Break My Heart: An Enemies-to-Lovers Coach’s Daughter Sports Romance (Western Wildcats Hockey)
Break My Heart: Chapter 4

“Who’s hungry?” Colby asks as we shove through the arena doors into the crisp evening air. “Because I’m fucking famished.” He pats his belly.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do believe it’s Tuesday,” Steele adds.

Ford grins. “Taco Tuesday it is!” He pulls out his phone. “I’ll call the girls. They can meet us there.”

“Guess I could put away a few tacos,” Bridger adds, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

A curvy body slams into mine and I replace Larsa Middleton hanging off my neck. She’s got dark eyes that always seem to sparkle with mischief, and right now they’re locked on mine.

“How about me? Am I invited to Taco Loco?”

I give her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, sweetheart. I won’t be heading over. I’ve got other plans this evening.”

Her lower lip juts out in a pout that probably works on most guys. “Can’t you change them?”

I shake my head, not even tempted in the least. “Nope. Maybe next time.”

She stretches onto the tips of her toes and nips my earlobe with sharp teeth, whispering, “That’s too bad. I was hoping we could spend a little one-on-one time together. Or, if you’re up to it, maybe two-on-one.”

Before I can respond, movement catches the corner of my eye, and my head swivels so fast that I nearly give myself whiplash. My attention locks on the blonde striding across campus about twenty yards away. Her ponytail bounces with every determined step she takes.

Ava.

The girl I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since our memorable encounter in the locker room.

As if she can feel the heat of my stare, she glances up from her phone. Her eyes narrow as soon as our gazes collide. The smile I flash is met with a scowl before she dismisses me and continues on her way.

“Hayes?”

It’s only when Ava disappears around the corner of a building that I glance at Larsa and realize she’s still clinging to me. “As fun as that sounds,” I say, untangling her arms from around my neck, “I’m gonna have to pass.”

“Boo.” She swings away, eyeing Ford and Colby for a few seconds before dismissing them. Larsa knows better than to mess with either of my teammates. Carina and Britt both made sure of that. If she crosses the line again, it won’t end well for her.

The grin Steele flashes her way makes his dimples pop. “You can ride on the back of my bike.”

She gives it a second of consideration before setting her sights on his cousin. “No, thanks.”

“Okay, the girls are in. They’ll meet us at Taco Loco in ten,” Ford announces, pocketing his phone.

I glance back to the last place I saw the petite blonde. The words are out of my mouth before I can reel them back in. “Did you guys know Coach has a daughter?”

Ford glances at me with mild confusion. “Yeah, there’s a picture of her in his office. You never noticed?”

I frown. “Nope.”

With a smirk, Bridger shakes his head. “You’re totally oblivious, dude.”

“Not when it matters,” I shoot back.

Colby raises an eyebrow. “And when exactly would that be? On the ice and between the sheets?”

I point at him and smile. “Correctamundo.”

Before the conversation can spin any further out of control, our phones buzz simultaneously with an incoming text. The air around us shifts as we all exchange uneasy glances. Ever since last semester, Bridger’s been getting blasted by mass messages from the university’s system. Nobody’s been able to figure out who’s behind it. The texts started out as a joke, but now they’re way past funny.

More like brutal.

I unlock my phone and glance at the screen.

Shit.

It’s bad.

The image might be blurry, but it’s unmistakable.

Bridger’s pants are down, and some girl’s face is smashed against his groin.

Can’t say she doesn’t have game.

But this doesn’t seem like the time to point that out.

Even Larsa’s gone quiet as she stares at her phone in disbelief.

“Dude…” Steele mutters, reaching out to comfort his cousin.

But our teammate swats his hand away before snarling, “I’m so fucking sick of this bullshit.”

“I know,” Colby says, his usual humor nowhere to be found. “We’ll figure out who’s doing this.”

Bridger pinches the bridge of his nose. “How? I’ve tried. Whoever’s behind it knows what they’re doing.”

“Can’t we talk to the cyber security department at the university? Maybe they have connections who can help,” I suggest.

Bridger sighs. “My dad already reached out to them. There’s nothing they can do. But I guess it’s worth another shot.”

When his phone rings, he silences it without even checking who it is.

“Is that your dad?” Ford asks carefully.

“Probably. I’m not really in the mood for an ass chewing right now.”

Steele nods toward the parking lot. “Let’s get out of here and grab some food. It’ll take your mind off it for a while. Then we’ll try to come up with a plan.”

Bridger shakes his head. “You guys go ahead. I’m gonna stop by my dad’s office before he loses it.”

“Want us to come with you?” his cousin asks, a hard glint filling his gray eyes. “There’s always strength in numbers.”

Bridger’s expression softens. “Nah, I’ll be fine. Catch you guys later.”

In silence, we watch as Bridger walks away. The poor guy looks like he has the weight of the world resting on his shoulders.

Colby sighs. “Who knew his old man was such a dick?”

We all mutter in agreement.

“Guess we should get moving,” Ford says, heading toward the parking lot.

As we reach my beat-up truck, I realize that Larsa has vanished too. That’s probably for the best. She’s not exactly on great terms with the girls after the last time Carina caught her hitting on Ford.

Colby unlocks his shiny new Escalade as he and Ford climb inside. Steele beelines for his motorcycle.

