Grumpy Darling (The Darling Devils #2)

Chapter 1 Grayson

Chapter 1

Grayson

Falling for your best friend was always dangerous, but this was the first time I thought my feelings for Paige might actually kill me. The muffin had looked innocent enough when she first offered it. I should have known better than to trust anything Paige cooked.

I was seriously regretting my decision to take such a big bite, and I was struggling to swallow. It tasted like she’d mixed up sugar and salt somewhere in the recipe. Could she have accidentally dropped a dash of chili powder in there too? I pressed a hand to my chest as the muffin burned its way to my stomach. My insides felt like they were on fire, and I was starting to wonder if my day might end with a trip to the hospital.

“So, what do you think?” Paige smiled up at me, her big brown eyes brimming with hope and pride. She had always reminded me of a character out of a fairy tale: sweet, playful, and if she could sing, I had no doubt birds would gravitate toward her voice. It was just my luck that the enchanting princess in my fairy tale was handing me a poisoned apple.

There was no way I could tell her what I really thought about the muffin, so I tried my best to smile and ignore the confusing taste that still lingered in my mouth. “I think these might be your best yet.” It wasn’t far from the truth. Baking was Paige’s latest obsession, and I’d been the guinea pig for her creations all week. The muffins were at least an improvement on her cookies. I’d almost chipped a tooth on those .

“Really?” Paige looked around the locker room at the other guys who were all staring at their muffins in various states of horror. It was bad enough she’d decided to poison me with her cooking, but did she really have to try and take out my entire hockey team too? At least this was happening after the game we’d just played and not before.

“What do the rest of you think?” she asked. “Do you like them?”

I didn’t want Paige to notice their disgust, and my smile immediately transformed into a dark glare as I warned them not to say anything negative. They were going to eat every last crumb of those muffins whether they liked it or not. My twin brother, Reed, might be captain of our team, but as the Ransom Devils’ main defensive enforcer, I still held plenty of authority among the guys.

When they saw the look in my eyes, they all started nodding and giving small, satisfied groans.

“These are great, Paige.”

“Never had anything so good.”

“I wish my mom cooked like this.”

They were laying it on a bit thick, but I didn’t stop them. Not when I could see how happy it made Paige. She was practically skipping on the spot.

Reed was slowly working through his muffin beside me, and I noticed him pull a small piece of aluminum foil from his mouth. He caught my gaze, and I lifted an eyebrow as I waited for him to agree with the others .

He quickly tucked the foil into his hand. “Thanks, Paige. I really like the extra kick they have.” I nudged him with my elbow, forcing him to continue. “Is that cinnamon I taste?”

“It is,” Paige gushed as she spun to face him. “Oh, I’m so glad you all like them. I’ll have to bring more to your game next week.”

I was about to tell her that wasn’t necessary, but my younger brother, Parker, chimed in, “That’d be great.” His words were barely decipherable as he was speaking with his mouth full.

The funny thing was, I didn’t think he was lying. He was quite happily demolishing the muffin, and before he had even finished, he started gesturing for Paige to hand him the box containing the rest. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Parker was a bit of a garbage disposal when it came to food, with absolutely no standards for what he put in his mouth. He didn’t really have standards for what came out of it either, and was the kind of person who released pretty much every thought that popped into his head. In that regard, we couldn’t have been more different.

“Okay, well, I better run before I get caught in here,” Paige said. She gave everyone a wave but, as she went to leave, she stopped next to my younger brother. “Make sure you share, Parker.”

He was too busy digging into another muffin to respond, but I could feel the rest of the guys in the room flinch at the mere thought of going back for seconds. I guided Paige over to the exit before she could notice.

Once we were out in the hallway, she paused and turned to me. “They weren’t that good, were they? ”

I was suddenly grateful my face had the emotional range of a goldfish. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I loved them.” Technically, that was true. I loved everything about Paige, even her crappy muffins. Apparently, love wasn’t just blind, it also had no sense of taste.

