Page 252 of Skating the Pucking Line

There’s a scream that turns my blood to ice as Cooper races around the corner.

“Get your hands off him,” Cooper barks.

I blink as the scene we’re stumbling upon clears before me. I swear everything freezes for a few seconds before someone presses fast-forward.

Cooper manages to grab Ryker a beat before Wayne’s fist connects with his face.

I race forward, managing to catch him before he crashes to the floor.

Pulling him into my arms, I ensure he’s turned away as Cooper throws a punch of his own that lands square on Wayne’s jaw.

“Don’t you ever lay a fucking hand on them,” he shouts as Huxley races over to us and gets in on the hug.

“It’s okay, bro,” he whispers, soothing Ryker, who’s trembling in our arms.

“I’ve got you both. You’re safe,” I assure them. “Cooper is here.”

Wayne slumps against the kitchen island as his eldest son glares down at him, his massive frame trembling with pent-up rage.

“The fuck is wrong with you?” Cooper spits. “You don’t fucking hit them. You never fucking hit them. They’re kids.”

“They’re a disappointment,” Wayne shouts back, one hand clutching his jaw. “They need to be taught a lesson.”

“No. What they need is to be away from you. Far, far away from you.”

Wayne’s nostrils flare, his eyes full of nothing but hate and anger. I’m not sure if it’s directed at Cooper or everything in his life.

“They wouldn’t survive without me.”

“You want to fucking bet?” Cooper sneers.

“What are you going to do? Take them back with you?” Wayne sighs in disappointment. “You can’t look after them. You’re just as useless as him.”

“No, he’s not,” I argue, speaking before I can stop myself. “Cooper would be a better guardian than you’ve ever been.”

“What the hell would you know? Who even are you?”

There’s a beat of silence, then⁠—

“He’s my boyfriend.”

68

COOPER

Ihear those two words as if someone else said them.

It isn’t until my father begins laughing like a maniac that I realize they came from me.

“Your boyfriend. Fucking hell, Cooper. You’re meant to find a girlfriend. How could you fuck that up as well when you’re constantly surrounded by puck bunnies? What is wrong with you?”

“Me?” I ask, pointing at myself. “There’s nothing wrong with me. The only person here with an issue is you.” He laughs again. “I’m more of a man and a player than you’ll ever be.”

“Christ, you really believe that, don’t you?”

The soft cries of my brother hit my ears, and for the first time since racing into this room, I look back.

I didn’t need to before; I knew without a doubt that Garrett would have mine and my brothers’ backs.