I’m half asleep when Collette’s phone starts buzzing, not a single buzz, but a relentless, aggressive vibration that sounds like a swarm of bees has taken up residence on my nightstand.
“What the fuck.” I groan, reaching for her.
But she’s already sitting up, grabbing her phone, staring at the screen with an expression that wakes me up faster than any alarm.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
She doesn’t answer, she just scrolls, fast, and her face has gone white.
“Lettie. What is it?”
“Oh no,” she whispers. “No, no, no.”
I sit up and look over her shoulder. The screen is a wall of notifications, her work accounts are blowing up.
And then I see the headline.
Mavericks Captain’s Secret Romance With Team Physio
Underneath it is a photo of Cap and Jo in the medical room at the arena, with her hands on his face, and him looking at her like she’s his entire world. It’s intimate, private, and it’s everywhere.
“Fuck,” I breathe. But also, the tiniest bubble of hope blooms because the captain seems to have had a secret, too.
“I have to go.” She’s already out of bed, pulling on clothes and grabbing her shoes. “I have to get to Jo and Emmett before Pierre does.”
“Wait.” I grab her arm. “You knew about them.”
She stops and looks at me. I can see it on her face, the guilt, the conflict, the fact that she’s been hiding her sister’s secret from her husband. “It’s a complicated story, which I will tell you about later, but, yes, I knew. It was the reason I knew my sister wouldn’t tell anyone about us.”
“For how long?” I ask.
“A while.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“It wasn’t my secret to tell. I have to go, Jo needs me.” She’s right.I know she’s right.But it stings. “Babe.” She stops at the bedroom door and looks at me. “I need you to rally the guys, because Emmett’s going to need them as backup when dealing with my brothers.”
“On it.”
Then she’s gone, the front door closes, and I’m alone in bed staring at a photo of my captain and my secret sister-in-law making out, which the entire world is now dissecting.
I open the boys’ chat and post the headline into it.
Bouch: What the fuck.
Nelly: Is this AI?
Evan: It’s too fucking early.
Sully: Fuck.
Bouch: @sully, is this true? You’re his bestie. Is the Cap seriously hooking up with a St. Pierre?
Sully: I’ll let him explain.
Nelly: You knew.
Sully: It’s not what you think.