Power Play (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 2)

I do know what he’s saying, and it annoys me that I’ve known this dude for a while but I still don’t know that story. He always gets this pained look on his face, and Aiden told me he saw Wes going to therapy the other day. I assume he goes to deal with his parent situation since he seems like a pretty healthy, happy dude. That’s the thing about mental illness, though; it can be invisible.

“I feel like my mom didn’t give her a chance, and it’s unfair.”

Aiden nods as Wes shrugs. “You’re right, and really, I’m not saying this because you’re my boy, but she is awesome. She is nothing like that cuntbag you were with, and she treats you good. Except for that damn peppermint tea. If I could get rid of that, I would be good.”

I appreciate his love for my girlfriend, but I don’t understand the tea. “What is up with the tea?”

“My dad had a girlfriend who drank tea like that. It gives me PTSD.”

My eyes widen. “Oh.”

He exhales heavily. “But that’s a drunken story for another day.” He sends the puck to me. “I know your mom, I know she’s stubborn, and fuck, you’re just like her. So I’m unsure if she’s going to change her way of thinking about her.”

Aiden steals the puck from me. “And you have to figure out what that means for you.”

I shrug. “Means nothing. I love her.”

“Mom or her?” Wes asks.

“Her,” I say simply. I wait for the guilt, but it doesn’t come. “I love my mom, but my relationship with her is something I can’t give up.”

Aiden takes a deep breath. “I’d never tell my mom this, but I would pick Shelli over her.”

We share a knowing look. Never in my days did I think I would say that.

My mom may have given me life, but Posey, she gives me purpose.

“I would choose a rock over any girlfriend of my dad’s, so I think you guys are way better dudes than me,” Wes jokes, and I grin over at him.

“Hush it. You’ll find a girl instead of a rock.”

He makes a face. “Probably not. But still, I don’t think you’re wrong for how you feel.”

Aiden nods. “Me either. I think your mom is wrong. We’d let you know if she wasn’t good for you, but it’s obvious she is.”

I swallow hard. “I get nervous about her parents, but she insists they’ll love me.”

“Her mom will,” Aiden says confidently. “Her dad, different story. He loves his kids all the same, but she has always been his little buddy. My girl used to be jealous of that, but then I reminded her that he left everyone behind to stay in New York with her. So, he distributes his love evenly. Except with his wife—she gets it all. Dude, I don’t even know how he does it. I worry I don’t give my girl enough attention, but he pulls it off and also with his kids. It’s really annoying and a very high bar to try to reach that I still struggle with.”

Wes and I just blink at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you insecure about something,” I admit, and Aiden laughs.

“When you have that epic love of her parents—and shit, mine—flashing in your face, it hard to live up to. I don’t ever want to lose her.”

I feel him on that, but then I hear Posey’s words in my head. I have the bar set crazy high for my romantic expectations, given how much my parents love each other, and Boon exceeds them.

Ha, I’m winning in that department, and I hadn’t even realized I was.

“And that fucker, I’ll hate him always for stealing her from me.”

We both look to where Aiden is pointing his stick very blatantly at the IceCats’ goalie.

Wes moves his gaze to Aiden as he scrunches up his face. “In all reality, didn’t you steal her from him?”

Aiden whips his head to Wes, fire in his gray gaze. “For one, she loved me, not him. She was using his body, probably thinking of me as he ineffectively tried to bang her.” He pauses, and his face reminds me of a tomato. “Great. Now I’m thinking of that tall bastard fucking my girl.”

I shake my head, chuckling at him, but before I can try to change the subject, I hear, “Got something to say, Brooks?”

I look over to see the goalie, Merryweather, standing at the blue line, his gaze focused like a laser on Aiden.

“Yeah, fuck you.”

“Ha! Nah. But if I wasn’t madly in love with my woman and she wasn’t having my baby, I’d get your girl again.”

“You son of a bitch—” Before Aiden can get far, I press my hand to his chest. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get pulled tonight.”

Nico scoffs. “You’d actually have to be able to score to do that. We all know you don’t have the stick—on or off the ice.”