She laughed and shook her head. “I know you’re just saying that to be nice. But don’t worry, the next batch will be better. I’ve got to get this cooking thing nailed if I want to check it off my list.”

I murmured some sounds of agreement. There was a strong chance I wouldn’t survive the next batch, but I didn’t want to discourage Paige when it came to her bucket list. She’d started it over the summer, while her work-obsessed parents were pressuring her to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. At first, the list was full of things Paige thought she might be able to make into a career someday. But now it seemed to have a much broader focus. There was definitely stuff on her list that could never lead to a paying job. I didn’t know for sure what she’d included though, as I’d never actually seen its full contents.

She always kept the pink piece of paper stuffed in her school diary and was very secretive about it, even with me. It was strange, considering she involved me in practically everything she tried anyway. I was constantly being dragged from one activity to another. One week she was knitting us all mittens, the next she was painting our portraits. Now she was cooking. Who knew what was coming next.

“Once the muffins are perfected, maybe I’ll try baking a cake,” Paige continued. “I know how you love chocolate. Or maybe cinnamon rolls, for something different... ”

Her eyes were glittering with excitement, and it drew a smile from my lips. I loved the way her face lit up when she sensed a challenge. Whenever she tried something new, she always gave it her all. And while nothing she’d attempted so far had stuck, I had no doubt it was only a matter of time before she found the thing she loved.

Paige tilted her head as though she was waiting for me to respond. She’d finished speaking, and apparently I’d been so lost in my thoughts about her I was now staring in silence like a complete idiot. I couldn’t help it that every time she looked at me time seemed to slow, and I was briefly transported to an alternate universe, where my deep and secret feelings for my best friend weren’t completely one-sided.

“Sorry?” I asked, jerking myself back to reality.

She laughed softly. “Chocolate cake or cinnamon rolls? I know it’s a hard decision, but you’re looking at me like you’ve forgotten what baking is.”

“I know I might have lost a few brain cells playing hockey, but I haven’t been slammed into the boards that much.”

“Yes, you are more of a slammer than a slammee.” She grinned. “So, what do you think?”

“Uh, maybe cinnamon rolls?” I might never eat a muffin again; I didn’t need her to ruin chocolate cake for me too.

“Good choice.” Paige nodded, but then her expression started to sour. “Although, I may not get a chance to cook again for a while. I think my mom’s been possessed by the ghost of a college admissions officer. She’s on a total rampage about my applications. And with my dad going away on a business trip tomorrow, I’ll be the only one in the house for her to nag. I swear she’s going to chain me to my desk until I finish them. ”

She scrunched her nose up at the thought, and I found my chest tightening with sympathy. It was rare to see Paige without a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eye, but when it happened, it was usually because of her parents. They were both so wrapped up in themselves and their jobs, they frequently acted as though she didn’t exist. And when they did pay attention to her, she often wished they hadn’t. Paige’s lack of future direction was an especially sore spot between her and her mom.

“You’re so lucky you know what you want to do with your life,” she muttered. “I can’t even figure out what my hobbies are, let alone what colleges I want to apply to, or what career aspirations I have.”

I certainly felt lucky to have hockey in my life. Especially since I’d been offered a full scholarship to play at my dream school, Ryker University, next year. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as straightforward as it sounded. I only had a verbal agreement with them. Nothing would be official until signing day, in a couple of weeks. Until then, I was skating on very thin ice.

“Maybe you could tell your mom you want to be a chef?” I suggested.

“Maybe.” Paige laughed. “Do you think she’ll be convinced after trying one of my muffins?”

“Sure.” My stomach took that moment to groan loudly, reminding me what a terrible liar I was. “Uh, I better get back in there before Coach Ray starts to wonder where I am.”

“You’re probably right,” she agreed, before she reached up to give me a quick hug. It was something she’d done a thousand times over the years, but it never stopped my heart from racing.

“I’ll catch you later, Gray.” Her arms fell and I immediately missed their warmth. The corners of her lips lifted as she started to back away. “Oh, and great game today. You were amazing. That block you made in the second period was incredible. We wouldn’t have won without you.”

