Page 172 of Paper Rings

The two of them jump apart, though Vivi looks a hell of a lot more guilty than Bray. His tongue goes to his cheek and he glares at JJ. But before he can open his mouth to speak, a loud bang on the door cuts him off. “You two better be dressed,” Finn yells from the other side.

Vivi spins toward me, her eyes pleading.

I give her a quick nod, telling her I’ll cover for them. “Come on.” I point at the piñata and candy. “Let’s go get this set up.”

His focus is still fixed on Brayden. They’re having some type of conversation with their eyes.

I grab JJ’s shirt. “Let’s go.” Then to my brother I yell, “Don’t get your panties in a snowball. We’re coming.”

“That better not be a sexual joke,” he hollers.

Finally JJ snaps out of it and grabs the candy and piñata. “Better go downstairs before you see your sister’s panties.”

“Gross.” His feet pound loudly against the hardwood floors of the hall, the sound growing fainter as he descends the stairs.

“You’ve got five minutes,” JJ warns them. Then he shakes his head at Bray. “After all the shit you gave me.” But he coughs out a laugh when he says it and Bray’s eyes twinkle.

“I’m sorry!” Vivi calls out as we head for the door.

I glance back and see Bray leaning down and giving Vivi a softsmile. “You’ve got nothing to apologize for Vi.” Then he presses the gentlest of kisses against her lips.

I spin quickly and flatten my lips to stop the squeal.

Vi? Damn, he’s got a whole nickname for her and everything. How the hell did we miss this for so long? I shake my head. It’s none of my business. So with a smile, I say, “I’ll see you downstairs.”

The moment we close the playroom door, I spin to JJ. “How long do you really think that’s been going on?”

He rolls his neck and glances at the door. “I saw something a few months ago, but I—” He shakes his head. “Fuck, he made me think I was nuts for comparing him sneaking out of Vivi’s room to me sneaking out of yours.”

Snorting, I smack him in the chest. “You caught him sneaking out of her room and you didn’t tell me?”

He presses his tongue to the inside of his cheek. “I really didn’t think it was anything.”

I blow out a breath. “Well, you were wrong. Hopefully we make it through the season without coach killing him.”

JJ chuckles. “Not our monkey, not our circus.”

I grin. “I don’t know, Hanson, I’m pretty sure we’re all in the circus together.”

His expression softens and the frustration he was feeling over the lie Bray clearly told him eases. He wraps an arm around me and guides me toward the stairs, all the piñata stuff in his other one. “You’re right, babe. And I wouldn’t want to be doing it with anyone else.”

Fifteen minutes later Vivi walks outside wrapped in a jacket by herself. I don’t notice whether Bray comes out too. I’m too focused on the big smile Avery is wearing as she swings the plastic bat, missing the piñata completely.

To no one’s surprise, Dec hits the piñata with precision, breaking it wide open and sending candy flying to the ground. Avery snatches my hand and pulls me toward the mess of candy, begging me to help her collect the most. She clearly inherited her dad’s competitive streak.

It takes over an hour for bathtime that night. There’s dirt and grimebeneath the kids’ nails and Avery ended up barefoot, chasing the raccoons at some point, so the bottoms of her feet are black.

Still, I’m smiling when JJ and I settle beside her on her bottom bunk to do our typical good-night routine.

“Can we call Mimi?” Avery asks.

JJ sighs, but he’s smiling. “She just left, Avey girl.”

Our girl pouts. “What about Aunt Chloe? She wasn’t here. Can we call her?”

JJ strokes her silky hair. “Baby, she’s sleeping. It’s after two in the morning in Paris.”

She slumps back against her pillow. “Fine.”

“Want us to tell you a story?” I coax.

Her blue eyes light up. “Oh! Can you tell me the story about how you fell in love again?”

Her father’s matching blues meet mine and his lips hook up in a smile. “Well, the first time I realized I liked Adeline more than as a friend, we were out on the ice.”

Avery reaches for my hand as the two of us focus on her daddy’s every word.

“She was the best skater, and I just knew one day she’d be the best goalie in the NHL. I even told her she’d be a legend that day.”

Smiling, I murmur, “I remember the moment like it was yesterday.” Then again, I remember them all.