Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
He never should have taken it.
“He’s good.”
“Dude! He’s the best, and you know it.”
“God, you’re cocky.”
“Because I’m the one who gets the best for us while you sit back and let me do the work.”
“I’m the brains, you’re the muscle. We knew this going in, man,” Seth said, but his brother just rolled his eyes while Matty nursed his beer. He didn’t want it, but he didn’t have anything else to do or anything to contribute to the conversation. “You should see him, Matty, he’s great.”
“I can’t wait. Is he going to the NHL Combine? I assume so since all the rookies go for training.”
“He is,” Seth said with a nod. “Laurence may have done well here.”
Laurence smiled smugly as Matty chuckled. “He was always the best of us three.”
“But the laziest,” Seth added, and Laurence shrugged.
“Personality flaw. I don’t like skating for so long, I just want to shoot.”
“Which is why I’m in the NHL, and you guys are pushing papers.” He laughed along with them, but there was no humor in his laugh. Not when he was worried about Wells.
Laurence leaned forward and placed his beer on the table, laughing when Seth groaned and put a coaster under the bottle. “What? It’s expensive!”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re acting gay! It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not, asshole,” Seth spat back, rolling his eyes as he leaned back. “Be respectful of my stuff.”
“Okay,” Laurence said, shaking his head. “Anyway, I’m thinking of bringing Jodi with me to dinner when Avery comes up.”
Seth clucked his tongue. “Woo-wee, must be serious if you’re subjecting her to our family shitshow.”
Laurence laughed. “Right? It’s gonna be awesome or horrible. I think Mom will like her, though, and Dad will be nice enough.”
“Does he even talk to Jace?” Matty asked, and that had all three of them pausing.
“I think Dad asked him to pass the ketchup when we were down there last time,” Seth commented, and soon all three of them were laughing. “We should just accept that Dad will never like anyone we bring home.”
Matty was not naïve to that.
Laurence made a face. “Didn’t he like Amber, that girl you brought home a couple years ago?”
Seth paused. “Shit, he did, but I didn’t.”
Laurence laughed while Matty bit his lip. “Wait, they liked what’s her name who you were dating, Matty. Martha? Miranda? Missy?”
“Madison, wasn’t it?”
“Marie,” Matty supplied dryly. “And yes, they liked her since they set me up with her, but that was over before it started.”
“Oh, not your type?” Laurence asked, taking a swig of his beer.
“To say the least,” he answered, and he knew it was the perfect opening, the reason he had come. Yet, he didn’t say anything as Seth laughed.
“I’d do her.”
“You’d do anyone,” Laurence teased back, but Seth just shrugged.
“Probably. I’m not looking to settle down. I have a lot of prowling left to do.”
“That makes you sound like a sleaze,” Matty said, and Seth shrugged.
“I mean, if the shoe fits, eh?”
Rolling his eyes, Matty took a long pull of his beer as Seth stood. “Wanna play some NHL on the Xbox? Or are you tired, Matty? You look out of it.”
Matty nodded. “No, I’m down. I just have a lot on my mind.”
Laurence looked at Seth before looking back at Matty. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Does it have to do with Avery?”
“No, we’re good,” he answered, swallowing quickly. “Real good.”
“That’s awesome, I must say,” Seth said, moving to the TV where the gaming system was. “I mean, we’ve gone years with tension. It’s awesome to be a family again.”
But for how long? Once everyone found out, wouldn’t the tension come right back? Wouldn’t Matty be the outcast once more? Fuck, this was hard.
“Even if we’re fucked up as hell,” Laurence added with a nod. “But we’re family.”
“True that,” Seth added as he handed them the controllers. “And we aren’t that fucked up. It’s just Dad is a douche.”
“He’s a powerful man, what do you expect?”
“To treat his kids like equals, maybe?” Seth suggested, and Laurence rolled his eyes.
“We are his kids, not his employees. He’s our dad, we should respect him.”
“You gotta give respect to earn it,” Seth said, and Matty couldn’t agree more. Seth’s issues with their father burned deep. Their dad had always told Seth he’d never make it in the NHL long term because he was lazy. When he wanted to start his agency earlier, their father wouldn’t help fund it, saying he’d fail at that too. But Seth didn’t. He worked in all sorts of agencies for a while, and then when he got his trust, he used that money to go in with Laurence on his dream. Now he was doing great, a stacked clientele, and their father didn’t like that at all. He didn’t think that Seth deserved it. That he didn’t work that hard, but even Matty knew he did.