I Pucking Love You (The Copper Valley Thrusters #5) - Pippa Grant Page 0,98
slow breath as the clock winds down on warm-up time.
The roughness is part of the game. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Especially with Tyler’s sworn enemy out there on the ice with him.
40
Tyler
The only thing better than winning a game is having Muffy leap into my arms the minute I walk through the door of Chester Green’s Sports Bar afterwards.
Except we lost a hard-fought game on a fucking technicality, I’m sporting a black eye courtesy of one of the Indies’ left wings, who told me Cranford says hi, and I’m more in a mood to punch something than I am to hang out in the middle of a bar where Thrusters fans should be celebrating, but instead just eyeball those of us on the team walking in the door to join the subdued party of our friends and family who are taking up half the space.
And to top it all off, Muffy’s mother is here.
“At least she’s not Cranford,” Lavoie mutters to me.
The Indies are starting a seven-day road trip, which means they’re staying in Copper Valley tonight before heading to their next stop tomorrow.
I don’t actually trust that Cranford won’t show up here.
“Should’ve gone to the bunny bar,” I mutter back.
Except even if my whole family could fit in the bunny bar, kids aren’t allowed, and I’ve already spotted two little ones in the crowd waiting for us.
Muffy leaps up from her spot as we make eye contact, a million questions racing over her face. “Hey. You okay?”
“Had worse.”
She looks stressed, and I don’t know if it’s the hard game, or if it’s her mother talking to my sisters. She goes up on her toes, kisses my cheek on the side of my face that’s not swelling, drops back to her heels, and tugs me toward the open seat beside her chair, calling greetings to my teammates as she drags me down the table.
“Hey, Connor. Great game. You totally got robbed. Nice goal, Duncan. Nick. You’re okay, I guess.”
It’s so normal, my bad mood starts to lift. I squeeze her hand, and she smiles at me, which makes my heart lighten too.
Daisy’s talking to the server. West’s cuddling Remy, who’s passed out cold. My sisters are all chattering away, most of their kids back at hotels with babysitters.
My teammates’ wives and girlfriends are waiting too. Kami greets Nick with a kiss, then passes him their baby. Felicity and Gracie pull away from chatting with my mom to greet Ares and Manning. Klein’s sidetracked at the bar with Athena and Cassadee, who must’ve heard we weren’t hitting the bunny bar tonight. Rooster hasn’t made it past the entrance. He’s signing autographs and teasing the crowd with the stuffed Thrusty he pulled out of his cowboy hat.
I swear the dude either has stock in the toy company that makes those, or he’s getting a kickback from the team for promoting them.
Dad stands and thumps me on the back. “Great game, kiddo. Tough loss, but you played hard.”
“Way to not get a concussion this time,” Oscar, one of my brothers-in-law, calls.
I give him a thumbs-up while Mom smothers me in a hug. “Thank god for that sweet Applebottom boy. He was even more effective than that giant Berger boy who tried to be your bodyguard last year. Where is he, anyway?”
“Rooster?”
“No, the other Berger boy.”
“I’m retired, ma’am, but I’d still kick your ass in mechanical unicorn bull-riding.”
Shrieks go up all around the room as Zeus Berger strides out of the bathroom hallway, pulls out a chair, sits, and then promptly crashes to the ground as it collapses beneath him.
Ares sighs and shakes his head. “Lazy ass.”
“Damn, it feels good to be back here,” Zeus says from the floor.
He’s so tall he could still eat off the table with his ass down there.
Actually, he’s so tall, he’s almost as tall sitting as his wife is standing. But don’t think Joey Diamonte-Berger is anything other than a badass. Even if she looks mildly green around the edges.
The wives and girlfriends converge on Joey, hugging and asking how she’s feeling.
“Pregnant,” I whisper to Muffy.
She sighs and looks at Maren. “You win. Can I pay you in Rufus love?”
“No, but I’d totally take you talking Brianna into making me one of those Thrusty hats.”
“You bet Joey’d get pregnant?” I ask as I follow her gaze to where one of the women I vaguely recognize from Muffy’s support group meeting is hugging a guy who’s walked into the bar.