I scoffed under my breath. The block she was praising me for wasn’t that impressive, and I knew my performance had been well below my best. I’d played particularly badly in the final period, when my old injury had started to flare up.

My knee had been causing me problems ever since I injured my MCL a few years back. And although it had been doing better recently, I’d landed on it badly in preseason training. I couldn’t afford to give it time to rest though. Not when my whole future relied upon it working.

I just needed to push through the pain until the ink had dried on that scholarship contract. I couldn’t let the coaches at Ryker see my performances drop, or discover I was damaged goods, in case they withdrew their offer entirely. But now the season was in full swing, with constant games and training, I wasn’t confident my knee would hold out.

“I’m sure the guys would have been just fine without me.” Paige knew my knee was bothering me, but I’d never told her quite how precarious my situation was .

“No way. The Devils would be nothing without big bad Grayson Darling.” She flashed me one last smile, before she started for the exit. “See you tomorrow.”

“Sunday dinner at our place?”

“As always,” she called back over her shoulder.

I watched until she disappeared around the corner before returning to the locker room. Despite being far from happy with the way I played today, it was hard not to feel lighter after talking to Paige. Then I opened the locker room door.

“Is Grayson’s girlfriend trying to kill us?” I heard someone groan.

It wasn’t the first time Paige had been referred to as my girlfriend. We spent so much time together, I could understand people making that assumption. However, most of my friends and teammates knew just as well as I did that we’d only ever been friends.

“Girlfriend?” Matt snorted. “He wishes.” Usually, not even Reed’s best friend tried joking about me. Either he was feeling brave, or the guys hadn’t realized I was back.

“It’s lucky she’s hot,” Elliot added. “Watching her ass walk out the door almost made me forget she just violated my mouth with those muffins.”

My knuckles cracked as my hands clenched at my sides. Paige might not be my girlfriend, but I still wouldn’t let anyone talk about her that way. One more word from our team’s goalie, and I was going to do something that would see us both sidelined for the rest of the season.

I loudly cleared my throat, causing everyone in the locker room to snap their heads in my direction. When Elliot saw the look in my eyes, his face went white.

In moments like these, I didn’t really mind the infamous reputation my brothers and I had developed over the years. There were always rumors circulating about the Darling Devils, each one more outrageous than the last. Most of them weren’t true, but it could be useful sometimes. Like when we wanted to intimidate our opponents on the ice, or force our teammates to consume poisonous baked goods in the locker room after the game. In this case, it was useful to stop a jerk like Elliot objectifying my best friend.

“Oh, uh, sorry, Grayson, I—”

“I think what Elliot was trying to say is that the muffins were memorable. Right, Ford?” Parker prompted, giving Elliot a hard look.

“Yeah, uh, that’s right,” Elliot replied, swallowing visibly as he did his best to look anywhere but directly into my eyes. “Unforgettable, in fact.”

I took a few slow, strong steps toward him, and he instinctively shrunk back against his locker. The rest of the room was silent, as though all the other players were holding their breath, waiting to see what I’d do next.

While Reed and Parker weren’t nearly as frightening as they could appear, I often wondered if my bad reputation was justified. As the team’s most ruthless defenseman, it was my job to intimidate the opposition as much as possible, and people struggled to forget that, even when I stepped off the ice. I did little to try changing their opinion. I wasn’t exactly approachable, and often wore a dark expression that Paige referred to as my “resting storm face.” It caused most people to keep their distance. But that was fine by me .

“It won’t happen again.” Elliot’s voice was quaking slightly, and I almost felt bad. I didn’t want to scare him too much. The team still needed a goalie after all.

“Good.” There was no need to say anything more. Elliot was already cowering enough, and the incident would probably sprout a new rumor about me anyway. I held my gaze on him for a few seconds, just to make him sweat a little longer, but then turned and continued to my locker. I felt the whole room exhale as I did.

