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“Actually, I have to go. I’m moving my brother in today before we leave for Canada tonight.”
Oh shit… right. I forgot about that with my out-of-town schedule and then the shit show of Amelia’s surprise visit.
She looks down at her phone. “Oh! I’m going to be late—I have to go. I’ll see you later?” she says, and then doesn’t wait for my answer.
“Yeah, I’ll see you later.”
The door closes before I get the words out.
I reach for my phone and fire off two text messages.
If Briggs wants to help, I’ve got just the thing.
Juliet
It's moving day but I think the person most excited is me.
I walk into my brother's apartment to find most of his things already packed, my mom still shoving as much as she can into the few backpacks that aren’t already stuffed to the brim.
Both centers provide the furniture. This makes moving simple since all Jerrin needs is his clothes and the bin in which he keeps all his hobbies.
My brother is sitting watching a televised replay of last week's game.
It’s a game in which that Russian defender flattened Ryker, and it’s always hard to watch him go down like that.
I anticipate the hit as I look over my brother’s shoulder but even knowing it’s coming doesn’t prepare me for it.
My brother and I both wince the second the hockey stick comes across Ryker’s body, and he falls back, hitting his head on the ice.
Ouch.
I’m glad he’s home now and gets a few days to recover before he has to play another one, though the stakes are getting higher and higher as the season progresses.
I hear a knock on the open door and turn to find three large men walking through my brother's apartment doorway.
The moment my eyes connect with Ryker’s, my heart thumps against my rib cage, my pulse elevating within seconds.
“Hey, are we late?” Ryker asks.
He’s dressed in gym sweats and a zip-up hoody. A far more discreet image than the bare-chested man I left this morning in his kitchen.
I watch as Seven and Briggs trail behind him in similar attire, all of them carrying Hawkeyes gear in their hands.
“Hi,” I say, my heart racing at the unexpected sight of Ryker showing up here this morning. “What are you doing here?” I ask, smiling up at him.
My head whips quickly to see if my brother just saw who walked in or if he’s too immersed in the TV, but when I glance over at him, he is staring at the three hockey players that he watches almost every day.
“I thought you might need some help moving so I brought a couple of guys from the team. We can move couches or a bed… whatever heavy stuff you have.”
“We only have a few backpacks left to pack. The new center has all the furniture so we’re basically done. But thank you for coming,” I tell him.
I can’t believe he showed up like this without being asked. He just called his teammates, pulled in a favor that wasn’t even for him and showed up.
“You’re sure?” he asks.
I nod with a smile and then glance over at my brother.
“Jerrin, do you see who showed up to help us move into your new studio apartment?” I say, though my brother is wider-eyed than I’ve seen him in years.
