Page 127 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

Lana rolled her eyes, and one of the other guys shoved him, making him laugh. That seemed to snap my brother out of his shock.

“Thanks for coming. We really appreciate the support,” I said, hoping my smile was friendly and not terrified.

“It was an easy choice. I’ll always be here for my brother. I’m sure you know our parents weren’t exactly gold-star parents. You learn to make your family yourself. That’s what we’re doing here.”

She squeezed my hand while Gavin asked about the Wardens arena.

“Enough serious talk today,” Lana said, hooking her arm in mine. “We’re here for a celebration. We also got a room nearby. We want to be able to celebrate with you when everything is said and done, too.”

Just like Conrad, she seemed confident in the outcome of this trial. With so many people certain everything was going to work out in our favor, it was hard not to agree.

Now that more than just a few corrupt cops and their contacts were involved, there was no way they could act like she was innocent. This wasn’t something to be swept under a rug.

She’d assaulted me on record where they couldn’t deny it. Now the rest was coming to light. All the corruption and brushing off reports. The judge would see it all.

I was praying that in just a few days she would finally have to face the consequences she should’ve faced years and years ago. Because at the end of the day, I was no longer her punching bag. She’d lost every hold she had over me, and I had no intention of giving that back to her.

“Come on,” Lana said. “Let’s go check out this backyard of yours.”

Honestly, the woman was pure sunshine. From the stories Conrad had told me, she’d been through hell herself. Yet she fought for the deltas to stay in the league and had moved on with a real pack.

I hated that she’d gone through something so traumatic, but it was nice seeing her on the other side of it.

We’d barely sat down when Lachlan brought over a glass of sparkling lemonade for each of us. He gave me a wink before walking away, and she let out a small chuckle.

“Aren’t they just the cutest when they’re falling in love?”

I laughed but she was serious.

“I promised myself that I would never trust a hockey player again after my first pack. They were also hockey players, and they were the kind of men that neglected their omega without a second thought. But this pack? They love me. Baggage and all. I never have to worry about not being enough. They’re going to be incredible dads, too.”

“I’m just not used to this,” I said, gesturing toward the guys. “Having someone to rely on. Letting people in. Trusting. Any of it.”

“Well, I’m obviously biased because Conrad is my brother, but he’s the one I called when I was on the verge of death.” Her voice quieted as she stared over at Conrad. “He saved my life. If he hadn’t picked up the phone that day... they would’ve let me die.”

Her fingers toyed with the condensation on her lemonade, fighting through the emotions that never quite went away, no matter how loved she was now.

“They promised they’d be home for my heat. Insisted that I shouldn’t take blockers. Then they didn’t show up. I spent a week alone in that house, in a full heat.”

“Oh my God,” I breathed, reaching out instinctively. "I've never been through a heat,” I whispered. “My body’s never allowed them because I was always so stressed.”

She leaned over and pulled me into a hug. It was so unexpected, but knowing she was part of Conrad had already made me comfortable.

Her genuine sweetness had me leaning into it, soaking in the touch because I was still admittedly touch-starved, even though the guys were constantly loving on me.

“Your mama is an awful person. She never deserved sweet people like you and Gavin. We’re going to spoil the heck out of that kid.”

The idea of a big family that cared about each other like this was so hard to imagine for me and Gavin. It was his dream. I’d given up a long time ago but they were reviving that hope again.

My brother was soaking in every smile they threw his way. His life was just as isolated as mine had been. He was ready for a change.

The door burst open and this time, it was Lachlan who hurried to greet our guests.

A dark-haired delta stormed ahead of a group, dragging an omega behind him.

She was wearing adorable black overalls with little bats on them and a white crop top underneath. Her hair was twisted into space buns, and she was grinning just as widely as Lachlan hugged his friend.

There were several other men behind her, and she was the one who did the introductions this time, as her hands rubbed her pregnant belly. She must have been further along than Lana judging by the baby bump she was sporting.