The Love Faceoff (Glaciers Hockey #4)

Chapter One

Dylan

Can life get any better than this? I don’t think so.

I lean against the granite countertop of my kitchen island, taking a moment to appreciate the view. My living room is packed with teammates and friends celebrating our win tonight against the Detroit Sentinels.

Our last game before Thanksgiving, and we crushed it.

Music pulses through my custom sound system, the bass vibrating just enough to feel it in my chest without drowning out conversation.

I grab a beer and weave my way through the crowd.

My house is perfect for entertaining with its open floor plan, minimalist furniture, and just enough Glaciers hockey memorabilia on display to remind everyone what pays for all this without turning my place into a shrine.

This is what I’ve worked for—a successful career on the ice ... and a life where I can throw the kind of party people talk about for weeks after.

My teammates are gathered in clusters. Some of the guys brought their wives or girlfriends, but I made sure to invite plenty of single ladies too. I’ve got a reputation to maintain, after all.

Speaking of single ladies...

I flash a charming smile as two stunning blonde models glide into my living room, as if stepping out of a magazine spread. Their confident strides turn the heads of all the rookies. And their skin-tight dresses leave little to the imagination.

I can’t help but be drawn to them.

“Ladies, welcome to my humble abode. Please, make yourself at home,” I greet with a playful wink.

They giggle in response, their eyes sparkling with amusement.

The taller of the two, legs for days, sporting a white dress, leans in, wrapping her arm around mine. “Thanks for having us, Dylan. This place is insane. We were just talking about how you’re the only guy on the team who actually has style.”

“What can I say? It’s a gift.” I smirk.

Before she can respond, my front door swings open. I glance over to see a familiar face—it’s my little sister Genna—followed by her best friend Cheyenne’s unmistakable laugh as they make their entrance.

“Ladies, if you’ll excuse me.” I disentangle myself from the model’s grip and head toward the entryway, my smile already forming—until I see the third figure trailing in behind.

What the heck is Garrett doing here?

My smile freezes as I watch my least favorite person walk arm-in-arm with my little sister’s best friend. Garrett’s hipster-styled blond hair, broad shoulders, and perpetual smirk leave me frowning. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally supportive of hipsters...

But not the ones who are pretentious jerks.

“Hey, bro!” my little sister calls out. The frown has barely left my face before Genna wraps her arms around my waist. “You played great tonight.”

“For sure,” I mutter, looking past Genna to Cheyenne and her hipster boyfriend. “Why is Garrett here?” My voice drops a little lower as Genna lets out a sigh.

“You know how attached at the hip Chey and Garrett can be,” Genna says in a near whisper, still embracing me. “Just be nice.”

“Fine.” I don’t argue with her, because arguing with my sister is pointless. She’s the epitome of a firecracker, and with her dark brown hair and green eyes that mirror mine, she seems to make an impact on everyone she meets.

And Chey, who’s been a part of our family for nearly fifteen years, is the same way.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” I say, raising a brow as Cheyenne Blackwell, the bane of my existence—in a fun kind of way—walks up to me, thankfully leaving her boyfriend behind. “I didn’t think you’d show.”

“I’d never miss the chance to be your bad luck charm.

” Cheyenne’s hazel eyes sparkle with mischief as she tosses her chocolate hair over her shoulder.

Her olive skin looks flawless under the foyer lights, and for a split second, I forget the fact that she did me dirty by bringing Garrett to my post-game party. “But it’s a shame you won anyway.”

“Ah, yes.” I rub my fingers along the stubble on my jaw. “It looks like your bad luck couldn’t outweigh my mad skills.”

“Mad skills?” Genna bursts into laughter, her head tipping back as the sound carries through the entryway. “Please don’t say that. You’re thirty years old, Dylan. Let’s at least pretend to be an adult.”

“That’s impossible for him,” Cheyenne interjects with a laugh. “He’s still learning how to write his own name.”

“Says the girl who—” I start.

