Chapter 2
Jayden Allen
S enior year was supposed to be a breeze.
Pass my classes. Win the Frozen Four. Graduate and start my career with the Lions–a Los Angeles-based NHL team. All these tasks sat in the front of my mind like a checklist, each one waiting to be ticked off.
Now, the only images flashing in my head are red hair, hazel eyes and her tall figure, with the outline of toned muscles on her abdominals and arms. Willow fucking Rogers. The woman who has been driving me up the wall for over a decade with her unpredictable and chaotic nature.
I force the lump in my throat down, back into the vault buried deep inside me. Even thinking about going through life without a plan or routine has me sick.
It is one of the reasons I can’t stand Willow.
Control keeps me grounded, while a loss of it places me on a path of destruction. This is one of the attributes I share with my twin sister, Jaz. It is why I’m striding into her house without a care in the world.
Surely, she knew Willow was moving to Lakewood. The two women have been inseparable since meeting at elementary school in Meadow Beach, the small coastal town we grew up in.
Jazmine and her boyfriend, Theodore, recently moved into this house, which is, conveniently, only fifteen minutes away from the Hockey House. I twist the door handle and search the house.
I end up in the lounge room almost immediately. Looking around the room, I swear under my breath.
I’m a fucking asshole.
Today was Jaz and Theo’s housewarming party. After seeing Willow in my driveway, she was all I could think about, so this event slipped from my mind.
Everyone stares at me as I stand behind the couch, frozen. My sister looks at me, a slight frown on her lips.
I grit my teeth, fists tightening. “Did you know?”
Jaz tilts her head, eyebrows raising at my question. She doesn’t seem to know that her best friend has decided to move barely two blocks away from her. Why would Willow not say anything? I shake my head, not likely that I care about the answer.
“What?” She replies.
I inhale, gulping the breaths down. “Willow fucking Rogers is moving to Lakewood University. She is our new winger.”
Jazmine’s eyes bulge, like they might pop out of her head. She turns toward Theo, their eyes flashing as if they are exchanging a secret message.
My sister and her boyfriend both know Willow and I can’t stand each other. The prime example being last year when I yelled at her for having no regard for Jaz, deciding to interrupt her life for a night of partying.
In hindsight, I was too harsh and only wanted to make sure Jaz was okay after struggling with her mental health for years.
I take a deep breath, remembering the second thing I need to say. “And she is moving into the fucking Hockey House,”
A lump forms in Jaz’ throat. “I promise, I had no idea, Jay. I haven’t talked to Willow in weeks.” She pauses. “Willow said she had family things going on. I didn’t think anything of it.”
I tilt my head to the ceiling, letting out a heavy sigh.
“This makes a lot of sense,” Sofia interrupts.
Sofia has been Jaz’s roommate for the past three years, though I don’t know her that well, she has my sister’s back and that’s all I need to know. I direct my question toward her. “Why is that?”
“My new roommate, her name is Cameron Rogers. She said her sister was on the hockey team. It completely slipped my mind,”
My head falls back slightly, everything making sense in my brain. Cameron is three years younger than Willow and starting college is a scary prospect.
Although, I don’t know a lot about Cami, I know Willow and she would do anything for her sister. I admire that about her.
I shake my head, the disbelief continuing to swirl inside my head.
“I’m sure it will be fine, Jay.” Jaz says in her attempt to be a mediator. I stop myself from rolling my eyes. “Maybe this will be the beginning of you to getting along.”
I stare, emotionless, at my sister. Does she realise who she is talking to? If Willow and I ever find a way to be friends–scratch that, it’s never happening.
It’s official–my senior year is going to be hell.
***
L aughter filters through the house, travelling from the lounge room to the entryway. Of course, my teammates are already becoming friends with Willow.
For the sake of the team and winning, that is a good thing. But Cooper has been driving me crazy with his obsession with Willow. I don’t even know where or how it started, but it won’t surprise me if he starts following her around like a lost puppy dog.
Ignoring the boisterous conversation, I climb the staircase next to the front door. Our house is massive thanks to the funding we receive and with the main players living together, it gives us the chance to bond further. Hockey is a team sport, so knowing and understanding each other is key.
I slip into my room and pack my belongings. Thankfully, I don’t have much stuff and am only moving across the hall. As the captain of the Hawks, my bedroom is the master as it has an ensuite, while the others share the bathroom on their floor.
I will never tell Willow that I’m changing rooms for her, but what she doesn’t know, won’t hurt her. I remember in freshman year, Jaz told me Willow had to share a bathroom with three other guys.
That is not happening here.
I trust the guys completely, knowing I would beat the shit out of them if they hurt a woman, but Willow deserves to have a private bathroom–a safe space.
The room she was meant to move into is directly across the hall, so it doesn’t take long to transfer everything. I strip the sheets from my bed and throw them into my room. Voices travel up the stairs, forcing me to move quicker.
Ten minutes later, I walk downstairs, hand dragging against the wooden railing. Willow is joined by some of the boys at the bottom of the stairs.
I clear my throat, grabbing their attention. “Your room is ready,”
“Finally,” Willow says. “Okay, everyone pick up a box that is near the stairs. They need to go into my room,”
She’s been here less than five hours and she is already bossing people around. I shake my head and listen. Willow has always been loud and full of fire; it forms who she is at her core.
