And just like that, all those good feelings were punched right out of him. Riley slumped onto the bench in front of his locker and his shoulders sagged. He felt as if all the wind had been knocked out him.
His mother couldn’t afford to live in this school district. For the first time, Riley almost wished Cooper wouldn’t find his mother, but a blitz of guilt tackled those traitorous feelings. His mother needed him, and he needed her. They were all each other had. Cooper didn’t give a rat’s ass about him, but his mother, with all her faults, did. She loved him. No one else in her family loved either of them.
It was only a matter of time before this storybook life he’d been living for the past couple months went south.
Every time things went his way, Riley held his breath waiting for stuff to go to hell. Just like he was now. He went to a school with a lot of wealthy and upper-middle class kids. They thought he was one of them because Uncle Cooper was a rich, pro hockey player. It gave Riley an undeserved status, one he’d never had before. Uncle Coop had furnished the money and thanks to Izzy he looked the part, but that was it. Inside, he was the same—the poor son of a prostitute who didn’t have a clue who his father was, the same kid whose mother’s family pretended she didn’t exist and the same kid whose mom disappeared without a word, leaving him in the shitty situation of depending on an uncle who didn’t want him around.
He felt like a fraud and wondered when his new friends and classmates would figure that out. They’d realize he was poor white trash with a mother who gave new meaning to the phrase “working mother.” Riley cringed, his disloyal thoughts choking him with more guilt.
He’d shown Uncle Coop, shown him that he wasn’t a loser. Having his uncle there had driven Riley to be that much better, and he had his best game ever just to prove a point. It was the game that’d get him out of poverty, not Uncle Coop or the rest of his mother’s family. Riley was determined to make something of himself and prove everyone wrong, including his mom and her dreg friends.
Yeah, that’s what he’d do. Prove them all wrong.
Riley finished dressing and walked out of the locker room. He stopped and blinked a few times. Izzy, Cooper, and Tanner waited for him among the group of parents.
Izzy rushed to him and threw her arms around him. Riley couldn’t stop grinning. He caught the jealous stares of a few of his teammates and grinned all the more.
Next, Tanner approached him, gave him a manly half hug, and congratulated him on the game. “Good job, kid. You’ll be playing for the Steelheads in no time.”
“Thanks,” Riley shuffled his feet and stared at the ground. His face grew hot, but he managed to play it cool.
“Hey, bud, I’ve gotta go. I’ll catch up with ya next week. We’ll hit the pizza place or something.” Tanner saluted him and slipped through the crowd.
“He must have a hot date,” Cooper muttered.
Riley didn’t say anything. Cooper and Tanner didn’t like each other much.
Izzy elbowed Cooper and he grunted. Riley bit back a laugh. Izzy and Cooper were hot for each other. They tried to hide it, but Riley wasn’t stupid. Izzy never went home. She stayed in Uncle Cooper’s room even when he was home, and she didn’t need to stay.
Riley wasn’t sure what she saw in his uncle. She could do better.
Izzy cleared her throat and gave Cooper another elbow to the ribs. He grunted again. His blue eyes lifted to meet Riley’s. “Good game.”
“Thanks.” Riley wished he could run away and get out of this situation. He didn’t like talking to his uncle. He knew it was out of obligation not love, and he didn’t need the man’s pity.
“So are you hungry?” Izzy, all smiles and cheerful sweetness, interrupted the silence. “Let’s get pizza to celebrate your game.”
“Okay,” Riley said.
“Sure,” Cooper said. He nodded to Riley and tugged on Izzy’s hand, as if in a hurry to leave.
Coach pushed through the crowd of parents, holding his hand out to Uncle Cooper. Riley backed up a step. “Well, finally, we get to meet. I’m Bill Mars, Riley’s coach.”
Riley’s best friend, Brian, was the coach’s son. Brian gave Riley one of those looks that said so your uncle finally decided to slum with us?
“I’m Cooper Black.” His uncle seemed uncomfortable, which was weird. Uncle Coop always had his act together.
“I know. I’m a big hockey fan, and I’ve always enjoyed watching you play. Like poetry on ice.”
Cooper seemed surprised. Riley tried not to laugh. Poetry on ice? His uncle? Now that was funny. “I’ve been called many things, but I’m not sure that’s one of them.”
Izzy stepped forward. “We were just getting pizza. Would you like to join us? It’s on Cooper.”
“Well, in that case, absolutely.” Coach looked to his son. “Sound good, son?”
“Yeah.”
Fifteen minutes later, Riley found himself wedged between Cooper and Izzy at the pizza place with his coach and best friend across the table. It was damn weird. Almost like a normal family.
Riley couldn’t recall ever having such an average moment before.
And he really liked it. A whole lot.
Izzy would not let this moment go south, not for Cooper and not for Riley. They meant too much to her, an admission which scared the crap out of her and gave her warm fuzzies at the same time.
The boys kept up a steady stream of conversation, while the men seemed content to let them talk. Cooper put his arm across the back of the booth behind Riley’s back and rubbed her shoulder. She suppressed a shiver. When Riley leaned forward, Cooper leaned back and winked at Izzy. His lecherous grin promising she’d be naked soon.
She scowled at him, causing him to frown in confusion. Izzy jerked her chin toward Riley. They could engage in foreplay later when they were alone.
Sure, she’d be a lying fool to deny that getting Cooper naked later didn’t turn her on. Her brain raced after her body as both recalled the feel of Cooper’s stubble on her face, his fingers in her hair, and his cock deep inside her.