“Hey man,” Garrett cuts me off, stepping up alongside Cheyenne and wrapping his arm around her waist. “How are you?”

I’d be better if you didn’t interrupt me.

“Great,” I say, clearing my throat and meeting his gaze head-on. I have a solid couple of inches on him, but even still, we’re close enough to eye level that his cold blues bore into mine. He’s never liked me ... Or maybe I’ve just never liked him.

It’s hard to tell, really.

“Did Chey tell you about my promotion at iTech?” Garrett says to me, like I actually care what he does with his life. “I’m hoping this might be the year that we take it to the next level.” He squeezes Cheyenne’s waist, and she beams under the attention.

“You never know,” she squeaks, peering up at her boyfriend like the guy hasn’t been saying the same line for the past two years—and nothing’s happened.

I frown at the way Chey acts around him.

Meek and small. It’s the opposite of the girl that I’ve grown up around.

She’s usually just as fiery as my sister, only her fire comes with a goofiness that is unmatched by anyone. ..

Well, except for me.

“Got any special plans for Thanksgiving?” I direct my attention back to Chey.

Immediately, her facial expression shifts to a challenge. “If I did have plans, I definitely wouldn’t be sharing them with you...” She gives me a sly look. “But I’m fully prepared to up my game this year. You might’ve gotten me last year with that fake spider, but I’m not taking another loss.”

“I’ll make you eat those words.” I reach out and bop her on the nose, ignoring the annoyed glare coming from her boyfriend. Cheyenne and I have been pranking each other on Thanksgiving for over a decade—loooong before Garrett ever entered the picture.

He can get over it.

“You two are strange,” Garrett huffs, still not relinquishing his grip on Cheyenne. “I don’t understand why you partake in this nonsense.” He focuses on his girlfriend. “Baby, you’re too smart for these childish antics.”

Baby. The endearment reverberates in my head like he just cursed. I hate sweet talk between couples. It’s annoying. Or maybe it’s just Garrett. Something about a man that plays tennis and drives a Prius calling a woman like Chey baby just seems all wrong.

But hey, I can’t judge who loves who, and Garrett and Cheyenne have been mostly together for about four years now.

“I hope y’all enjoy the party,” I say, when I realize Garrett isn’t going to disappear. I step to the side and gesture for the three of them to come further into my house. The quiet thump of the bass hits my chest as my eyes follow Cheyenne, and I hear laughter coming from the main living room.

“I really don’t like him,” I say in a low voice as my sister stops beside me, also watching the two of them enter the living room. “He gives me the creeps.”

Genna laughs, shaking her head. “He’s not a creep, Dylan. Just a jerk. And maybe a little weird. Cheyenne says he’s still doing that bleaching thing with his—”

“I don’t want to know,” I cut her off with a shudder. “This is the last team party before Thanksgiving, and I’d prefer to spend it chilling with everyone, not picturing images of Cheyenne’s boyfriend in my head that might scar me for life.”

“Same.” She sighs. “But alas, I’m stuck with the information I was given.” Genna runs her fingers through her dark waves. “You know, I really thought when they broke up over Halloween, it was finally over for good.”

“I don’t think we’d ever get that lucky,” I snort. “I just hope he breaks something so I can sue him for damages.”

Genna doesn’t laugh at my joke. Instead, her expression grows serious. “The only thing that man is capable of breaking is Cheyenne’s heart—and I don’t know why she lets him do it over and over again.”

“She’s stubborn like that,” I say, ignoring the protective jab in my chest. Chey’s been a part of my family for so long, I feel the same surge to take care of her as I do Genna, even if we don’t see each other all that much anymore.

“Is that cute rookie here?” Genna’s question breaks through my thoughts. “You know, the one with the ocean eyes?” I hear the way she draws out the words. She’s in awe of Paul Billards.

Gross.

But I can’t lie to her.

“He’s here,” I say begrudgingly. “But don’t forget what I told you. He doesn’t wear shoes in the locker room shower.”

