Julio’s jaw clenches tighter, the muscle ticking in his cheek. His dark eyes narrow, but he grunts in acknowledgment. “Sup.” The word is clipped, cold. He’s not even trying to be friendly, not even a little.
Kenji, to his credit, doesn’t seem fazed. “Nice to meet you,” he says, sticking out his hand. “You’re the Captain, right?” Julio takes a beat too long to respond, but finally, he shakes Kenji’s hand—a little too firm, too aggressive. Typical.
“Yup,” Julio mutters, his expression unreadable. At least he bothered to respond.
Kenji’s smile doesn’t falter. “Sick, man. I’ve heard a lot about you.” The admiration in his voice seems genuine, but Julio’s expression doesn’t budge.
Before Julio can make shit any more uncomfortable, Felix bounds over, throwing an arm around my shoulders. “You gonna introduce me too?” he asks. Felix never fails to lighten the mood, even when shit’s about to hit the fan.
“Kenji, Felix,” I say, grateful for the interruption. “Felix, Kenji. There. You’ve been introduced.”
Felix grins wide, his gold chain catching the light. “Ah, you’re the hockey guy, right?” At Kenji’s nod he adds, “Don’t worry. We won’t hold that against you. For today at least.”
Kenji laughs, shaking Felix’s hand. “Thanks, man. Appreciate it.”
We make quick introductions to the rest of the guys, Atticus and Deacon trailing down from upstairs to join the group. The tension in Julio’s posture is impossible to ignore, but I do my best, focusing instead on keeping things moving.
“Felix and I grabbed the meat,” I say, pointing to the bags I’d unceremoniously dropped earlier. “J, why don’t you get the grill going?”
Julio’s eyes flick toward the bags, then back to me. For a second I think he might push back, but then he jerks his chin in a nod, turning toward the kitchen to get things prepared. At least cooking will give him something to focus on other than glaring daggers at Adriana’s date all day.
The doorbell rings, saving us from any more awkwardness, and my teammates start pouring in.
The tension eases as the house fills, the smell of grilling meat wafting in from the backyard. I grab a beer, crack it open, and take a long pull. Things are settling down.Good.
“You good?” Cecilia asks.
I nod and press a kiss to her temple. “I’m perfect,” I tell her. “You’re here.”
She smiles up at me, and I resist the urge to kiss her, barely. When the doorbell rings again. Layton—a junior who plays center back—opens the door and Adam and Asher walk in.
The sight of them pulls me up short. They’re here, standing in my house, and it feels … strange. Not bad, exactly, but not comfortable either.
My new stepbrothers are greeted by Layton and Atticus at the door before they spot Kenji and make a beeline straight for him. I exhale a breath of relief watching as Asher claps Kenji on the back like they’ve known him for years. I guess they kind of have, considering they all play hockey together.
I watch them for a second, the way they laugh and joke like it’s nothing. Like being here, in my home, isn’t at all a problem for them. A knot tightens in my chest. I wish I could explain how them being here makes me feel. I see Asher shove his brother’s shoulder jokingly and then Adam elbows him back. It’s playful and fuck—I don’t know. I think … I think I miss that.
“You invited them?” Cecilia says beside me, her tone cautious.
I grunt, taking another pull from my beer. I’m not much of a drinker, but today? I’ll make an exception.
Cecilia winds her arms around my waist, her warmth seeping through the thin material of my shirt. “I’m glad,” she says. “They seem nice.”
“Maybe,” I hedge, my eyes flicking back to them. “I’m going to make my rounds, say hello to the guys. You want to come with me?”
“Nah,” she tells me. “You go do your thing. I have Adriana.”
I steal one last kiss before heading toward the grill, where Julio’s flipping the carne asada with an intensity that borders on murderous. I offer him a beer, which he takes with a grateful nod, but his scowl doesn’t budge.
“Didn’t think you’d go through with it,” Julio mutters, his eyes flicking in the direction of Adam and Asher.
I shrug, taking a long swig from my bottle. “Yeah, well. Maybe I’m growing up.”
Julio huffs a laugh, shaking his head. “Proud of you, man. Letting them in, giving them a shot. That’s a big deal.”
I shoot him a sideways glance. “Maybe you should take your own advice,” I tell him, tapping my bottle against his. “You know, give Kenji a shot. He’s not that bad, and Adriana seems to like him.”
Julio grumbles something under his breath, flipping the meat with more force than necessary, and I roll my eyes. It’s the closest thing to agreement I’m gonna get from him today.
