They texted back and forth until Sam was done Skyping his family. Luc was sure he’d talk to Kassie again soon. He couldn’t go more than a few hours without sending her something. Whether it was a little message or a funny meme. This girl was changing him, and it was for the better.
“All right loverboy, what is going on between you and O’Conner’s sister?” Sam flopped down onto the hotel armchair.
“Nothing. We were just—”
“Try again,” Sam interrupted, amused.
“Getting coffee.”
“Nope.”
“What do you want me to say?”
Sam wildly exaggerated a shrug.
“Are you going to tell O’Conner? If you are, just give me a head start out of the country.” Luc added a little laugh, but this was no laughing matter.
“Whatever you do, don’t go north. He’s from Canada, you do know that, right? Maybe head overseas,” Sam said flatly. Getting up from the chair, he raided the mini bar, taking a bottle of water and bag of cookies.
“You’re going to eat that from the mini bar? We could’ve gotten those a lot cheaper down the street at the convenience store.”
Sam waved him off and opened the cookies. “Are you doing something worthy of needing to skip out of the country to get away from O’Conner?”
“No!” He didn’t think so, but it was entirely possible that Kaden wouldn’t be so forgiving. Even talking to Kassie would surely be frowned upon by her brother. “Look, we’re just hanging out.”
“Dude.” Sam exaggerated the word and shook his head. “Just be careful.”
A question rattled around Luc’s brain, and as cautious as he was about asking Sam, it was as if he couldn’t help himself. Cocking his head, he bravely asked, “So what’s so different between me being interested in Kassie and you being married to Trina?”
Luc braced himself in case Sam didn’t take too kindly to his question.
“The difference?” Sam paused. His voice was deadpan as he continued. “Is that she’s my wife.”
Luc shook his head and tried to restate his poorly executed question. “Right. I mean I get that. But before she was your wife, she was still Tyler’s sister. Why was that okay and this isn’t?”
Sitting back down in the armchair, Sam rested his elbows on his knees, and his expression relaxed. “Luc, I’ve known Tyler for a very long time. We were away at private schools and hockey camps together as kids. He knew what kind of man I was. Maybe you’re right, because the code is the code regardless of circumstance, however, he knew once I was committed, I was dedicated for good.” He gave a crooked grin. “And I understood that if I hurt her, he’d kill me.”
Luc didn’t ask about the time during Sam’s concussion, the way he treated Trina. None of that mattered now. He understood what was being said. Nodding, Luc added, “When you’re young and stupid like me, it’s best to stay away.”
“Well, yeah. I can’t tell you what to do. Just be careful.”
“But, what about—”
Sam didn’t let Luc finish. “What about Dom and Hailee, and Kris and Kat, and Pat and Gia, and Tyler and Paige? That was your next question, right?”
Luc nodded.
“Dude, the code is as old as time. Call it the guy code or the teammate code, it’s all the same. But when you find the one that you can’t live without, the code has no place. If you’re serious about Kassie, then Kaden will realize that. But, if you hurt her, he will have every right to kill your ass.”
Sam was right. This could go amazingly right, and everything would work out, or it could go miserably wrong.
The fact still remained that messing around with a teammate’s sister was dangerous, and hurting her could possibly be fatal; at the very least, it would be fatal for his career. But they hadn’t gotten that far yet. They were just getting to know one another. He couldn’t possibly get crucified for that. He hadn’t even touched her. Yet. Right?
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Kassie
It was almost two o’clock on a gorgeous Friday afternoon. Kassie took a half day at work so she could mentally prepare herself for the party at Kaden’s. She sat at the café table with her mom and her sister-in-law, Ali. She poked at her french fries and barely nibbled on her sandwich. The party was tomorrow, and her nerves were a mess. Her stomach was in knots, so eating wasn’t high on her list. But milkshakes, they went down just fine.
“Dear, what are you so nervous about?” Kassie’s mom asked.
“Nervous? Me?” Is it really that obvious? Or was it just obvious because her mom knew.
“Kassie, you’re downing that milkshake with no problem, yet you’ve barely touched your meal. I’m your mother, remember? I know your tells. It’s just us girls here, and a baby, so spill.”
Kassie looked from her mother to Ali, who was holding little Kaleb. She adored her sister-in-law, and they were close. But this was something she wasn’t sure she could trust Ali with. Looking back at her mother, she tried to convey her concern without words.
“Ali, can we trust you with a female-only situation?” Kassie’s mom asked with a twinge of annoyance.
“Mom!” Kassie rolled her eyes.
“Female only? I assume that means don’t tell your son?” Ali asked, as she popped another french fry into her mouth. “Boy problems? Spill!”
“Ali, you cannot tell my brother. Okay? If you can’t do that, and I wouldn’t blame you, if you can’t do that, then this conversation ends here.” Kassie’s anxiety was getting the best of her, and it wasn’t pretty.
Ali frowned, concerned. “Kass, relax. I tell my husband everything, but there IS a girl code too, right?”
“Oh my god, what’s with all these codes?” Kassie groaned.
Ali looked at Kassie’s mom, who was calm and almost laughing. “Mom, what am I missing here?”
It was a good thing that Kassie’s mom spoke up first, because Kassie wasn’t sure she’d be able to fess up. “Kassie has a crush on a hockey boy.”
“Oh! A hockey boy? Nice! They really are the best, aren’t they?” Ali was all smiles until her words registered with her brain. Then her face went pale for a second. It almost matched her blonde hair. Once the pink came back to her face, she dunked a fry in way too much ketchup, and smiled at Kassie while she ate it. “Kass, a Renegade?”
“It’s nothing serious. But my brother can’t know. Please.”
“Kass!” Ali shook her head, the color returning to her face along with the smile. “I was shocked for a second. But it’s girl code. Obviously my lips are sealed. Now tell me about this crush.” Ali rested her chin on her palm and turned all her attention to Kassie.
“I kind of like this guy, and unfortunately he plays with Kaden. I found out the day I met him, but it was already too late.” She’d known the moment she’d run into him in the coffee shop that she was crushing on him.