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Started reading
September 19, 2025
“I should probably apologize in advance,” he said. “Why?”
“Because my brothers will be coming too . . .”
“That’s really nice of you guys.”
“What can I say, us Darling boys are well known for our selfless good deeds.”
“And we’re especially good to our friends. What do you say, Violet? Want ...
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“I’d make a great...
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Darling Devils?”
“Anytime, Sunshine.”
“Hockey players are pigs, right?” “Right,” Reed replied with a light chuckle.
“Regardless of what my brothers and I think of Hoffman, he shouldn’t have done that to you. You deserve better. Much better.”
There were a few things I was certain of though. I was right; hockey players were pigs. My mom was right; jocks couldn’t be trusted. And Reed was right; I deserved better.
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to lose you, Vivi.”
“Do you think one of the Devils will be there?”
Yes, I really was that nervous to see Reed again.
“Reed.” Violet startled as she came out of the office and found me leaning against the wall by the door. “Hey, Sunshine,” I said, giving her a smile as I stood tall.
Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink in response, and she quickly averted her eyes. She brushed her fingers through her long, red hair a couple of times as though she was trying to straighten it, and I felt the need to reach out and do the same. I longed to look directly into her bright blue eyes, but she was struggling to meet my gaze as she clutched my dad’s quote to her chest.
The truth was,
right now, I just wanted to be wherever she was.
“Hoffman is an idiot,” I replied. “My offer to give his car a makeover with my hockey stick is always open. I’m sure my brothers would be happy to lend us a hand . . .”
“Given your love for cars, I would have expected you to suggest another makeover to his face instead.”
“But I’m not making any promises, so please wear another jacket just in case. I don’t want to spend the night worrying about you jacketless and freezing in some field.” “You’d worry about me? That’s so sweet.”
“Have a good night, Sunshine.”
“You really like her, huh?”
“Hope she was worth it,”
“Totally worth it.”
I had plenty of good reasons for despising the captain of the Saints, but knowing what he did to Violet made the hatred flooding my veins burn even hotter.
“Dude, you growled at him like a mountain lion about to launch into battle.”
I wondered what Grayson would think if he knew I’d been questioning all my career goals to get around Violet’s no-hockey-players rule.
“Save the dramatics for the ice. If you want to make Hoffman pay for what he did to Violet, and everything else, do it at our game against them in a few weeks.”
“You’re nervous because your girlfriend might be here tonight, right?”
I’d had a change of heart this past week. There was at least one thing I liked about that place now. Violet.
“You better go find your girl,”
“Actually, I think you were the one who was extra eager tonight, stalker Joe.”
“Besides, I figured you wouldn’t mind if I distracted them a little, especially Hoffman. I noticed a certain redhead is here, and I thought you might want to chat with her without being interrupted . . .”
when my eyes settled on her, my heart rate skyrocketed, and my hands went clammy like I was standing too close to the flames.
She looked beautiful tonight, especially with the soft glow of the firelight dancing across her features. Her hair flowed in loose waves down her back, and her cheeks
were rosy from the heat o...
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I only needed her to like one hockey player: me.
“Reed Darling is watching you, again.”
looked as devilishly handsome as he was dangerous.
“And now he’s smiling. Why is he smiling at you, Vi?” My cheeks warmed in response, and as much as I would have liked to blame the heat radiating from the roaring bonfire,
“He’s probably just being friendly,” I said. “I told you he helped me with my car.”
“Maybe he’s not as bad as you think,”
“Don’t let that gorgeous face and beautiful body blind you from the fact that boy is one hundred percent trouble,” she replied. “He doesn’t play by the same rules as the rest of us.”
“Like if you smiled back at him, he’d leap right through those flames, pick you up, and carry you back to his cave like some barbarian.”
“I know Reed Darling is bad news, and he’s a total player. And I know you’ve written off hockey players for life. But Reed is incredibly hot, and he seems interested in you. It would kill Jeremy to see you with him too, so I’m sure we could make an exception for one night.”
you’re talking about my big heart there, Sunshine.”
“Didn’t realize I’d made such a big impression.”
couldn’t believe he’d overheard me talking about him. Again. I wasn’t sure how much he’d heard, but at least this time, I could be grateful I hadn’t been calling him a pig.
“So, if it wasn’t my big heart you were talking about, was it another part of me?”
