Page 111 of Risky Play

She shrugged. “He was more concerned with finding out the problem and setting the cast. But…probably. Any time I’ve broken a limb, that's it for my hockey season.”

The knots in my stomach began to untangle. Okay, just a broken limb. It could have been so much worse. Especially in this violent sport we all loved.

“Does he want visitors?” Noah asked Luna.

“Can he have any?” Dinah corrected.

Luna turned toward me. “He’s been asking for you specifically. But he won’t mind everyone.”

I forgot that my brother was standing next to me. Ignoring all the fear that had been tying me down, I sprung up from my chair and followed Luna to her brother’s hospital room. My heart plummeted into my stomach when I stepped inside and saw how miserable Matt looked in that hospital bed.

“Sweet pea,” he whispered.

“Baby!” I cried as I rushed over to him, pulling him into a hug. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I know.”

I pulled back, and my heart broke at how in pain he obviously was. “No, you don’t know. I was so scared of what Noah would think. I love you, okay? I’m sorry. How do you feel? What can I get you?”

His lips curved up into a smile. “I’m okay. I just wanted to see you. I missed you. C’mere.”

I did as he asked, framing his face as I bent down to kiss him. I put all my feelings into the kiss, trying to show him with my body how much I missed him.

I would have climbed into the hospital bed with him if the loud clearing of a throat hadn’t forced me to wrench away.

All the blood drained from my face when I saw Noah standing there with his brow furrowing. Dinah and Luna had already taken up residence in the chairs next to the bed. I think if they had a bowl of popcorn, they would have eaten out of it as they watched. Assholes.

“Does someone want to explain to me what’s going on here?” Noah asked, gesturing between the two of us.

Matt opened his mouth, but I held up a hand to stop him and whirled on my brother. “No, you don’t get to do that overprotective big brother thing. Matt’s my boyfriend, and I love him, and there’s nothing you can do to stop that. Don’t tell him if he hurts me, you’ll kill him. I’m an adult and can make my own choices.”

Noah stared back at me in silence.

“And…this was on me. Matt wanted to do the right thing. As soon as we got together, he wanted to sit you down to tell you his intentions, but I wanted to keep it a secret. Until…he couldn’t handle lying to you anymore. I’m the one that fucked up. Not him. So if you’re gonna be mad at anyone, it’s me. But you don’t get to dictate my love life, Noah! It’s my life.”

My chest was heaving as I stared down at my brother.

He raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Matt.

Then he laughed. He tipped back his head and laughed. I looked at Dinah, and she shrugged while Matt looked scared.

Once Noah stopped laughing, he walked over toward Matt. I tensed up immediately. “You love my sister?” he asked Matt.

“Yes,” Matt said. His eyes hardened like he was ready for a fight. My heart sang at the idea of him fighting for me no matter what my brother was about to say.

“You good to her?”

Matt nodded. “One hundred percent.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” I shrieked. “Just okay? That’s all you have to say?”

Noah gave me a hard look. “Mads, did you think I didn’t know?”

“Yes?”

I was so confused. What was going on? Dinah said she didn’t think he knew, and she didn’t tell him about what happened at their wedding.