Prologue #3
“Livvy!!!” he exclaimed, reaching back and throwing his arms around his big sister.
She wasn’t his full sister, but she was his sister in every way that counted. Livvy was his mom’s daughter, but not Dad’s daughter. Mom had had Olivia before she’d ever met Dad. And when she’d met Dad and they’d gotten married, he’d adopted her.
She was still their sister and would still play with them, even though she was old, even older than Avery. Livvy went to school at Michigan and played hockey there and was better than Charlie. Better than Avery, even.
She settled down on the bench next to him, tugging him close. “They treating you good, Eth?”
“You know how they are.” Ethan shrugged.
Livvy just laughed. “Yeah, I know how they are.” She paused. “Is your brother changing his favorite player, finally?”
It took Ethan a moment, but then he remembered that Charlie was wearing the bright red of the Blackhawks, not his standard yellow-and-black Crosby jersey.
“Oh, his sweater wouldn’t fit over his coat,” Ethan said, dropping his voice low so that Charlie wouldn’t overhear them. “He was so mad.”
“Ah,” Livvy said knowingly.
“Yeah, Avery teased him. Said he was finally growing.”
“Soft spot for Charlie,” Livvy said, chuckling. “I bet he was happy, but pissed off, at the same time.”
“Kinda, yeah,” Ethan agreed.
Livvy just laughed harder. “Sounds like Charlie.”
“You gonna skate with us?” he asked, hoping she would, even though she wasn’t carrying her skates. She didn’t go to school so far away—close enough that they went to games, sometimes, when Charlie or Avery weren’t playing—but she was busy, so didn’t come home as much as Ethan wanted her to.
“Nah, bud. I just wanted to come out here and see you guys. Just stopped in to grab some stuff from Mom. She said you were out here.”
“First day of ice,” Ethan told her excitedly.
Livvy hugged him again. “Don’t change, okay?”
“Okay,” Ethan said, because that was an easy promise. He wasn’t ever going to change anyway. Or at least if he did, he was only going to get better at hockey. Good enough to beat Charlie. And maybe good enough to beat Avery. “You’re not staying?”
“Sorry,” Livvy said reluctantly, making a sad face. “I got practice.”
He knew Livvy was busy, or at least that was what Mom always said.
“She’s got school and hockey,” Mom had to remind him.
And Ethan always thought how he couldn’t wait for that to be him.
For him to be playing on that big rink and having everyone cheer for him and getting to wear that big blue M on his sweater.
Charlie always scoffed at the idea of going to college—even at twelve, he kept saying he was going to be drafted first overall right out of the OHL.
Avery would roll his eyes then and remind him that he had to get to the OHL first.
He knew the moment Avery and Charlie spotted Livvy on the bench with him, because they gave a wild shout and skated to the bench, piling all around them.
After Livvy gave Avery and Charlie big hugs, she pulled back, big grin on her face. “So who’s winning?”
“Me,” Charlie declared.
“So he thinks.” Avery made a face.
“I scored on Avery!” Ethan declared.
“It was a good shot, bud,” Avery agreed.
“Only because Avery let you,” Charlie said, sulking a little about it, even though he’d scored plenty.
“Mean,” Ethan complained. He’d done a good job. Avery had said so!
But then that was just like Charlie. Always needing to be the best, even if he was the most annoying about it.
“Sounds like Ethan’s kicking butt,” Livvy said, because she was actually the best.
“Yeah,” Ethan said excitedly. “I totally am.”
“You guys watch out for him, right?” Livvy asked quietly. Like Ethan wasn’t right here! He didn’t need to be watched out for, no matter what Mom or Dad or Livvy said.
“Of course,” Avery said.
“Like Avery would ever let us do anything else,” Charlie scoffed.
Livvy smacked Charlie on the shoulder. “Be good.”
“That’s just it, I’m so good, Livvy,” Charlie crowed.
“Is his head going to eventually be too big to fit through the front door?” Livvy wondered, not looking completely serious.
“Eventually?” Avery questioned and Livvy laughed as Charlie made a face.
“Actually,” Avery continued before Charlie could protest, “I think Ethan’s gonna be the best of us. The tallest, for sure.”
Livvy leaned back and looked him up and down. Ethan straightened up more, hoping that she would see how much he’d grown even in the few weeks it had been since she’d seen him last.
“I can see it.” She patted Ethan on the head. “Gonna be so good, Eth. Tall, too.”
“Now you’re just being mean,” Charlie whined, because he was always so stupid about his height.
“Sure, Showtime,” Livvy teased, referencing the fact that Charlie had ended up in Avery’s Patrick Kane jersey.
“Ugh, I hate you,” Charlie complained.
“Nah,” Livvy said sweetly. “And you love your brothers too, even when Avery tells you that Ethan’s gonna be the tallest.”
“Maybe,” Charlie said begrudgingly. Then his face softened, and he was tugging Ethan into a half hug. “Okay, maybe a little.”
“Or a lot,” Avery pointed out.
“You guys have each other,” Livvy said, her tone going surprisingly serious. Ethan didn’t think he’d ever heard her talk so serious. “Don’t forget that, okay?”
“Never,” Avery declared firmly.
“No way,” Charlie agreed.
“And you have us!” Ethan piped in and they all laughed. But not at him. With him.
That warm feeling in Ethan’s middle grew and grew until it felt like it should explode. But it never did.