My Hockey Stepbrother’s Obesession

Chapter 3

Lily.

I changed my outfit four times before settling on a simple black dress that's elegant enough for Rossi's but casual enough to say ‘I'm not trying to impress anyone’.

Especially not Dane Lucas.

The fact that I'm even thinking about what he'll think made me want to scream into my pillow.

Dad drops me off at the restaurant at exactly seven. "You okay, mija?" he asks, and I can hear the concern in his voice. He knows about the engagement, Mom called him yesterday to "discuss” and he knows I'm not thrilled.

"I'm fine," I lied, kissing his cheek. "Just dinner. I'll survive."

"Text me if you need an exit strategy."

I promise I will, even though we both know I won't use it.

The hostess leads me to a private dining room in the back, and my stomach drops when I see who's already there.

Mom and Matthew are sitting close together on one side of the table, holding hands like teenagers. They look happy. Genuinely, disgustingly happy.

And across from them, sprawled in his chair like he owns the place, is Dane.

He's wearing a dark gray button-down that fits him way too well, sleeves rolled up to his forearms. His hair is slightly damp, like he showered right before coming here, and when he sees me, that infuriating smirk spreads across his face.

"Lily!" Mom jumps up, pulling me into a hug. "You look beautiful, honey. Come sit, come sit."

She guides me to the chair directly across from Dane.

Of course.

"Lily, this is Matthew." Mom's practically glowing. "Matthew, my daughter."

Matthew Lucas stands, extending his hand. He's handsome in that distinguished older-man way—salt-and-pepper hair, kind eyes, expensive suit. I can see where Dane gets his looks.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you, Lily," he says warmly. "Your mother talks about you constantly. I hear you're quite the skater."

"Nice to meet you too," I manage, shaking his hand.

"And of course you know Dane."

Dane raises his water glass in mock salute. "Hey, Princess."

Mom's eyebrows shoot up. "Princess?"

"Inside joke," Dane says smoothly. "From school."

I kick him under the table. Hard.

He doesn't even flinch, just gives me a look that says “two can play this game”.

"Well," Matthew says, settling back into his seat, "I'm glad we could all get together. I know this is a big change for both of you, but Elena and I really believe this is going to be wonderful for everyone."

The waiter arrived to take drink orders, giving me a moment to collect myself. I ordered water. Dane ordered a Coke. Our parents ordered wine.

This is going to be a long night.

"So, Dane," Mom says once the waiter leaves, "your father tells me you're captain of the hockey team. That's quite an accomplishment."

"Thanks. It's a lot of responsibility, but I like it." He leans back in his chair, all casual confidence. "Lily's the real athlete in the family though. Regional champion, right, Princess?"

There's that nickname again. I grit my teeth.

"Two years in a row," I say sweetly. "No thanks to you."

Mom laughs nervously. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing," Dane and I say simultaneously.

Matthew and Mom exchange glances.

"Actually," Dane continues, his eyes locked on mine, "Lily and I share the rink. Figure skating and hockey. We've run into each other a few times over the years."

Run into each other. That's one way to describe him body-checking me into the boards and destroying my ankle.

"How nice that you already know each other!" Mom claps her hands together. "This will make the transition so much easier."

"Absolutely," I say through clenched teeth. "We know each other very well."

Dane's smirk widens.

The waiter returned with our drinks and took our dinner orders. I barely registered what I was saying, something with chicken, probably. I'm too focused on not reaching across the table and strangling my future stepbrother.

"So," Matthew says once the waiter leaves, "I wanted to talk about the living arrangements. Dane, you'll keep your room, of course. Lily, we've set up the guest suite for you. It has its own bathroom and a small sitting area. I think you'll really like it."

"That sounds lovely," I say automatically and regret it immediately. We’re supposed to dispute this.

"The house is only twenty minutes from the rink," Mom adds, squeezing my hand. "Much closer than our apartment. You can sleep in an extra hour before early morning practice."

She's trying. I can see that she's trying.

"And Dane," Matthew continues, "I'll expect you to help Lily get settled. Show her around the neighborhood, introduce her to your friends…"

"Dad," Dane interrupts, "I don't think Lily wants to hang out with my friends."

"Actually," I hear myself say, "that would be great."

Dane's head snaps toward me, eyes narrowed.

I smile innocently. If we're supposed to be pretending we can't stand each other, I might as well have some fun with it.

