ALEX AND RIVER hold my hands as we stand in front of a crowd of reporters. Misty gives us the thumbs-up from where she stands behind us. Piper, Lucas, Jax and Sidney watch from the side.
Misty thought the best way to go about this was to get in front of it and she set this all up like it’s no big deal. To my surprise Alex and River were more than willing to get it all out there. No matter how many times they prove it, I’m still surprised when they put me first.
We’re in the arena press room, and I’m one hundred percent sure she didn’t get permission for any of this.
“What did you call us all here for?” a reporter in the front asks. They all look eager for the story.
Alex steps forward. “We’ve been keeping a secret that needs to come out. That we honestly should’ve told you from the beginning.”
There’s a low hum as they all whisper amongst themself.
River takes the microphone from Alex, surprising us both. “We did something we technically weren’t supposed to. Something we were warned off of, but honestly, it was impossible not to. This is Dr. Mia Brooks. You may know her as the creator of the Center-Ice Challenge that Alex and I helped support. What you don’t know is the two of us are absolutely in love with her.”
The crowd grows loud, to the point I can barely hear the next question. “Isn’t it irresponsible to get involved with someone you work with? It looks unprofessional to me.”
River’s face looks feral as he says, “I honestly don’t give a shit what you think. Not when it comes to us, to them.”
Warmth fills my chest, and he wraps an arm around me. If we go down, we’re going down together.
The reporter steps back, nodding along like he respects it. Alex grabs the microphone. “I hope you caught your sound bite because we won’t be talking about it again. What I do want to address is how Astrocorp dropped their funding to the Prosthetics For Kids charity the second they found out about our relationship.”
The crowd changes from curious to mad swiftly, and I know Alex has them on our side.
He continues. “Losing the main sponsor has obviously hurt the charity’s progress, but there’s something we can all do about it. I challenge everyone watching this to participate in the Center-Ice Challenge, then I want you to challenge everyone you know. Help make a difference.”
A sour-faced reporter is up next. “Don’t you think you’re being selfish? Hurting your career, losing her sponsor. Do you think it’s worth it?”
Alex grins. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
Misty steps up, grabbing the mic, and my shoulders relax. “That’s it for questions. Thank you all for joining us on such short notice.”
She ushers us out of the back door, the noise from the room cutting off when it closes.
Damon Everette, the owner of the Bruins, is leaning against the wall watching us. The guys freeze beside me before stepping slightly in front, as if blocking me from whatever he’s going to say.
“I’m not sorry,” Alex says. “Take the captaincy, trade me. I don’t care.”
The man looks over the three of us, and then his attention lands on Misty. There’s a slight blush curling up her neck and pinkening her cheeks as he spends several seconds too long watching her.
He surprises us. “I’d be more pissed if you didn’t stand up for yourselves. If the press tries to spin this badly, I have faith Misty will fix it. Now, get out of here before I change my mind.”
That breaks us out of our trance, and Alex leads me through several halls out the back exit, where Sidney, Jax, Piper, and Lucas are waiting for us.
Jax smiles wide, all dimples. “It’s about fucking time.”
