“Does she feel the same about you?”
“I don’t know. I think so. Kaden is like this wall between us. I know how I want to feel about her, but then I remember she’s his sister, and I feel like I should pull back. Because I’m not supposed to feel like that about my teammate’s sister. I’m pretty sure it’s the same with her.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I saw your body language at the door. Son, I know you better than anyone. You already know how you feel and what you want. You just haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.”
“Am I wrong to want to be with her? Should I obey the code and back off? Be a good teammate and respect Kaden? Or do I…?”
“Oh, that’s what you really want me to tell you. But what is it you want to do?”
“I want to be with Kassie. But—”
“No buts. The first thing you answered is that you want to be with her.”
“Dad, it isn’t that simple.”
“Why not?”
“Because of Kaden. He’s my teammate, my friend. The code.”
“Do you plan to hurt Kassie? Throw her away like all the other bunnies?”
That word was starting to make Luc’s face burn. His jaw clenched and his teeth gritted as he answered. “Kassie is NOT A bunny. I never have and never will treat Kass like a bunny. And I would never do anything to hurt her. Can we stop talking about bunnies?”
“Fine. No more bunnies.”
Luc’s head was spinning. And one question still ate away at his gut. “Dad, obviously people break the code. If they didn’t, half the athletes wouldn’t be married. And I’m talking about a good bit of my team. What am I missing? What’s the catch?”
“Catch? I’m not sure what you’re asking, son.”
“People do break the code.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Then why do we make such a big deal out of it? I mean, I get that some of us, athletes in general, aren’t the most stand-up guys. And what brother would willingly want their sister dating someone they knew was shady and who was going to break her heart? Okay I understand that.”
Luc’s dad nodded without a word.
It was all starting to make more sense to Luc as he talked through it. “The code avoids that, and all the bad feelings that go along with it.”
“Yep. It was probably made up by an athlete to protect his little sister from some creep. But not all athletes are creeps. And you know there are exceptions to every rule.”
“I know a few exceptions personally.” Luc thought about his happily married teammates. Especially Sam and Tyler. Sam was married to Tyler’s sister, and they were still very close friends and teammates. “I think the secret is respect. And proving that you’d never do anything to hurt that girl.”
Luc’s dad nodded with a smile. “Son, there’s only one thing that trumps the code.”
“Being traded?” At this very moment, Luc figured that would be the only way Kaden would be okay with this. He was joking, obviously, but with how Kaden had reacted so far, he might not be far from the truth.
His dad held his belly and chuckled a deep laugh. “No! Love. One night stands can be wiped away, but love, it can’t be chosen, and can’t be erased so easily. No code can change that.”
“It’s a little soon for love, don’t you think?” Luc had never believed in love at first sight or falling head over heels for someone. Maybe it was the fact that it was just him and his dad growing up. He never saw two loving parents doting on one another. That could also be blamed for his life as a bachelor, always on the lookout for his next thrill.
“What do you think, Luc?”
“I know that I can’t stand to be without her. And if she decided this was a bad idea, I’d understand and accept her decision, but I don’t think I would ever be the same.”
His dad grinned wide, and his voice was soft. “My boy, that’s love.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Kassie
Kassie had no idea what she was walking into today at practice. After Kaden’s lecture the other day, she didn’t expect him to be over it yet.
Since their dad passed away a few years back, Kaden had taken his role of “the man of the house” to extremes. He had moved her and their mom to Pittsburgh to be closer to him during the season. It had made sense while their mom was undergoing treatment, and Kassie was grateful for everything he had done for them. But he liked to micromanage what she did. He acted like she was still a kid. Trying to buy a house for her and their mom, lining up jobs for Kassie, and now deciding who she could and couldn’t date.
Their mom liked Pittsburgh, so they’d spent more time here than back in Canada. That worked out in Kassie’s favor, because not only did she like it here, but bonus, she had met Luc. But, Kassie was drawing the line at Kaden’s butting into her personal life.
She lived close enough that she could stop home and change out of her dress clothes and into something more comfortable. Jeans, tennis shoes and sweatshirt. She grabbed a smoothie on her way there.
Knowing she was late, she rushed into the building. There had been more traffic than she figured. The lobby was bustling with folks stopping by for lunch at the café, some sitting to watch the Renegades practice. Inside the ice rink, the fans in the bleachers included high school and college-aged girls, media reporters, and the team dads, as well as random fans.
The guys were already on the ice running drills. Kassie settled in on the top bleacher row closest to Kaden’s net. Dom was in the net at the other end of the ice, and Luc was shooting at Dom.
The bunnies were out in swarms today. A group of them wearing Marcella jerseys huddled close to the glass where he stood at the moment. They screamed and cooed, banging on the glass for his attention. One girl had a sign. Kassie couldn’t read it from up here, but it had Luc’s name on it and a heart.
They squealed every time he skated by them, and cheered each time he got a puck in the net. There was another squad of young girls that stood out, and they had on Tyler’s number.
This wasn’t her first hockey practice; she knew how it all went. The squads of girls were called bunnies. They gushed and swooned over the guys on the ice. Some of the guys fell for the over-eighteen girls. The guys got off, and the girls got a notch on their bedposts, or however they kept track of all the hockey players they’d bedded.
She had watched it happen for years with Kaden. Before Ali, he had given the bunnies the attention they craved. Kassie didn’t know how much exactly, and she didn’t really want to know. But after Ali came into his life, the bunnies tried their hardest to catch his eye with no luck. He’d fallen head over heels for his girl.