Chapter 12
Catherine Celia
By Sunday morning, I had slept maybe four hours total and had changed outfits twice before deciding that jeans, a cropped white tank, and an oversized blue button-down I left open was the call.
Billie Rose was already outside the brunch place when I arrived, wearing a floral sundress, cowboy boots, and an expression that said she had been waiting all morning to hear about my kiss with Hunter.
“There she is,” she said.
“Don’t start,” I warned. I hadn’t even had my first cup of coffee.
“I haven’t even warmed up.” She grinned.
Liv waved from near the entrance, her blond hair pulled up in a claw clip, sunglasses on top of her head.
Taylor stood beside her in black leggings and a gray cropped tank top, holding an iced coffee.
I also recognized Sadie, she didn’t live in Dallas so we didn’t see her often.
Her dad was a retired hockey player that had played for a number of years on the same team as my dad.
“Sadie, I didn’t know you were in town,” I said.
“I stopped in for a quick visit. My dad had some meetings here this weekend,” she said.
“With the Dallas Blaze?” I asked.
“My lips are sealed,” she replied.
“I understand,” I chimed. Liv and Taylor nodded like they did too.
“Liv said there would be brunch and drama,” Sadie said, surprising me.
I shot Liv a look.
Liv lifted both hands. “I said brunch and girl talk.”
“That means drama,” Sadie said.
Billie looped her arm through mine. “It means sit down and confess.”
We walked inside, and I immediately wanted to leave.
Because there, in a big booth near the back, were Hunter, Max, Leo, Ronan, Nate, and Luca.
Dallas was huge. The world was huge. But apparently my life had shrunk down to one building, one arena, and one brunch place where Hunter Russell sat looking way too good for a man who had kissed me against his wall less than twenty-four hours ago.
His eyes found mine immediately. My stomach dropped. Then did a weird flippy thing.
“Oh,” Billie Rose said under her breath. “Well, this is delicious.”
“Behave,” I muttered.
“I have never behaved in my life,” she said without moving her lips.
Nate spotted us next and waved. “Dr. Davis.”
I winced. “Catherine. Please.”
“Right. Catherine.” He grinned. “You guys want to join?”
“No,” Billie said at the exact same time Liv said, “We’re good.”
Max leaned back and smirked. “Girl talk?”
Billie smiled sweetly. “The kind men are emotionally unqualified for.”
Leo laughed. “That’s fair. I’m just going to give my little sister a big hug,” he said standing from the booth and enveloping Liv in his big arms.
“You’re five minutes older than me that doesn’t make me your little sister,” Liv announced.
“Hey, I’m making it clear that you’re my family so that none of these guys flirt with you at the arena,” Leo said loud enough for everyone at the table behind him to hear.
Leo was the sweet brother from what I’d heard.
My parents were friends with Sierra and Nils, and I was close with Liv but Leo and Theo had spent the last number of years in university outside Boston playing D1 hockey so I didn’t know them so well.
Hunter looked amused as he looked right at me. Not in an obvious way. Not in a way anyone else would catch unless they were watching too closely. Unfortunately, every woman beside me was watching too closely.
“Okay enough with the hellos. Separate table,” Taylor said, grabbing my arm.
“Yes,” I said quickly. “Separate table.”
The hostess seated us two tables away, close enough that I could hear the guys if they got loud, far enough that we could pretend this was a normal coincidence and not a punishment from the universe.
I sat with my back angled slightly away from Hunter, which lasted exactly twelve seconds before I looked over my shoulder. He was watching me. I turned back fast.
Billie rested her chin in her hand. “Subtle.”
“I hate you.”
“You keep saying that, but I’m the one carrying this friendship.”
Taylor leaned in. “So you kissed him?”
Liv gasped. “You did?”
Sadie’s brows shot up. “Oh, this is good.”
“Quiet,” I hissed, glancing toward the guys. “They’re right there.”
Billie looked over at their table, then back at me. “Was it good?”
I stared at my menu. Cinnamon French toast. Eggs Benedict. Omelet. Pancakes. None of that mattered because my brain had become a slideshow of Hunter’s hand in my hair.
“It was so good,” I said with nonchalance.
Billie’s eyes widened. “That was life-altering face.”
“It was a kiss,” I assured her.
“Was there wall contact?” Billie asked.
Liv choked on her water. “Wall contact?”
I covered my face.
Taylor whispered, “OMG, there was wall contact.”
Sadie laughed. “I knew I picked the right weekend to visit.”
“It wasn’t supposed to happen,” I said. “We literally made a pros and cons list.”
Billie blinked. “During the date?”
“It wasn’t a date,” I argued, even if it was a lie.
“Did he light candles with dinner?” Billie asked.
