Page 23 of Slap Shot at a Second Chance

“Why don’t you help Brian with the cleanup while Niel tells us about your date, hmm?” Her eyes stared deeply into mine andI knew I wouldn’t be able to dispute that“hmm,”and she knew that very well.

I sighed as I gathered the rest of the dishes and took them to the kitchen where he was loading up the dishwasher, silently.

“I wasn’t trying to put you on the spot or anything like that,” Brian spoke softly, and I nodded as I leaned against the countertop, not helping him as my mother suggested because fuck that, I was tired and had already done my duties for the day.

“Is the date the reason why you were being moody with me?” I asked.

He sighed as he turned around and pressed his back against the countertop, standing parallel to me.

“It wasn’t a romantic date. When he came over with Niel’s seat that day, they played together while I was busy in the kitchen and I guess that’s when they became friends. I wasn’t going to let him take Niel to the park without me.”

It was majorly true. However, I believe when Nate asked me out at first he hadn’t put Niel into the equation and when I rejected him, he got thegeniusidea of Niel coming along with us.

“I understand,” Brian breathed out as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I just don’t want you spending a lot of time with Nate. He’s my best friend and I know him better than anyone. And because I know him, I don’t want you hanging around him. He knows how to reel a person in and before you know it, you’ll be caught in his webs of seduction and charm.”

“It’s not like that,” I whispered as I pulled on my sleeves, suddenly hating where this conversation was going.

“I know, believe me, I know you wouldn’t. But Nate is one hell of a great sweet talker. He’s attractive and endearing, I just want you to be careful. You were my sister before he became my friend. Don’t fall for his words. He isn’t the type to be loyal to one woman. The only men loyal in our team are the married ones.”

Even though what he was saying was shattering any hopes and dreams I had for us working things out, I knew what Brian was saying. He had already drawn a line for Nate, but it seemed as if he ignored that, and now he was drawing one for me, letting me know just howdangerousNate might be for me.

And I already knew,I knew. I just didn’t want to believe it because I thought that perhaps this time, it would be something genuine. I really jumped the gun once again and dived head-in without thinking of everything.

I had thought I built walls around me so that I was impenetrable. However, it happened without me noticing that Nate had actually managed to crack those walls and a bit too quickly too.

I was already hoping for something more with Nate, I was hoping that one day when the time was right, I’d tell him everything and we would be in each other’s lives like how I had wished. But hearing Brian’s words, I knew there was no chance.

Nate could never be faithful to just me, after all, Brian did know his best friend better than I did, and he knew exactly what he was capable of. What I wanted, I would never get.

“So does that mean you’re not loyal too?” I joked, cracking a smile even though I had just been hit with a huge wave of disappointment. I hoped my eyes weren’t betraying me, I hoped tears weren’t building up in my eyes as much as my heart hurt.

I hoped I wasn’t being vulnerable.

“I’m a bachelor, Avery.” He shrugged as a light smirk grew on his face. “I don’t have a girlfriend and I don’t have to be loyal to anyone.”

“Well, you better be careful or else you’ll find yourself with a child just like me,” I teased and his eyes widened.THE TERROR IN HIS EYES!I laughed as I watched him shake his head and cover his ears.

If there was one fear that Brian had, it was definitely having kids. He wasn’t against it, he just wasn’t ready for it according to him, and I understood. I wasn’t ready too, but it happened anyway and was probably the best thing to have ever happened to me.

“All this because I said we can’t be loyal? Don’t scare me like that, Avery.” He clutched his chest as he took in a deep breath and I smiled as I pushed myself off the countertop.

“Then learn to stay away from women. Anything could happen.”

“You’re terrifying,” he murmured and I giggled, ignoring how much the lump in my throat hurt. “Well, I hope I didn’t change your mind about being friends with Nate?”

“No.” I shook my head as I opened the fridge, feeling the cool air numb my face just for a second. “You didn’t change my mind.”

You strengthened it.

“I’ll be careful.”

Chapter 10

Nate

I had been coming to work for almost the entire week even though there was no need for me to, we were currently on a break right before our training camp departure, but I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Avery.

However, it seemed as if I caught her at bad times each and every single time I came to work, just for her. Just to see her and yet she didn’t have time for me. Well, it wasn’t as if I had asked her to keep some of her time free for me, but I thought that with how well things had seemed to be moving between us, she would be just as excited to see me as well.

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