“HEY, WAIT UP!” Misty cheerfully calls out from behind us.
Alex and I turn, spotting the pixie-like girl skipping toward us.
Alex lifts his chin in a nod. “What’s up?”
“So, I was out with Mia last night.”
Fuck, I don’t need any reminders from last night. I’d heard Alex and Mia coming down the hall; then, seeing him press her against her door had me shoving my hand down my pants. Which I then had to whip out because Alex was opening up the door without even kissing her. I’d asked him what the hell happened, but he just collapsed on the couch, pulled a pillow over his face, and screamed into it.
“That rough, eh?” I asked, and he just groaned.
“So fucking rough.”
“Earth to River?” Misty waves in my face, and I snap out of it.
“Do you need something?”
She and Alex tilt their heads, and a slow smile curls on her lips. “I’d kill to know what has you so distracted, but you’re going to want to pay attention because we’re talking about your girl.”
I lean closer and wait for her to continue. I’ve been called intimidating, but nothing seems to faze this girl.
“Do you plan to help Mia with her charity?” she asks.
Alex raises a brow like he can’t believe she asked. “Yeah. I’m not sure you know this, but of course we will.”
“No. I know you would help. But are you willing to help, help? In an official capacity?”
“Yeah?” he replies.
“Okay!” She claps her hands together. “She wants to do this amazing challenge, which is honestly pretty brilliant. She just needs a tiny boost, and you can give her that.”
Mia may not know it yet, but I’d give her anything she asked for. I don’t think I’m capable of saying no. “She know what you’re up to?”
“Kinda. She knows I’ve got some ideas but that I’m still working them out. You know?” Misty talks a mile a minute, and her voice raises in pitch with each word.
Alex nods and grins at her. “Alright then. Don’t leave us hanging. What does our girl need?”
“She needs spokespeople for her charity. She’s got this wicked idea to do an ice water challenge, and she needs someone with a big enough social presence to do it. I figure we can start with you and River, then hopefully rope some other players in. Plus, this is exactly what Damon’s looking for.”
“What, like stick your head in ice water?”
“Something like that.”
“Oh, Lucas would be down for that.” Alex grins.
Misty raises a brow. “What’s with that smile?”
“What do you mean?” Alex sounds anything but innocent.
“Anyway. Will you help?”
“We’ll help,” I say, but then I look at her seriously. “You know Alex and I can do this on our own, but we can’t involve the team without permission from Damon Everette.”
“Oh, I know.” Misty’s brows pull together, and for the first time, she looks something other than happy. “Don’t worry. I know exactly what I’ll do about him.”
Alex drops his head to rest on the seat. “Do you think she’s alright?”
“Mia?” I tense. “Did something else happen last night?”
“No. Honestly, it’s not fair that she’s still that hot when she’s drunk. Like, at least go cross-eyed or something.”
I bite back a laugh. “I don’t think she would let that asshole get the best of her, but that doesn’t mean she’s okay. She’s doing that thing where she pretends everything is fine when it clearly is fucking not.”
“You sure we can’t kill him?”
I grit my teeth, wishing I was someone other than a hockey player for the first time in my life. “Pretty fucking sure.”
He huffs. “So what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to take care of our girl. Starting with dinner.”
“It’s us, Love.”
There’s a rustling sound, and then the doors swing open and she’s standing there like she has no idea how fucking beautiful she is. Mia’s wearing these fucking tiny sleep shorts that have…ducks on them and a thin white tank top.
My jaw snaps shut when I realize it’s dropped open, and I hold up the bag of Chinese food we’d grabbed on our way here. “You hungry?”
She looks ruffled, her hair twisted up with a pencil, a chaos of loose strands framing her face. The setting sun illuminates her from behind, giving her an almost ethereal look that feels perfectly fitting.
“You got me food?” she asks.
I look around her and see the floor is covered in a sea of multicolored sticky notes, and there are highlighters and pens everywhere. It looks like she’s been in some kind of mad scientist zone for a while. “When’s the last time you ate?”
She looks away. “Um…I ate.”
I gently hold her chin between my finger and thumb, tilting her head up so she meets my eyes. “Don’t lie to me, Mia.”
“Okay, I had some cheese slices a few hours ago. I’m fine.”
Alex squeezes by me, wraps his arms around her waist, and hauls her into his chest. “Kitten, eat with us, please?” He looks at her with sad, round eyes, and she caves.
“Okay, but then you have to go. I’ve almost got it figured out.”
“Figured what out, Love?” I divide the food onto a few plates and bring them to the living area, passing one to her and the other to Alex before going back for my own.
“The main financial backer for Prosthetics For Kids is coming to town this week and wants to go over my plans for the charity.” She takes a bite and hums in the back of her throat. I have to adjust my spot on the chair across from them.
Once she clears half her plate, I ask, “How can we help?”
“You really want to help?”
How can she not know? “I always want to help.”
She lets out a long breath, and her shoulders relax a little. I want to go over there and pull her into my arms, but I stay where I am, knowing that’s not what she needs from us right now. Now, she needs our support.
She looks over the stickies and opens and closes her mouth a few times before giving us a sheepish smile. “I’m not exactly sure where to start.”
Alex nudges his shoulder into hers and grabs her plate before standing. “Misty told us a bit about your idea today. Ice water. Nice.”
I gesture toward the array of sticky notes. “Why don’t you tell us what you’re working through.”
