Rival Darling: A Young Adult Hockey Romance (The Darling Devils Series)

I DIDN’T OFTEN GET nervous. Especially not when meeting people. But, as I stood on Violet’s front doorstep on Sunday evening, I found my body betraying me. My stomach churned with anxiety, and my heart was beating loudly enough I feared it might give me away. This need to make a good first impression was an unfamiliar feeling, and I could already tell I was failing.

“Right on time,” Violet said, giving me a warm smile as she opened the door. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a fitted top that showed a flash of her stomach. Her hair fell in soft waves, vibrant against the light pallor of her skin. She was beautiful tonight. She was beautiful every time I saw her. It was difficult to appreciate though when her uncle had appeared in the corridor behind her like a dark and foreboding shadow.

My throat tightened at the sight of Luke’s fierce scowl. He certainly had the intimidating-parent glare down to a fine art. If he stalked around town looking at people that way, he easily could have passed for a Darling Devil. Unfortunately, it was probably my reputation as a Darling Devil that had caused the disapproving look in the first place.

“Un, hello, Mr. Sinclair,” I said, raising a hand to wave over Violet’s shoulder. She was standing right in the doorway, blocking my path, and it didn’t seem like she was going to invite me in. “I’m Reed,” I added. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Violet’s uncle took a few steps closer until he was standing just a few feet behind her. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me, and they scanned me up and down.

“I wish I could say the same about you.”

“Luke!” Violet hissed, glancing over her shoulder at him. “Don’t be so rude. I thought you said you were going trust me.”

“It’s him I don’t trust,” Luke grumbled in reply.

“That’s fair,” I said. “You don’t know me, but I promise to look after Violet this evening and be on my best behavior.”

My words did little to reassure him though. In fact, I think his expression had only grown darker. If that was possible.

“Uh, let’s just go,” Violet said. “Quick.” She was probably concerned if we stayed any longer Luke might go all Rapunzel on her and lock her away in a tower for the rest of her life. He turned his attention to me one last time as Violet went to leave. “You hurt so much as a single hair on her head, and I’ll go straight to your hockey coach. You’ll be lucky if you ever step foot on the ice again.”

“Yes, sir,” I said, with a firm nod. I had no doubt he’d follow through. It wasn’t something I was worried about though. I had no intention of doing anything to hurt Violet.

Violet shot her uncle one more glare before taking me by the hand and dragging me from the house.

“Sorry about that,” she said once we were in my car.

“No need to be sorry. Although, for a minute there, I thought I was going to have to add to my bad reputation by kidnapping you and smuggling you out of there.”

‘I thought that too,” she agreed with a smile. “My uncle can be a bit…”

“Protective?” I guessed.

“I was going to go with crazy.”

“Ah.” I chuckled. “It’s not crazy to look out for someone you love.”

A hint of surprise flickered in her gaze, but it was gone within a moment as she turned to look out the car window. She seemed fine on the drive home, but as I pulled up to the house, I could tell she was nervous. Her hands had started fidgeting, and she kept checking her phone like she was hoping it would light up with a message that provided a reason for her to bail.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want,” I said as we approached the front door of my house. “I understand if it’s a bit much…”

The worry in Violet’s eyes faded as she looked at me, though I suspected she was just preparing for our performance, and she gave me a warm smile. “Reed Darling, are you nervous about introducing me to your family?’

“No, of course not.”

“Because you don’t have to worry. I’ll be the perfect fake girlfriend. By the end of the night, they’ll all think I’m madly in love with you.”

If only. Was it too much to hope that might actually happen?

“Well, to be honest, I’m more concerned my family will scare you off.”

She shook her head. “I’ve come this far with a Darling Devil. Pretty sure that means I don’t scare easy.”

“Hmm. I guess we’ll see,” I replied. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you…”

I pulled Violet inside the house before she could reconsider.

“Hey, we’re home,” I called out.

Cammie immediately barreled down the stairs. She screeched to a halt in front of Violet and tilted her head like she was inspecting her.

“Uh, hi,” Violet said, clearly a little uncomfortable with my sister’s strange greeting.

