Page 161 of The Heart Breaker

She shakes her head. “No, but I’m a hockey player. And hockey players fight.”

Austin chuckles, ruffling his daughter’s hair. “Like father, like daughter,” he says with a wink.

Austin may not be a fighter, but he does live for hockey, and so does his daughter. Ryan and Austin had their kids on skates pretty much the second they could walk, and Ava took to hockey immediately. Her twin sister, on the other hand, went the other way completely and took after her mom. I catch her spinning across the deck sometimes, doing little pirouettes. It’s cute as hell.

But honestly… no one can disagree with the kid. Hockey players love to fight, and I used to, too, once upon a time. Used to need it, honestly. It got shit off my chest in a way not much else did. But these days I don’t have a reason to. I like playing a clean game and I like coming home to my wife even more.

I got a contract handed to me my senior year, and even though I love tattooing, I knew I wanted to give Aurora a good life. Wanted her to have everything she could ever want, so I signed with them.

I still tattoo, though—don’t get me wrong—but now I just tattoo my wife and my friends instead of strangers.

The only one of us guys who isn’t in the NHL is Nathan, who’s about to publish his sixth comic and still acts shy every time someone brings it up, even though his books are cool as hell and selling like crazy.

Isabella’s still killing it as a sports analyst, but now she works for her husband’s team, which means she doesn’t have to travel all the time or be away from her family.

Maisie still owns the bookstore café she always wanted and has even expanded to a bigger place.

And Aurora sold five paintings for a ridiculous amount of money and now owns a gallery, which still makes me endlessly proud whenever I think about it. She used to dream about getting one painting on a wall. Now she owns all the damn walls.

“I’m hungry,” Ava says, dropping onto the chair with a pout.

“God, me too,” Isabella says when she reaches the deck.

“Same. Where the hell are Nathan and Logan?” Austin asks, swiping his forearm across his sweaty forehead as he looks around. “Don’t tell me they’re still asleep.”

Ryan lets out a quiet laugh beside him and shakes his head. “No. They’re in the kitchen. Nathan’s making pancakes, and Logan keeps stealing pieces to feed Alex.”

“Actually, I helped.”

I glance toward the door.

Speak of the devil.

Logan pushes out onto the deck with their one-year-old in his arms.

Nathan follows behind him carrying a plate stacked with pancakes and scoffs when he places the pancakes onto the table. “You cracked two eggs.”

Logan shoots him a wink. “It turned you on, Hayes. Don’t lie.”

Isabella grimaces. “Gross. I really don’t want to hear that when it comes to my brother, thanks.”

“Alright, I need food before I actually die,” Austin says, dropping into one of the chairs and dragging a plate closer. “Kids, come eat!”

Cameron tears back across the deck and Leah follows right behind him, but her foot catches on the step and she falls, scraping her knee on the wood.

She lets out a cry and Austin is out of his chair the second she hits the ground, but before he can get there, Cameron stops, turns around, and runs back to her.

He drops to his knees in front of her, reaching for her arm to help her up.

Leah’s face crumples, but when Cameron puts his plastic sword into her hand, the tears stop.

She blinks down at it, then up at him, and a smile spreads across her face. He wraps his arms around her in a hug and helps her up onto the deck, Maisie lifting her into her lap to wrap a Band-Aid on her knee.

Aurora laughs under her breath and turns toward me, her brows lifting. “Uh oh. I sense a romance.”

I snort and pull her in a little closer, because if Austin hears that, he’ll lose his shit.

Kids are cute. I’ll give them that. Being the cool aunt and uncle is still better, though.