Chapter 24
Maria
“Nicklas is definitely on his game tonight,” Gabby says, lifting her glass before taking a slow sip of wine.
The arena hums around us as the team powers through a play. The roar of the crowd swells and dips with every pass, every near miss, every hit along the boards. Below us, the ice gleams under the lights, and my boys are practically vibrating beside the glass of the box, bouncing from foot to foot.
“Shoot! Shoot!” Josh yells, his hands pressed flat against the glass. “Lucas, did you just see Tuck get by Petrov?”
“Go Tuck!” Lucas screams and I grin at their antics. I’m never at these games, so I had no idea how invested they were, but it’s nice to see their passion for the game, and excitement over the team…over the men they’ve grown so close to.
I glance at the scoreboard. The Bucks are up by two—compliments of Tuck—and there are only minutes left.
The boys are used to being down front, right behind the glass with Mom and Grant, close enough to feel the impact of every check.
But tonight, I wanted them here. With me.
Maybe because I wasn’t sure if I’d feel out of place or not and having them beside me was like a safety net.
But…it’s strange, sitting in the box like this. I don’t feel out of place. In fact, I feel like I’m part of something official. Like I belong here. Like I’m one of the WAGs. The thought should feel ridiculous. But it doesn’t.
It settles somewhere deep in my chest, and it was something I knew better than to get used to but already have.
Because the truth is, I like it. I like being part of this family.
The easy laughter, the shared looks, the way everyone just accepts you without question—even if what Tuck and I are doing is only temporary.
But you don’t want it to be temporary anymore, do you Maria?
I swallow, my fingers tightening slightly around my cup.
No. I don’t. I haven’t for a long time now.
Even though Tuck might not have wanted more in the beginning, even if he was afraid of my ready-made family, I can’t deny there’s been a shift in him.
He’s been here for us. Showing up in ways I didn’t even know how to ask for. Quiet, steady, constant.
And honestly, I’m afraid to ask for more because I don’t want to ruin what we already have. I don’t want to push. Don’t want to ask for more and watch him pull away because this isn’t the same for him as it is for me...
It happened once in my life. Lucian was unable to choose us fully. I swore I’d never let it happen again. I thought I’d moved on from past hurts, but clearly those old demons are still peeking around the corner, and maybe that’s why I panicked when I saw Kate in Tuck’s house.
The thing is, I knew she was coming. Yet…my brain went somewhere ugly and unfair when it should have gone straight to…sister.
But it didn’t.
Tuck had to see that. Had to sense what I was thinking in that moment. What does that do to someone who’s been nothing but caring and devoted?
It lets him know that you don’t trust him, that you’re not around for the long haul.
Dammit.
“Nicklas keeps looking up here,” Gabby says, turning toward Kate with a grin. “Is there something we should know?”
Kate laughs, the sound light but a little curious as she glances down toward the ice. “He keeps looking at the box, but I’m not sure it’s me he’s looking at. We just met.” She nudges her glass slightly. “And my brother warned me to stay away from him.”
I let out a small laugh, grateful for the shift in my thoughts. “Nicklas is like an annoying little brother. He could just be trying to get a rise out of Tuck.” I tilt my head, watching her. “Or… maybe he likes you, Kate.”
She leans forward, elbows on her knees, eyes tracking the movement below. A soft smile curves her mouth. “He is cute.”
“Don’t tell him that,” Gina says with a laugh.
“She doesn’t have to,” Brighton adds. “He already knows it.”
Laughter ripples through the group, but as it fades, I feel it again. That sense of being watched. Not from the ice, but from beside me. I turn slightly, and find Kate looking at me.
Her expression is soft, but there’s something else there too. Something deeper. Like she’s piecing something together she didn’t expect to find.
“How long are you here?” Gabby asks, leaning back in her seat.
“Just a week.” Kate exhales, the sound soft, but filled with disappointment. “I wish it could be longer.” Her gaze drifts down to the ice, tracking the players. “I miss having Tuck around.”