"I mean," I continue, "it would be nice to expand my social circle. I spend so much time at the rink. Meeting new people sounds wonderful."

"See?" Mom beams. "I knew you two would get along."

Under the table, Dane's foot finds mine. Not a kick, more like a warning tap.

I press my heel down on his toes.

His jaw tightens, but his smile doesn't falter. "Sure, Princess. I'll introduce you to all my friends. They're going to love you."

There's something dangerous in the way he says it, like a threat wrapped in charm.

The food arrived, and for a few minutes, everyone was focused on eating. I push pasta around my plate, not really hungry.

"Oh!" Mom sets down her fork suddenly. "I almost forgot. Matthew and I have been discussing the wedding, and we'd love for you both to be part of the ceremony. Dane, Matthew was hoping you'd be his best man. And Lily, I was thinking you could be my maid of honor?"

"I'd be honored," I say, because what else can I say?

"Great!" Matthew grins at Dane. "What do you say, son?"

"Yeah. Sure. Sounds good."

"Wonderful! And here's the exciting part—" Mom's eyes are sparkling now, "—we've decided to move the wedding up. We're thinking six weeks instead of three months."

"Six weeks?" I nearly dropped my fork.

"We just don't see the point in waiting," Matthew explains. "We're ready to start our life together. And this way, you kids can settle into the house before Lily's big competition season really kicks into high gear."

"That's... soon," I managed.

"Too soon?" Mom's face falls.

"No, no. It's fine. Great. Six weeks is... great."

Dane is silent beside me, and when I glance at him, there's something unreadable in his expression.

"Actually," he says slowly, "I think that's a great idea. Why wait, right?"

I kicked him again, harder this time. What is he doing? We're supposed to be making them think this is a bad idea, not encouraging them.

He catches my ankle between his, holding it there.

My breath stopped.

Under the table, hidden from our parents' view, his fingers brush against my calf. Light. Barely there. Just enough to make every nerve ending in my body light up.

I jerk my leg away, face burning.

"Lily, honey, are you feeling alright?" Mom asks. "You look flushed."

"I'm fine. Just warm in here."

Dane takes a slow sip of his Coke, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

The dinner continued, but I barely registered. I can still feel the ghost of his touch on my skin, and I hate that I can't stop thinking about it.

Finally, mercifully, the check comes. Matthew insists on paying. We all stand, heading toward the exit.

In the parking lot, Mom pulls me aside while Matthew and Dane walk ahead.

"So?" she whispers. "What do you think? Honestly?"

I watch Dane laugh at something his father said, hands in his pockets, looking relaxed and happy.

"I think," I say carefully, "this is going to be more complicated than you realize."

"Change is always complicated, honey. But sometimes it's worth it." She kisses my forehead. "Give it a chance. Give them a chance."

I promised I would, even though I have no idea how I'm supposed to give Dane Lucas a chance when I can't even be in the same room with him without my entire body betraying me.

We were walking to our cars when Dane fell into step beside me.

"Smooth, Princess," he murmurs, quiet enough that our parents can't hear. "Real subtle with that 'meet your friends' bit."

"Annoying you is a good use of my time, tell me, did it work?"

"It worked." He was close enough that I could smell his cologne, something clean and masculine that made my stomach flip. "But two can play this game."

"It's not a game."

"Isn't it?" He stops at his truck, turning to face me fully. "Six weeks, Lily. In six weeks, we're going to be living under the same roof. Sharing the same space. Seeing each other every single day."

"Don't remind me."

"I'm just saying…" his voice drops lower, “…you might want to work on that poker face. Wouldn't want our parents thinking something is going on between us."

"There's nothing going on between us."

"No?" He reaches out, and for one heart-stopping moment, I think he's going to touch me. Instead, he plucks a piece of lint off my shoulder, his fingers barely grazing the fabric of my dress. "Then why are you shaking?"

I'm not shaking.

Except I am.

"Go to hell, Dane."

"See you at home, Princess."

He climbs into his truck and drives away, leaving me standing in the parking lot, my heart racing, wondering what the hell just happened.

My phone buzzes.

Dane: “For the record? You're a terrible liar. And in six weeks, when we're living together, I'm going to prove it.”

I stare at the message, then at his taillights disappearing down the street.

This is going to be a disaster.

A complete, total, absolute disaster.

And the worst part?

I can't wait.