Everyone helps move the boxes upstairs, many of the boys wagging their eyebrows as I direct them towards my old room. I will be swearing them to secrecy after Willow isn’t present.
There is one box left at the bottom of the stairs, which Cooper grabs. Willow looks down at the box and sprints across the room.
“I’ll take that,” she says, trying to take the box off him.
Cooper looks down at the box, reading the black text on the side. “Are you sure? The label says delicate, and it’s pretty heavy.”
A small smirk grows on my face as Willow’s cheeks turn red. Now, what do you have in that box? My curiosity is sated when Cooper starts talking again.
“Wait, why do you have toys labelled as delicate?”
Aiden and I cough, choking on air, the other boys going silent. I gulp in oxygen, trying not to laugh at both Willow and Cooper. Sometimes I question just how innocent and sheltered that boy really is.
Willow snatches the box off Cooper.
“What?”
“We really need to give you a sex education lesson,” Aiden says, interrupting the silence.
Willow’s cheeks heat even further, nearly matching her hair colour. She doesn’t back away, standing up for herself. “Fuck off, Aiden. These toys are better than a fuck boy who doesn’t know how to use his dick.”
Ooos echo around the room. “I know you don’t mean me, Rogers. Girls love my dick and tongue,”
Willow flips him off. “Don’t listen to him, Cooper. If you need sex advice, I’m happy to tell you how to make a girl come.”
Cooper turns red, the realisation of what we are talking about. “I’m good for now.”
I shake my head, holding in a laugh as Cooper and Willow leave for their respective rooms. We may give Coops shit for being a virgin, but we love that kid to death. He only joined us at the beginning of last year and the team environment is better for it.
The rest of us shift into the kitchen and dining room. It’s Sunday night, meaning it’s Hayes’ turn to cook. We have a set routine to make sure the house is clean and tidy, and so we don’t starve to death.
Hayes, Cooper, and Aiden are the only ones that can cook meals that are edible. So, the rest of us steer clear of the kitchen and take on other chores to make it fair.
The sun slowly dwindles below the horizon as Hayes serves up tonight’s dinner. The aroma of roast lamb, herbs, and vegetables must reach upstairs because Willow and Cooper come in almost immediately after the table is set.
“That smells amazing,” Willow says, taking a seat at our large dining table.
“Hayes, Aiden, and Cooper are our resident cooks. You can decide what chore you will do. The rules are that everyone contributes evenly.”
Willow stills, her throat bobbing. Her chest heaves and I muffled sigh leaves her throat. I move my focus to my plate, loading up on meat and carbs.
The amount of food we go through in this house is ridiculous but considering the amount of training and games we play, our large appetites make sense.
“Of course. I’m fine with anything except cooking. Unless you want burnt food, then I’m your girl.”
The guys laugh, except for Hayes, who looks scared for his life. “Please stay out of my kitchen, then.” He pleads.
“I thought you would be good a cooking,” Aiden says, but after receiving a death glare from Willow, he corrects himself. “I mean, because of your degree. Most nutritionists and dieticians I have met are meal prepping with a distinct plan in mind.”
Willow nods as she chews on her food. “It would make things easier, but I can still make a killer meal plan. What are your go-to meals? I’m happy to create a plan since I think that is one of my assessments for the session.”
The boys agree immediately. Although, we know the basics about nutrition and fuelling our bodies, it could never match Willow’s knowledge. Dinner continues without a hitch and Willow agrees to being on laundry duty with Sam.
Maybe Jaz was right about this being a chance for Willow and I to get along. I’ve probably spoken too soon, but this is a good start. Besides, when it comes to hockey and the Frozen Four, I will do anything to win, even putting my mild disdain for her aside.
After dinner, Willow stands and drops her plate in the sink before leaving the room. I let my eyes linger on the hallway for too long after she leaves. Quickly, I turn my head back towards the boys.
Most of them are trying to hide their smiles, Aiden, however, doesn’t even bother. His smirk plastered on his lips. I’m confident he knows about my temper tantrum this morning, when Willow first arrived.
“And to think I thought we would be lacking in entertainment after Dallas left,”
I roll my eyes. Dallas Parker was our version of the class clown but is now our injured ex-teammate who has moved back home for senior year. He tore his ACL and suffered a severe concussion in the pre-season.
Dallas is the reason Willow is here. When Oliver West, our hockey coach said they found a player from another university, I was surprised.
Senior year is a strange time to transfer to a new team especially in Willow’s case, she has been with Nevada since freshman year. She should have great chemistry and trust with her old team, yet Willow still decided to move. It makes me wonder if something happened to her.
The rogue and unwanted thought slams into me. Fuck. I’m not thinking about it. I don’t care about her any more than I do for my teammates.
“Why did you give Willow your room?” Conner says a glint in his eyes.
“Do not mention that to her. It was the right thing to do,”
Most of the boys scoff, not believing me. Aiden speaks, not afraid to voice his thoughts. “Sure, that’s the reason.”
I inhale, trying to centre myself and ignore their jabs. Unfortunately, though, Aiden is right. Senior year is bound to bring more than just entertainment now that Willow Rogers has arrived. And not knowing what to expect has my stomach twisted in knots.
I hope it doesn’t take a turn for the worst.