“Meet you there?” Colby asks.

I shake my head. “Sorry. Like I told Larsa, I’ve got plans.”

Ford laughs. “And here I thought you were just feeding her a bullshit excuse.”

“Nope. Real plans.” I wave my teammates off and duck into my ancient ’96 Ford Bronco before they decide to pepper me with more questions. Those two are the nosiest bastards I know.

I fire up the engine, and the familiar rumble drowns out their voices as I pull out of the lot, driving in the opposite direction of Taco Loco. It doesn’t take long for the quiet to settle around me as I enjoy the hum of the road beneath the tires. Thirty minutes later and I’m pulling into the narrow gravel driveway of the single-story house that has seen better days.

The moment I park, the front door flies open, and Theo comes barreling out like a missile. The screen door slams against the aluminum siding before reverberating on its hinges.

“Theodore!” Mom’s voice carries from inside.

Theo ignores her, launching himself at me with a wide grin. The kid’s only ten, but he’s built like a tank, just like I was at the same age.

Ollie, my thirteen-year-old brother, lingers in the doorway, arms crossed against his chest, trying to play it cool. He’s been full of attitude lately.

I scoop up Theo in a mock wrestling move. “Missed you, little bro.”

“What’s it been, like a week?” Ollie asks, voice dripping with teenage indifference. There’s the barest glint of humor in his eyes.

I set Theo down and grin at Ollie, knowing exactly how to push his buttons.

“No—”

Before he can react, I tackle him, hoisting him up like we’re about to go full-on WWE. He squirms, laughing despite himself. By the time we’re done messing around, both of us are winded and our hair is mussed.

Mom stands in the doorway, watching with a smile. “Hello, sweetie.”

“Hey, Ma.” I straighten my clothing and shoot a grin at my brother before giving her a kiss on the cheek. With a glare, he gives me the finger. It’s tempting to put him in a headlock.

Instead, I turn to my sister, Kia, who’s standing by my side, grinning up at me with a gap in her smile.

“Look! I lost a tooth,” she says proudly, pointing to her mouth.

I crouch down, pretending to inspect the damage. “Looks to me like you lost two teeth.”

She beams. “The tooth fairy gave me four dollars!”

“Well, you better save it,” I say, scooping her up. She’s fine-boned, like our mother, and light as a feather.

Her arms tangle around my neck as she clings to me like a baby rhesus monkey.

She cups her fingers around my ear and whispers, “I hid it in Dolly’s diaper so the boys don’t take it.”

I carefully tap the side of her head. “Smart thinking. Probably the last place they’d look.”

When she flashes a dimpled grin, my heart melts. With her mess of golden curls and big blue eyes, she’s way too adorable for her own good.

Dinner is simple—Hamburger Helper, one of my childhood favorites. It’s comforting in all the right ways. Throughout the meal, my brothers compete for the funniest story, Kia picks at her food, and Mom just looks tired. The dark circles under her eyes never really went away after Dad died five years ago. Even though it’s been a challenge, she’s done her best to hold everything together for us.

After dinner, I help clean up while the kids retreat to their rooms. Once she settles at the small kitchen table with a cup of decaf, I pull a wad of cash from my pocket and set it down in front of her.

Mom stares at it for a long moment before looking up at me, emotions swirling in her hazel eyes. “You know… if we took them out of hockey, it would help with some of the expenses.”

I shake my head. “Forget it. They need the structure and discipline.”

She reluctantly glances at the cash again.

“They’d get into trouble without it,” I add when it looks like she’ll argue. “You don’t need that stress.”

She nods as wetness gathers in her eyes. “Oh, Hayes…” She sniffs, trying to hold it together. “I know I don’t say it enough, but I’m so grateful for everything you do.”

Thick emotion clogs my throat. “You don’t need to thank me. We’re family. We only have each other to lean on.”

“Your father would be proud of the man you’ve become.”

We sit in silence until she dries her tears. Only then do I glance at my phone, knowing I need to get back to school. I still have a pile of work to do before calling it a day. Sometimes it feels like the grind never stops.

I jerk a thumb toward their bedrooms. “I’ll say goodbye to the kids and then take off.”

She swipes at red-rimmed eyes before rising to her feet as I do the same.

Her fingers trail over the thick wad of bills. “That’s a lot of cash.” She picks it up before flicking a concerned glance my way. “I’m almost afraid to ask how you’re making this much money.”

I force a smile and keep my tone light. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing illegal.”

Her teeth scrape against her lower lip before chewing it. “I really hope not. The last thing I want is for you to jeopardize your future.”

I press a gentle kiss against her forehead. “You know I’d never do that. The NHL is our ticket to a better life.”

Some of the tension drains from her thin shoulders. “Good.”

I spend the next twenty minutes watching stupid videos online with my brothers and then read Kia her favorite book about a hound dog named Charlie before walking out of the house.

As I head back to school, I think about how different our lives will be a year from now. We’ll have more money than we know what to do with. It’ll be falling out of our asses. Mom won’t have to worry or put in extra hours so she can make ends meet.

All the shit we’ve had to go through will be nothing more than an ugly, distant memory.

It’s what keeps me motivated and focused on the things that matter.

My family.

Hockey.

School.

In that order.

And there isn’t room for anything else.