Page 110 of Ethan
Ugh.
Ethan didn’t even react to the text. Just turned his phone off.
He didn’t need everyone telling him what to do; he’d gotten a goal and an assist tonight.
“Ice when we get home,” Charlie said from the front seat, all frustratingly know-it-all about it. Like Ethan wasn’t going toalreadyice. He was. And if Charlie didn’t make him, then he was pretty dang sure that Hank would remind him, too.
“I got it,” Ethan said a little testily. They’d won the game; he shouldn’t be so annoyed. But he was. Maybe he was the rookie, but he was tired of everyone, especially his brothers—telling him what to do.
Chapter 15
ThemomentAverypickedup, face blurry on Charlie’s phone screen, Ethan said, “If you say anything about Max or Max’s line, I’m going into my bedroom and locking the door.”
Avery shot Charlie a look. “Is he being like this all the time?”
“I barely said anything!” Charlie exclaimed.
“You said enough,” Ethan retorted. “Youbothsaid enough.”
“He’s just pissy because first game up, his boyfriend said the same thing,” Charlie said to Avery.
Ethan compressed his lips. He and Hank hadn’t had the boyfriend conversation yet. They’d had practice yesterday and they’d ended up getting roped into the weird quasi-double date that Max and Charlie had wanted the day before. They’d eaten at Max’s place, and then Charlie had picked a movie. A horrible movie, not surprisingly, but unlike the bad TV that Charlie liked to watch, he and Hank hadn’t even gotten to make out through it. And after, Charlie had dragged him back to their apartment like he was five years old.
After their game, they were leaving on a road trip for a couple of days, and honestly, it couldn’t come at a better time, becauseEthan wasveryready to be alone with Hank again. He still wasn’t convinced Charlie wasagainsthim and Hank, more like he kept trying to slow down the inevitable.
“He didn’t. Not really,” Ethan hedged. “He just doesn’t like seeing guys get aggressive with me on the ice. But I can handle it.”
Avery rolled his eyes. “Likeanyof us like seeing that. I’ve been thinking it—and saying it—for at least a month now. You’re doing great at center, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea to let Max protect you some.”
“Jonas protects me,” Ethan argued.
“Oh, please,” Charlie said. “Jonas is barely bigger than you are.”
“Jonas is bigger than both ofyou,” Ethan said, because he couldn’t help himself any longer.
“Kinda mean,” Avery retorted and Charlie made a face.
“It’s true,” Ethan muttered under his breath, refusing to feel guilty about it.
“Maybe Hank’ll protect you next time, especially after you dished him that gorgeous pass,” Avery suggested.
“Don’t encourage him,” Charlie said, handsome face still creased into unpleasant lines. “It’s already hard enough watching the two of them slobber all over each other.”
Ethan opened his mouth and then snapped it shut again. He met Avery’s eyes, and a knowing look passed between them. Maybe Charlie and Max weren’t “slobbering all over each other” but what they were doing might actually be worse, and both Ethan and Avery knew it.
But Ethan was already feeling the lingering guilt from the height comment, so he kept his mouth shut. Charlie didn’t have any freaking clue hownicehe could be.
“Fine, I won’t, then,” Avery said.
“Besides,” Charlie barged right ahead, like their oldest brother hadn’t said anything, “we’re not talking about Ethan and his new boyfriend. We’re talking aboutyou.”
“Wait, what?” Ethan asked at the same time as Avery groaned.
Charlie’s face did that reprimanding-slash-demanding thing it liked to do when he thought he knew best. “Tell Ethan what’s going on. Tell him what you told me.”
“I told you—” Avery broke off, muttering a quietfuckunder his breath. “I toldyou. I didn’t want to worry Ethan about it.”
“Yeah, because Charlie doesn’t stress about anything, ever,” Ethan inserted, trying not to be butthurt that Avery had told Charlie something he hadn’t wanted to tell Ethan. Heknewit happened, but he didn’t want his face rubbed in the fact that both of them still saw him as a kid.