“Sorry.” Cammie quickly shook her head. “I was just trying to work out what’s wrong with you.”

“What?” Violet laughed nervously, glancing my way.

“You’re dating my brother. There has to be something wrong with you. I’m Cammie, by the way.” Cammie barely drew in a breath before she turned her attention to Reed. “She’s way too pretty for you, Reed. What did you do, pay her to be your girlfriend?”

Violet let out another uncomfortable laugh. “I could have been paid for all of this?”

Cammie grinned. “Well, there has to be some benefit to dating my brother.”

“Oh, there are some benefits,” Parker said, coming down the stairs. “She’s already gotten to meet me, after all.”

“You’re here!” My mom walked right up to Violet and gathered her in a hug.

I thought Violet might stiffen up but was surprised by how she relaxed into the embrace. I shouldn’t have been all that shocked. My mom did give the best hugs.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Violet,” she said.

“Mom,” I groaned. “You’ve known about her for less than a week.”

“Yes, and you made me wait all that time before introducing us. She was scolding me but barely took her eyes off Violet.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Darling.”

“Call me Amy. Please.”

“Amy,” Violet repeated.

“Oh, and look how beautiful you are. Especially when you smile,” Mom continued.

Violet’s cheeks were growing pinker by the second. We’d barely made it through the front door, but she’d already been subjected to my family’s complete lack of filter. If I could convince Violet to date me for real after this experience, it would be a miracle. I should have known this was a bad idea.

“That’s what I said,” Cammie added. “Reed can’t actually be dating her.” If only my sister knew how close to the truth she was.

“Oh, nonsense,” Mom said, coming to my defense. “Any girl would be lucky to date my Reedy. Right, Violet?”

“Uh, right.”

“Now, why don’t you make yourselves comfortable in the living room?” Mom said, leading the way. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

Violet smirked slightly as she glanced my way. “Reedy?”

“My mom is the one and only person allowed to call me that,” I muttered.

“But why? It’s so cute.”

“Funny,” I grumbled. “Maybe we should just go back to your house and hang out with Luke. That might be more enjoyable for me.”

“Don’t be silly,” she said with a smile before she took my hand and nodded in the direction of the living room. “Let’s go, Reedy.”

I laughed and led her into the room, trying my best to steady my racing heart, which had taken off at a gallop the moment she intertwined her fingers with mine. Mom had disappeared into the kitchen and probably dragged Cammie along with her. I imagined she was afraid my little sister was going to say something to embarrass Violet. If anyone in my family was going to scare Violet away, it would be Cammie. I hadn’t been lying when I told Violet my sister was the scariest Darling of all.

Parker had thrown himself down on an armchair, and Grayson was already on the couch watching TV with Paige. Her legs were curled up in Grayson’s lap, and my brother was sitting so rigidly he couldn’t have looked more awkward if he tried.

Paige jumped up the moment we entered the room. She couldn’t contain her excitement as she dashed over to meet Violet. “Hi, I’m Paige.” She pulled Violet into an even more enthusiastic hug than my mom.

Violet gave her a warm smile once she’d been released from Paige’s grip. “I’m Violet.”

“Oh, I know that. Reed’s told me all about you.”

“Has he now?” Violet tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and her eyes danced with curiosity.

“She practically waterboarded me,” I grumbled.

Paige laughed. “Oh, please. It doesn’t take that much to get you to spill all your deep dark feelings.”

“Deep dark feelings?” Violet lifted an eyebrow at me. I sincerely hoped she wasn’t taking Paige’s chatter seriously. I didn’t want her to know I’d broken the golden rule.

“Well, he might not have dark feelings.” Paige laughed. “But they’re definitely deep.”

I officially wanted to kill Paige. She was clearly trying to remind me about our conversation in class the other day when she’d tried to convince me to open up to Violet about my last relationship. If anything, she was putting me off the idea even more.

Violet seemed to sense we were treading on uncomfortable territory and quickly changed the subject. “So, are you related to Reed too?” she asked.

“No, I’m more of an unofficial Darling who gate-crashes family dinner every week. Grayson’s my bestie, aren’t you, Gray?”