I glared.
Liv’s mouth fell open. “He fully did.”
“He claimed they were to cover the smell of his cooking.” I shrugged.
Taylor pressed her lips together. “That man lit candles and panicked?”
“Yes,” I confirmed.
Sadie smiled. “That’s kind of adorable.”
“It was confusing,” I corrected. “And hot.”
“So what’s the problem?” Sadie asked.
“He’s my dads captain, he’s nine years older, he’s good friends with my parents, my little sister is best friends with his daughter. . . is that enough?”
“Damn,” Sadie said. “That’s rough. My dad would freak the heck out if I dated a player on his team.”
“Tell me about it,” Taylor laughed and rolled her eyes. Liv had a similar reaction. We all somehow had family in the NHL except for Billie Rose.
Max chose that exact moment to laugh loudly at something Leo said.
Liv’s gaze drifted over to Max. She was pining for him, but I wasn’t going to call her out now.
The waitress came, and we ordered food. The guys were loud behind us, but not too loud.
I could hear Nate talking about training, Ronan saying something dry that made Luca laugh, and Max chirping Leo about being an overprotective big brother even though Max himself was overprotective of his sisters.
Hunter’s voice was low enough that I couldn’t catch most of it. Which was worse. Because instead of listening, I kept imagining it in my ear. Billie kicked me under the table.
“Ow.”
“You’re making funny eyes,” she accused.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“You’re making sad, horny Disney princess eyes at the man,” she explained.
“Billie Rose. You’re lucky I value this friendship so much, or I would want to throttle you.”
“I’m serious,” she added like I offended her and she was just trying to lay it out there for me in a truthful way.
Taylor leaned closer. “You kind of are.”
I groaned and dropped my head on the table.
Sadie tilted her head. “It’s obvious to women. Men are usually oblivious.”
I lifted my head and looked toward the guys again. Hunter was trying to listen to Ronan. His eyes kept cutting to me. My chest tightened.
“Well,” Billie said. “At least he’s making them back.”
“For the love of everything holy, Billie Rose. I can’t have commentary right now. It’s dangerous.” I picked up my coffee because I needed something to do with my hands. “This is complicated.”
“No kidding,” Sadie said. “Hockey players usually are.”
Taylor snorted. “Especially when fathers are involved.”
I stirred my coffee even though there was nothing in it.
“My dad knows what that life looks like. The travel. The injuries. The attention. Being alone when things are hard.” I glanced toward Hunter before I could stop myself.
“But Hunter isn’t twenty-three and partying through his first contract. He has Isla. He’s not that guy.”
Billie’s expression softened, which was rare enough to feel alarming.
“You really like him,” she said.
I swallowed. “Yeah.”
Liv leaned forward. “Does he know that?”
“I think so,” I winced.
“Does he like you?” she asked.
I looked at Hunter again. He was staring into his coffee like it had personally wronged him while Max talked beside him. His jaw was tight. His thumb tapped once against the table, then stopped.
“I think he does,” I said.
“Then what’s the problem?” Sadie asked.
I gave her a look.
She smiled. “Right. All of it.”
The food came, which saved me from having to say more. For about three minutes.
Then Billie whispered, “So are you going to see him again?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. My head felt like it was spinning. There was a discrepancy between what my heart wanted and what was the right thing to do.
My phone buzzed on the table.
Hunter: Come to my apartment after brunch.
My whole body went hot. I flipped the phone facedown. Big mistake. Everyone at the table noticed.
Billie’s smile spread slowly. “Who was that?”
“No one.” My voice went too high-pitched.
Taylor leaned over. “Was that him?”
“No.” I was such a bad liar.
Liv gasped. “It was him.”
Billie clasped her hands together. “He sexted you at brunch?”
“He did not sext me,” I argued.
“What did he say?” Billie asked.
I looked toward the guys. Hunter was looking at me now, expression unreadable, phone in one hand under the table. I should’ve ignored him. Instead, I texted back.
Me: Too risky.
The reply came fast.
Hunter: I know.
Helpful.
Me: Then why are you asking?
Hunter: Because seeing you is wearing down my self-control.
I stared at the screen for so long Taylor leaned over my shoulder.
“OMG,” she whispered.
I yanked the phone to my chest. “Boundaries.”
“You lost those when you kissed your dad’s captain,” she laughed.
“Not helping.”
Billie fanned herself with her napkin. “I take back every bad thing I said about controlled men. They’re fun when they crack.”
My phone buzzed again.
Hunter: You can say no.
I bit my lip. That was the problem. I could say no. He would probably prefer if I did. He would make the responsible choice if I forced him to. But I didn’t want responsible. Not after the way he looked at me like I was both the thing he wanted and the thing that could ruin him.