“Oh, stop it.” She swats my chest and then saunters away, doing a hair toss as she goes.

I roll my eyes at my sister and then breathe out a sigh. I’m pretty sure all the guests have arrived, including the ones that weren’t invited.

Freaking Garrett.

I frown at the thought of him, but quickly choose to push it away. I’m pretty sure the guy is never going to go away for more than just a couple of weeks—no matter how much I’d like for him to.

I make my way back into the living room. My teammate Blaze and his wife, Addy, are now singing karaoke, while everyone else watches, giggling at how off-key they are.

I glance toward the back door, where some of my other teammates are lounging around the pool, though not swimming. The pool is heated, but no one seems to ever care about that when we’re this close to the holidays.

A hand comes down on my shoulder, and I look over to see my best friend and teammate grinning at me. Kade’s jet-black hair is swept to the side, and there’s something about him now that just seems to be glowing.

“You played like a champ today, Williamston,” he says. “I swear, the game before Thanksgiving is always your best one.”

“Nah.” I wave a hand, playing it off. “Every game is my best one.”

“Alright.” Kade shakes his head. “I forgot that you can’t keep your ego in check these days.”

“What? No. It’s always in check.” My eyes drift around the room. I spot Genna giggling as she takes a sip of her drink, her eyes focused on Paul. I don’t mind the rookie, but I do hope he keeps his greedy hands to himself.

“Your sister seems to really like Paul,” Kade muses, nudging me.

“Can’t say I see why...” I huff.

“Hey, it could be worse. She could be into Brad.”

I give him a disgusted look, thinking about the rookie that spends more time picking his nose than playing.

“I think I’d have to intervene on that one.

” I’ve always told myself that I’d never get in the way of my sister, even if she had a thing for one of the guys on my team—but I do have some limits.

Kade bursts into a cackle. “And who’s the girl?”

“Which one?” I smirk, glancing back toward the two blonde models.

The goalie’s smile fades. “The one you were over here laughing with a few minutes ago.”

“Oh, that’s Chey. She’s my little sister’s best friend and roommate.” I shrug before noticing she’s no longer in the house. They must’ve gone outside, and honestly, it’s for the better. Garrett breathing the same air as me is not exactly something I’m a big fan of.

“Wait, that was Cheyenne? Wow, I didn’t even recognize her. It’s been awhile since she’s come to a party...”

“Yeah, well, she’s here tonight with her boyfriend.”

“That’s cool.” Kade says the words like he’s not very sure of himself, and I make a face. “Wait, is he the annoying guy that you complain about on, like, every holiday?”

Do I really complain about Garrett that much?

“Uh ... Maybe. Probably.” I shift back on my heels, my black Vans a stark contrast to the white carpet beneath my feet. I don’t know why I ever agreed to this flooring. I spend more money cleaning it than I did to have it installed.

“You know, I think that might be the only person I’ve ever heard you complain about. You’re usually friends with everyone.” Kade takes a sip of his drink, shooting me a smirk.

“That’s rich coming from a guy in a cashmere sweater.” I gesture to the olive-colored thing he has on.

“Ella got it for me.”

“Makes sense. It’s definitely got math teacher vibes.” I laugh. “Look, I get that you’re into your fiancée being a teacher and all that, but it doesn’t mean you have to dress like one too.”

He playfully punches my arm. “Shut it.”

“Speaking of, is Ella coming tonight?”

“Yeah, she’ll be here in a bit. She’s dropping Colton off at a friend’s house.”

I feel a slight pang of something in my chest as I think about the little family that Kade’s gained after giving skating lessons to Ella’s eleven-year-old son last year. Those three have been inseparable ever since.

It’s ... sweet. In a nauseating type of way.

“Cool. I’m glad Ella can make it tonight. I should probably go check on the guests outside.” I give him a nod and then head for the patio doors.

Besides, if there’s an opportunity to push Cheyenne into the pool, I am not missing it.