When I reached my locker, I slowly lowered myself onto the bench next to Reed. For the first time since the game, I allowed myself a moment to give in to the aches and pains rampaging through my body, especially my knee. It had been a tough contest today, and I’d had to work hard to hide how much my knee was hurting. How was I going to get through the whole season feeling like this? I wasn’t even sure I’d make it to next week, let alone signing day.

“How’s your knee?” Reed asked quietly, nodding to where I was tightly gripping my leg.

“Fine.” I quickly moved my hand away.

Reed’s eyes were filled with worry. “You’d tell me if it was giving you trouble again, wouldn’t you?”

“Like I said, it’s fine.”

“If you say so,” my brother replied, though he appeared far from convinced.

“I do.”

His lips pulled at the sides as he considered me. “So, Paige’s cooking—was today a special occasion?”

“She’s baking at the moment,” I said. “You know how she likes to try everything.”

“Ah, the list.” Reed was one of the few people who knew about it. “I think I preferred it when she was trying to learn the bagpipes.”

I shuddered at the memory. She’d made sounds I didn’t think were possible, and I was sure she’d hit notes that only dogs could hear. My ears were still ringing.

“At least loud noises can’t kill you,” Reed added.

“Maybe your stomach needs to harden up.” Not even my brother was allowed to insult Paige.

“Oh, is that why she fed us cement mix?”

I scowled at him, but he only smirked in reply.

“Maybe she’s a secret spy working for the Sunshine Hills Saints,” Matt said, leaning forward to join our conversation from the other side of Reed. “And she’s trying to take us all out.”

“Not Paige,” Reed said. “She loves hockey. Have you seen the way she cheers for us at games?”

“Cheers for us?” Matt said. “Or one of us?”

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and caught him grinning at me. It was obvious what he was getting at, but he decided to spell it out anyway.

“Seriously, Grayson. Are you ever going to make a move on her?” Matt really was feeling brave today.

“We’re just friends,” I replied through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, but can’t you change that?” Matt glanced at Reed as though he was looking for backup. And while my brother was eyeing me like he wholly agreed with his friend, he thankfully kept his mouth shut. He’d given up trying to change my mind about Paige a long time ago .

“Don’t you want to be more?” Matt prodded.

What I wanted was for this line of questioning to end. I could barely admit how I felt about Paige to myself, let alone to anyone else. And those feelings needed to remain buried within me, hidden so deep I could pretend they didn’t exist. I was practically an expert at that now. I’d been doing it since the first time she’d smiled my way in second grade.

She was the first person to truly see me as more than a talented hockey player. If it weren’t for my skills with a puck, I often wondered whether anyone would even know I existed. I wasn’t a natural leader like Reed, or outgoing like Parker. But I never felt invisible when I was around Paige.

Unfortunately, by the time I realized the true extent of my feelings, I’d already been stuck in the friend zone for years. And even if, by some miracle, Paige suddenly did start seeing me differently, I knew I wasn’t worthy of her. She was the human embodiment of sunshine, and what kind of selfish jerk would I be if I dimmed her glow with my dark, stormy clouds?

“I don’t want anything to change. I like things how they are.”

“Okay, man, whatever you say.” Matt shrugged, and I hoped that would be the end of it, but then Reed spoke up.

“Things are going to change, though,” he said. “And soon, whether you like it or not. We’re committed to play for Ryker, but what’s Paige doing next year? ”

Coach Ray entered the locker room and called us to attention before I could respond. Reed already knew the answer to his question. Paige had no clue.

But, eventually, she’d have to make some decisions. And those decisions could lead her somewhere I wasn’t. We might not be in the same town or even the same state. Paige could end up in a different country for all I knew. She’d seemed to enjoy learning French for her bucket list a couple of months ago; what if she suddenly decided to move to Europe?

Coach had started addressing the room, talking about some new player joining the team next week, but I wasn’t listening. Instead, I was repeating Reed’s words over and over in my head.

Everything was going to change at the end of this year. And I didn’t like it at all. Still, that didn’t mean I was going to do something stupid that could ruin my friendship with Paige. She was the girl I wanted in my life forever, and even if that was only as a friend, it would have to be enough for me.