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“You better watch out. Pipsqueak’s got fangs now.” Jax grinned, and he winked at me.
Alex snuck up behind her, rubbing his knuckles on her head. The move was so familiar I felt a twinge of pain in my chest. How many times had I done that just to be closer to her? Alex continued. “You ever get fed up with this guy, Pips, say the word and he’ll be out on his ass. Defensemen are a dime a dozen these days.”
In true Piper fashion, she surveyed my face and found me lacking and looked back at Alex. “Careful, I may take you up on that one of these days.”
Flipping him off, I said, “We’ve got a few hours before practice. What are we doing?”
Piper smirked, her eyes twinkling. Jax smiled back while I kept my face impassive. “What’s that look about, Pips?”
“You got a ball?”
Jax and I groaned, and Alex looked between us.
It had been ages since we’d played soccer, too caught up in hockey to do anything else. Piper had been the only one who played competitively, which meant she’d firmly kicked our asses for years. She was a beast in both soccer and volleyball, and it would be a mistake to underestimate her in either.
River stepped out of his room, holding a black-and-white leather ball. “I’m down.”
She jumped and made the world’s most adorable cheering noise, half laugh, half squeal. “Oh, you’re going down.”
“You think so? You’re looking pretty small, Pipsqueak,” Jax said, and she laughed harder.
The crew headed out the door, and I turned back to my room. There was no fucking way I was headed out there with them.
Jax gripped my arm. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“I’ve got some shit to take care of.” Lie.
His grip tightened. “Listen to me. I don’t know why you’re being such a fucking ass, but a game of soccer isn’t going to kill you.”
“I need to get some shit done. You’ll survive without me.” I ripped my arm away and took a step toward my door.
“She doesn’t look okay, Lucas.”
I froze, and the muscles in my back clenched. “I know.”
“I don’t know what happened between you two, but I know you’re better than this. Get your shit together.” Jax didn’t wait for my response before leaving.
I rubbed my palms over my face and took a deep breath. I couldn’t be the one she leaned on, but I needed to get my shit together. I groaned and grabbed a water bottle from the counter. Fuck it.
* * *
The field had permanent posts that acted like nets, and the smell of freshly mowed grass filled the air. I took a deep breath, letting it fill my lungs. Crisp green apples mixed with it, and I knew she was behind me. I held my breath, going rigid as I turned around.
Piper eyed me with crossed arms and looked me up and down. Her eyebrow arched, and her lips flattened as she assessed me. The disdain on her face was out of place, like a mask that didn’t quite fit, and I wanted to say something to wipe it off. Instead, I let her stare me down and lifted a brow.
“Problem, Killer?”
She huffed out a small breath, then jumped right into old times and called out, “Shirts versus skins.”
“Jax.” I shouted my first pick before she had a chance.
“Alex,” she replied.
“River.”
“Marc—” Pain laced through her gaze, and her chest collapsed as she struggled to take a breath. I stepped toward her, needing to help, even if I had no idea how, but she took a step back, holding up her hand.
Jax ran up to us and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his chest. He looked nearly as horrible as she did. His arms tightened, then let her go. “I’ll play on both and switch on each point.”