“Aunt Kate,” Lucas calls, turning from the glass, his cheeks flushed with excitement. “When we get home, will you tell us stories about Tuck? I bet you have a bunch of them.”
Kate shifts uncomfortably in her seat. Her shoulders pull in just slightly, her fingers tightening around her glass before she sets it down. “Yeah, sure,” she says, forcing a small smile. “I’m his younger sister. I’d be remiss if I didn’t annoy my big brother.”
“Poor Tuck, getting shit from everyone,” Lucas says.
“Language,” I warn, and he grins.
“Aunt Kate, why does Nicklas keep looking at you?”
“Oh God,” she groans. “Tuck is going to lose his mind.”
Lucas snorts. “I think he’s got the hots for you.”
“Lucas,” I warn, and he laughs.
“Sorry. Oh, hey Aunt Kate, can you come to my game Friday night? Tuck is coming.”
“I…sure. It sounds fun. I plan to visit my friend that day, but I’ll get her to drop me off at the game.”
“I’m going to ask Uncle Nicklas to come too,” Josh says.
“Josh,” I warn, knowing he’s matchmaking.
He grins at me and I laugh, but then it fades when Kate turns to me, concern on her face. “Should they be calling me Aunt Kate?”
Oh boy.
I try to brush it off. “It’s what the kids do,” I say with a small shrug. “They call all the players their uncles. It doesn’t mean anything.”
But even as I say it, something twists in my chest. Because it does mean something. Maybe not to everyone else. But my kids calling her aunt, does mean something…does sort of imply more.
Kate’s brow furrows, her gaze drifting past my shoulder like she’s not really seeing the game anymore. “No?” she asks quietly.
There’s something in that one word—something careful. Like she’s not asking about the name. Like she’s asking if it represents more, and I’m not sure what to tell her.
“It’s all good,” Gina jumps in easily, her gaze flickering to me. “It’s just what the kids do. We’re all one big family. You’ll get used to it.”
Kate nods slowly, but the tension doesn’t fully leave her. Her attention shifts back to the ice just as Nicklas weaves through Chicago’s defense and takes a fast shot on net. The buzzer sounds. The arena explodes.
“Impressive,” Kate says with a grin and I don’t miss the way she’s admiring Nicklas.
We’re all on our feet in an instant, clapping, cheering, the noise crashing around us in waves of excitement. The boys are yelling, jumping, grabbing onto each other like the win belongs to them too and I guess it sort of does.
I glance down at the ice and my heart leaps when I find Tuck already looking up at me. A grin spreads across his face, and something inside me lifts so fast it almost steals my breath.
Girl, you are in so deep.
I smile back, lifting my hand in a small wave.
That’s when I feel it again. I turn to find Kate watching me.
Concern etched clearly across her face. Maybe I don’t blame her.
I did practically move my family into his house.
But there’s no commitment. No promises. No clear lines drawn about what we are or where this is going.
Honestly, Kate has every reason to be worried. About what I want. About what I might take. About what could happen to her brother if this all falls apart.
My chest tightens.
Because the truth is—
I do want more.
And the last thing I would ever do is hurt him.
But wanting more and saying it out loud are two very different things. Fear of rejection, of thinking this is more than it is, has a way of keeping me quiet.
But maybe I don’t want to be quiet anymore, which begs the question, what do I do? What do I say to show him that I don’t want to be just passing through? That I want to do more than play house with him. That I’m all in?
My mind spins as we start gathering coats, the energy in the box shifting from celebration to movement. The boys are still buzzing, practically bouncing off the walls, their voices overlapping in excited bursts about the game. There is absolutely no way they’re sleeping anytime soon.
“Are you coming to Kilting Around?” Gabby asks, tugging on her jacket. Kate lifts a brow, glancing between us. “It’s a Scottish pub we usually hit after a game,” Gabby explains. “Good place to wind down.”