Grayson grunted in response from his spot on the couch, like he took personal offense to the word bestie. Paige was completely oblivious though. She grabbed Violet by the hand and dragged her toward the couch. I felt somewhat relieved when the girls sat down and I saw there wasn’t room for me. While Violet had seemed comfortable so far, I was still scarred by the way she’d frozen up when I’d sat close to her at Nino’s. I didn’t want the same thing to happen tonight in front of my whole family.

If anyone was acting uncomfortable, it was me. My family was to blame. They all seemed set on embarrassing me, in their own unique ways, and I was on edge as I waited to see who would strike next.

“We didn’t see you at the game yesterday, Violet,” Parker said.

“Yeah, I was sorry to miss it,” she replied. “I had work.”

“Where do you work?” Paige asked.

“Hug in a Mug.”

“Oh, I don’t drink coffee, but they have the best choc chip muffins in there,” Paige gushed. “I’ll have to come visit you sometime and get one.”

“If you think the muffins are good, you should try the cookies,” Violet replied. “They’re always so soft and gooey inside.”

“Yum, who doesn’t like it when they turn out all soft and gooey on the inside.” Paige flashed me a devious smile, and I glared back at her as discreetly as I could. She was really trying to wind me up now. Either she didn’t notice my displeasure or she totally ignored it, because she continued talking to Violet. “When do you work next? I’ll come swing by.”

Despite the intensity of my family, Violet seemed to be taking it all in stride. She especially seemed to be warming to Paige. Though that was hardly a surprise. There was nothing I could do to stop the two of them from chatting, so I concentrated on scowling at my brothers instead. Well, at Parker, mostly. He looked ready to pounce on any opportunity to embarrass me while Grayson seemed quite content to sit back and watch the shitshow unfold before him. That, and he kept getting distracted by the game on TV. He probably wasn’t paying much attention to the rest of us.

When Cammie finally came into the room, there was a look of glee on her face. “Mom burned dinner,” she announced. It wasn’t the first time and probably wouldn’t be the last. My mom was incredible at momming but not so good at cooking. “She’s ordering pizza, but it could be a while.”

“We have to wait?” Parker groaned. “I’m going to eat my hand if I don’t get fed soon.”

“No self-cannibalism on family dinner nights,” Mom shouted from the kitchen.

“Oh, because it’s totally cool any other night of the week,” Parker grumbled.

With dinner delayed, this seemed like the most opportune time for Violet and I to escape. Who knew how long we’d have to wait for a pizza on a Sunday night, and as much as I wanted Violet to meet my family, staying out here felt like tempting fate. I knew it was only a matter of time before one of them said something truly mortifying about me. Or worse, something that might expose my feelings for Violet.

I walked over and grabbed Violet by the hand. “Why don’t I give you a tour of the house while we wait?”

“Ohhh, taking her on a ‘tour,’” Parker trilled.

I raised my middle finger toward him but didn’t take my eyes off Violet. “That okay with you?”

“Sure,” she said, allowing me to help her from the couch.

Keeping hold of her hand, I guided her from the room. I quickly showed her around the downstairs rooms before taking her upstairs to my bedroom. Mom had a rule about keeping the door open when we had girls in our rooms, but I hadn’t needed to follow it for years. I considered leaving the door open for a moment but then decided against it. Parker and the rest of my siblings couldn’t be trusted, and I didn’t need any of them spying on us. Plus, I was already adhering to too many rules when it came to Violet.

Once I’d closed the door, Violet hesitated just inside the entrance. “So, this is where Reed Darling sleeps, huh?”

I peered around the space, wondering how it must look to her. It was relatively clean, and other than a few hockey trophies on my bookshelf, it didn’t have a whole lot of personality to it. The walls were blue, my quilt cover was plaid, and there were a couple of pictures of me and my teammates from years past.

She suddenly gasped and raced over to my bed. “Who’s this?” she cooed as she sat down next to Stanley who was curled up near my pillow.

“Oh.” I laughed, relieved she hadn’t found something incriminating. “That’s Stanley. Like the cup.”

