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“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.
“Why— Oh, that’s why you didn’t want me to set you up with a date for the party. You’re going with him.” Ali’s face did a weird thing, like she was excited and nervous all at the same time.
“Yes. And Kaden doesn’t know yet. Ali, be honest, is this going to blow up in my face? Not that I care what my brother thinks about my love life, but he still has to work with Kaden, so putting him in that situation is what I’m more worried about.”
“Kass, are you going to tell me who your hockey boy is?” Ali asked.
Kassie wanted to. She wanted to yell his name from the rooftop. “Ali, does it matter? I wish I was with him every second of every day, and we haven’t even kissed yet.” Woops, that was way more information then I planned on sharing.
“Kass, if you feel that strongly about him, then let whatever happens happen. I can’t control your brother any more than you can. He’s going to be mad and probably act like a big jerk because he loves you so much. But he only wants what’s best for you. Keep that in mind. Also remember, he’ll get over it.” Ali bounced Kaleb while he fussed.
“I’m not going to tell you who he is, because I refuse to ask you to keep that from your husband. You’re keeping a big enough secret as it is. You can see tomorrow night with everyone else. But you’ve got my back, right Ali?”
“Absolutely, sis! Your brother looks big and bad on the outside, but on the inside, he’s just a big teddy bear. He loves you more than anything and will do whatever it takes to protect you. Just remember that when he’s yelling like a moron.” Ali laughed.
Kassie knew Ali was right. This was going to get ugly before it worked itself out.
“Kassie, you’re a big girl. You can make your own decisions, and you know what’s best for you. Kaden can’t deny you happiness.”
“And always remember, dear,” her mom added. “Ali and I are behind you one hundred percent.”
“But the code?”
“The stupid boys’ code?” Ali asked.
Kassie nodded.
“They’ll get over it. I know it’s cliché, but follow your heart. It’ll never steer you wrong.”
Kassie hoped Ali was right. But no one knew better than her sister-in-law. Ali and Kaden had had their own fairy tale romance before baby Kaleb came along. That was when they realized that they were truly meant to be together.
Luc led Kassie up the hall to Kaden’s loft. No matter how he tried to motivate her, she was still falling behind, not really wanting to do this now. Her stomach was a mess, the nerves making her physically sick.
She pulled on Luc’s arm, making him stop in his tracks. “What if we skipped it? We could do anything else you want to do. I’ll even pay.”
“Nonsense.” He closed in on her, placing his arm behind her. She was pinned between him and the wall.
Luc’s breath was warm on her face, which caused a whole different kind of nervous to pop up. She tilted her head and asked again, “You sure?”
“Positive.” He ran his forefinger down her jawline, sending chills up her spine. He tilted her chin up ever so slightly with his thumb and forefinger. His lips were mere inches from hers. But he stopped right there. “We haven’t done anything wrong. We have nothing to defend.”
Her heart was pounding and she was breathing as if she’d just run a marathon. Kaden knew she was bringing a date, but he didn’t know it was Luc. That’s what had her stomach in knots. How was her brother going to react when he saw them together?
Luc’s eyes ran over her. “I forgot to tell you how nice you look tonight.”
She smoothed her hand down her navy blue shift dress that was short and loose. It had three-quarter sleeves, which she thought would be good for a cool October night, but at this moment, although the shoulders were cut out, she was still flushed and hot. “Thanks. These heels are already killing me.”