I shake my head, already reaching for the boys’ coats. “I need to get them home.”
“Go, have fun,” Grant says, waving a dismissive hand. “Elena and I will take the boys.”
I blink, caught off guard. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Elena adds with a smile. “We’ll get them home safely.”
Home.
“They’re not going home,” I clarify. I feel it immediately—Kate’s eyes on me. Searching. “They’re going to Tuck’s.” Why do I suddenly feel breathless?
“Well, that’s what I meant,” Grant says with a laugh.
God, everyone is thinking it…
Tuck’s.
Home.
Like they’re interchangeable, and truthfully it’s what I want.
That thought once again has me asking myself what I’m going to do about that?
As that question presses in, I turn to Mom. “What about your allergies?” I ask.
“Oh, we’ll just drop them off and make sure they get safely inside.” She pulls me into a hug, and I sink into it. When she pulls back, there’s that look on her face. That knowing look. Followed by a cheeky grin that says she knows exactly what she’s doing.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure—despite her denying it—Marbles was a ploy to get Tuck and me together. I should be mad, but I’m not. In fact, I should probably thank her.
I nod. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“We’re sure,” Grant says, already ushering me toward the door. “Now get out there before Tuck goes without you.”
“I’m going, I’m going,” I laugh, letting myself be pushed along with the tide of fans. I grab my phone and shoot Tuck a message letting him know that Kate and I are headed to the pub.
Outside, the cold hits immediately, and the crowd spills out around us, a sea of jerseys and voices and flashing phones.
I pull my coat tighter around me, my breath fogging in the night air as I guide Kate toward my car, which thankfully I got back.
A little worry rushes in. Is there any reason to stay at Tuck’s now that I have my car back?
Should I go, and give him private time with his sister?
What does Tuck want?
I think it’s well past time I found out.
The crowd gathers near the exit where the players come out, anticipation buzzing through the air. People shift, stretch, angle their phones, waiting. And I know what’s coming.
Tuck will get caught up in it—smiles, selfies, autographs. Pretty girls leaning in a little too close, laughing a little too loudly, hanging on every word. It’s part of the life. Part of his life.
I understand it.
I do.
And I remind myself—again—Tuck is not Lucian. Tuck shows up. Consistently. Quietly. Fully. On his team he plays the part that’s expected of him—just like Nicklas, just like all of them—but beneath the jerseys, beneath the noise and the spotlight…they’re real.
We stand there a moment longer, waiting for Tuck. Beside me, Kate shifts, her presence quiet but her gaze is locked on me. “You know,” she says, her voice cutting gently through the noise, “He’s going to look for you first.”
My heart stutters. “You think so?”
She glances at me, something softer in her expression now, but still edged with that protective awareness. “I know so,” she says simply. Her gaze drifts back to the doors, then returns to me, more serious this time. “But don’t make him guess, Maria.”
I swallow. “About what?” I ask, even though I already know.
“About where he stands with you.” A pause.
“He’s spent a lot of his life trying to earn his place.
” Her voice lowers slightly, and I sense there’s a warning in her words, something unspoken from his past. I consider all the things I don’t know, all the things he’s never told me.
“He shouldn’t have to do that with you too. ”
My throat tightens. Because she’s not accusing me. She’s trusting me. “I’m not going to hurt him,” I say quietly.
Kate studies me for a long moment, then she nods. “I believe you,” she says. Another beat. “But make sure he knows that.”
The arena doors swing open and the crowd surges forward.
And I look at Kate, and let her words sink in.
Honestly, I never did tell him what I wanted after winning that game of pool.
Maybe instead of words, I’ll show him. As a plan begins to form, a little bubble of excitement wells up inside of me because I think I know just what to do to make sure Tuck knows where I stand.
But despite my excitement, a hint of worry creeps in around the edges because there’s always a chance it could backfire.