“You named your dog after a tumbler?” She looked confused as she ruffled the dog’s fur and scratched behind his ears. I decided not to correct her. There was no need to go into any more detail about how I’d named our family dog after the NHL’s most coveted trophy, the Stanley Cup. It would only remind her what a big part of my life hockey was.

“Be careful,” I said instead of answering her question. “He’s a shameless attention hog, and once you start petting him, he’s unlikely to leave you alone for the rest of the night.”

“Aw, he sounds just like the rest of you. Only cuter.”

“Much cuter,” I agreed. I cautiously approached the bed and sat down beside her. I was pleasantly surprised she didn’t flinch or stiffen at my presence, but I had left a decent gap between us, and she was probably too distracted by the dog. She started giggling as Stan reached up and licked her cheek.

“Watch out. He’s been known to try and slip unsuspecting petters the tongue.”

“I’m sure I’d survive.” Violet beamed. “Wouldn’t I?” She addressed the dog, who took that as an invitation to lick her once more. She laughed again before she returned to inspecting my room. “This isn’t what I expected from the big bad captain of the Ransom Devils.”

“Really? What exactly did you expect?”

“Well, with your reputation, I was picturing shelves filled with the hearts of your enemies.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Usually I would have been embarrassed or even angry to think about how Violet had to listen to such terrible things about me all the time. But it made me happy to hear her joke about it, like maybe she was learning just how ridiculous some of these rumors were.

“Don’t they know I devour my enemies whole?”

She laughed easily, and the sound made my heart do a small flip. I itched to move closer to her, but I somehow managed to stay put.

“Speaking of enemies.” Her expression grew more serious, and her voice quietened as she continued. “I have another rumor for you. Is it true you were jumped by a group of players from another team last year and you were the only one to walk away?”

I swallowed. It wasn’t a particularly nice memory, and one I didn’t want to recount. But I’d promised I’d be honest with Violet about any rumors she’d heard about me.

“That one’s half true,” I muttered. “A few players from Pinecrest High followed me to my car after our game. They weren’t happy about losing and decided they wanted to take out their anger with their fists. I might be bigger than a lot of guys, but sometimes being known as a Darling Devil puts a target on your back. And although some people might try to tell you otherwise, I can’t take on four guys alone.”

“So, you were really attacked by four guys.” Her eyes were wide with distress. “Weren’t you scared?”

I smiled. Violet was probably the only person in the world, outside my family, who thought I was capable of the emotion. Who might actually worry if I was. “I think the word you’re looking for is pissed. It was right before the playoffs, and I didn’t want to get an injury. They got a few good punches in, and I landed a couple in return, but I still came out of it with some pretty bad bruising. They ran off when they saw my brothers coming though, so they didn’t do too much damage.”

“They just ran off? I heard you left them lying unconscious.”

“Not quite. But I’m glad to hear you think I could manage it.”

She rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ll have to tell Chrissy from econ she was wrong.”

‘Thanks.”

“No problem,” she continued. “I’ll make sure she knows you didn’t fight off four guys. In fact, you took on the whole team, and I saw their hearts displayed on your shelf with my very own eyes.”

“Geez, Sunshine. Are you trying to make my reputation worse?

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She flashed a playful grin before her expression turned serious again. “You and your brothers really look out for each other, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “They might drive me crazy most of the time, but I know they always have my back.”

“They don’t seem so bad—when they’re not donning their Devil masks.”

I chuckled. “Be honest, my whole family is even more terrifying when they’re smiling. I’m surprised they haven’t already driven you away. They can be a lot, especially my siblings.”

“I like them,” she replied with a warm smile. “Even your siblings.”

“Even Parker?”

“Even Parker.” She laughed. “You weren’t kidding about how intense they are, but they seem fun. I wish I grew up with a brother or sister. Mia’s the closest thing I’ve got.”

“You two seem pretty close.”

“Yeah.” Her expression softened as she looked down at Stanley who she was still gently petting. “Mia’s the best. We lived near each other growing up, and when she and my uncle Luke moved out here a few years ago, I missed her so much. I wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of moving to Sunshine Hills to finish school, but it’s where my mom and Luke are from originally. And I do love living with Mia and my uncle.”

