally sits, elbows on his knees, palms clasped like he’s praying. “But I see the way she looks at you. That’s real. And I’m not going to make her feel guilty for it. I don’t want to lose her. But I’m not going to lose my brother either.”
That hits harder. I look at him. His face is worn, tired around the eyes. Not from sleep. From fighting something he hasn’t said out loud until now.
“I love her,” I say, quiet but certain. “And if she picks you, I’ll walk away. You’ll never have to question that.”
He swallows hard, then nods.
“And if she picks you,” he replies, “I’ll do the same.”
“Do you think she will eventually pick one of us?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” I say. “I kind of think, Coach has a thing for her too.”
“What?”
I look at my brother and smile. “Just a hunch. I have seen him around her, like at the rink…and I think he, too, might have a little crush on Brooke.”
“I wouldn’t blame him.”