“Do you miss your mom?”

“I-I do.” She stumbled over her response, like it wasn’t a simple question to answer.

“What’s she like?”

“Uh.” Violet paused. “She’s a bit of a workaholic, which is great if you’re her employer. Not so great if you’re her offspring. She’s always been too busy to pack lunches for school or make sure I get my homework done. I know she loves me, but she struggles to juggle it all.”

“What about your dad?”

She scoffed. “Next question.”

It was obviously a sensitive subject, and I immediately regretted asking her about him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, you weren’t.” She shook her head. “I just don’t know my father, so there’s not much to say. My mom dated him in college. She got pregnant, and then he wanted nothing to do with us. He was a star football player who didn’t want to let anything get in the way of his career. I don’t think he ever did make it to the NFL, but he has his own family now, and I’m nothing more than a dirty secret to him.”

My heart sank at how matter-of-factly she spoke of her relationship with her dad. I was so close to my family, and I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to grow up with a father who didn’t want me and a mother who was too busy for me.

It was also a glimpse into the reasons why I might never stand a chance with Violet. I’d thought Jeremy was the one who put her off hockey players for life, but her father had probably cemented her distrust of jocks long before Hoffman showed up.

“That must be hard.”

“It’s fine,” she said with a shrug. “You can’t miss what you’ve never known.”

Stan nuzzled Violet’s cheek again, making her smile return. My mom was right about Violet’s smile; it really was beautiful.

“I take it you’re a dog person, then?” I asked, sensing it was time to change the subject.

“Dog, cat, bird…reptile.”

“So, if I had a pet snake…”

“I’d be totally cool with it.”

I was suddenly glad we weren’t having this conversation downstairs. I could only imagine the terrible jokes Parker would be making.

“Do you have a pet snake?” she continued.

“Ha, no. Mom would freak.”

“My mom isn’t a fan of reptiles either. You should have seen the way she lost it when I brought home a bearded dragon after I got my first paycheck. Poor Puff.”

“She made you take him back?”

“No, but he disappeared under suspicious circumstances not long after I got him. He somehow escaped his enclosure, got down the stairs, and went out the front. Funnily enough, the kid next door got a bearded dragon the following week.”

“Highly suspicious.”

“I know, right?” Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she laughed. Her amusement was contagious, and it was almost impossible not to smile at her in return.

It suddenly felt like the space between us had shrunk. I didn’t know whether I’d edged closer to her or she’d moved toward me, but the gap between us on the bed was gone, and I glanced down at where our legs lightly brushed together. She leaned into my shoulder slightly as she laughed, seeming far more relaxed and at ease than any other time we’d been together.

Maybe it was because she’d shared something so personal with me, but it felt like the connection between us had grown. Guilt also churned in my gut because there was still so much I was keeping from her. I itched to let her know how I really felt about her, but I was still worried about scaring her off.

“I’m really glad you’re here tonight, Sunshine.” It wasn’t much of a revelation, but at least it was something. Still, Violet slowly peered up at me, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to change. It became charged and tense, and I struggled to draw in a breath as I looked into her blue eyes. There was no doubt she felt the shift between us too because her cheeks pinkened and her teeth lightly dug into her lower lip.

How I wished it were my teeth rather than hers.

I found myself leaning toward her, unable to fight the pull between us. But a loud pounding on the door made me jerk backward. My cheeks flushed as I dragged my gaze away from Violet.

“You know the rules, Reedy,” Parker yelled through the door. “Doors open when there’s a girl in your room. Also, Dad’s gone to pick up the pizza. Should be here in five.”

The silence that followed Parker was awkward, and I coughed lightly, trying to break the tension. “Guess we better head downstairs.”

“Guess so,” Violet replied, but she wouldn’t meet my gaze.

I wasn’t sure what had just happened between us, but whatever it was, it didn’t seem like either one of us had been going to stop it. One thing was certain though: I’d never wanted to kill my brother more in my life.