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

REED and I were both quiet as we drove to the other side of the river for the party. We usually talked with such ease, but my thoughts felt tangled, and I was at a loss for what to say. Everything had been so much simpler when all I’d seen him as was my fake boyfriend. It was so much more complicated now, and I’d almost forgotten how to act around him.

“So, the party tonight’s at Matt’s?” I asked. It was the only thing I could think to say.

“It is.”

“You seemed awfully confident you were going to win today.”

“Because we always win,” Reed replied. “As captain, I do whatever it takes to make sure of that.”

I shook my head. “So cocky.”

“Just a little.” A grin spread across his face, and his eyes shone with mischief as he glanced at me. I wished my heart didn’t thump quite so hard when he looked at me that way, and I did my best to appear unaffected.

He was still smiling as he focused back on the road.

“So, what does a Ransom Devils victory party look like?” I continued. “It won’t be too crazy, will it?”

“Nah, not too crazy. Matt would kill anyone who trashed his parents’ place.”

“Okay, it’s just… I’m a little nervous.”

“You don’t need to be,” he said. “I won’t leave your side.”

I slowly nodded. It was comforting to hear that, especially since I barely knew anyone who went to Ransom. Jeremy had never stuck with me at parties even when I’d first started at Sunshine Prep. But I’d always had Mia and Nicole as backup, and they wouldn’t be with me tonight.

That wasn’t the only reason I was nervous. Mia’s advice kept running through my mind, and I had no idea where this night was going to end up. Was I going to open up to Reed about what I was feeling? Was I going to kiss him? Was I going to flee the party with a broken heart? Maybe it would be none of those things. Or maybe it would be all three.

By the time we arrived at the party, the street was already filled with cars. Reed drove right by them and parked in the driveway of the house that was overflowing with people.

“Best friend privileges,” Reed explained as he pulled on the handbrake. “I get to park in the driveway, but I also have to help clean up in the morning, so it’s not always worth it.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.”

A wave of nerves hit me as I looked out the window at all the people milling in the front yard. When I’d agreed to come, I knew I might feel out of place, but it seemed so much more daunting now we were here.

“We don’t have to go inside if you don’t want,” Reed said, watching me.

My thoughts must have been clearly etched on my face. “No, it’s fine,” I said. “We’ve got to show the girls of Ransom you’re a taken man, right?”

“Sure,” he agreed. “But let me know if you’re not comfortable at any point. We can just bail and go home if that’s what you want.”

“Okay.” I nodded, hoping it wouldn’t come to that. “I’ll let you know.”

Reed jumped from the truck and came around to meet me as I got out. He gave me a warm smile as he took my hand. “You really do look beautiful tonight, Sunshine. I’m glad you’re here with me.”

“Thanks.” Despite the freezing night air, I could feel myself flushing. I really struggled to accept compliments, especially when they came from Reed.

He gave me another soft smile before he nodded in the direction of the house. “Come on.”

As we made our way inside, Reed’s demeanor changed. He seemed taller, larger, like he had grown in stature the minute he entered the building. Everyone we saw appeared to take a step back to give him plenty of room to pass by, and while I was aware he intimidated the kids at Sunshine Prep, I hadn’t realized he was treated with a similar kind of caution by Ransom High kids too. While the reaction at my school was caused by fear and distrust, here it seemed people had a quiet sense of respect for Reed. The guys nodded to him as he passed, and girls swallowed nervously or shot him seductive smiles. If I hadn’t been on Reed’s arm, would they have been throwing themselves into his path?

I missed Reed’s smile when he was acting like this. He was always so soft and easygoing when it was just us or when he was around his family and close friends. I’d forgotten this darker side of him existed because we’d spent so much time around people he trusted, and I had to remind myself it was mostly just an act to maintain a certain reputation.

He quickly relaxed when we made it to the back of the house, where there was a den full of people hanging out, many of whom I recognized as guys from his hockey team.

“Finally,” Matt said, slapping Reed on the back in greeting. “I was worried you were going to bail on tonight.”

“Would I do that?” Reed asked.

“Yes. Yes, you would,” Matt replied with a laugh before he turned his attention on me. “Hey, Violet. We missed you at our game today.”

“Sorry, I had to work. Sounds like you did just fine without me though.”

“Ah, but who knows how many more goals we would have scored if you’d been there to cheer us on.” He winked. “Come on, let’s introduce you to some other victorious Devils.”

Matt threw an arm over my shoulder and led me away from Reed. Nerves rippled through me as our hands parted, but Reed stayed close while Matt went around introducing me to everyone. I remembered Owen from the pizza restaurant, but the names of the rest of the players went in one ear and out the other. They seemed like a nice group of guys, and I was surprised by how welcoming they all were. It had always felt like Jeremy’s friends simply put up with me. I’d only been here a few minutes, and these guys were embracing me as if I were one of their own.

When we got to the far end of the room, I grinned as Paige launched from Grayson’s side to come and hug me. We’d known each other less than a week, and yet it felt like we’d been friends forever.

“You don’t have a drink,” she said, almost instantly. “Do you want to go grab one?”

“Uh, sure,” I said, nodding for her to lead the way.

She linked her arm through mine and pulled me toward the other side of the den where there was a table stacked with drinks. Reed went to follow us, but Paige waved him off. “We’ll be back in a second. Your girl will be just fine with me.” She tugged me away before he could argue.

“Took you guys long enough to get here,” Paige said as we approached the drinks table. “I swear, we left the house at the same time as Reed, and that was ages ago.”

It was no surprise Paige had been hanging out at the Darling family’s house beforehand. It seemed like she and Grayson did everything together.

“We got a little held up,” I explained. “Reed and my uncle were having a bit of one-on-one time.”

“Oh no.” Paige laughed softly. “How did that go?”

“Surprisingly well,” I said. “Reed really made an effort to impress him.”

I stole a quick glance over my shoulder at Reed. He was chatting with Matt now, but, as if he sensed I was looking, his gaze immediately drifted to me.

“You okay?” he mouthed.

I smiled back at him and nodded. He winked at me and continued his conversation with Matt. Given the animated way his friend was swinging an invisible hockey stick through the air, I had to assume they were reliving parts of today’s game.

“Well, that’s Reed,” Paige said. “He’s always happy to go out of his way for people he cares about.”

It was hard to argue with her. Reed had gone out of his way to help me a few times now. But I could never be sure if it was part of his efforts to maintain our fake relationship or something more.

“And I can tell he really cares about you,” Paige continued.

That got my attention, and I quickly faced her again. “You can?”

“Of course.” She nodded as she pulled two premixed drinks from the mini fridge. “Like, the way he fixed your car was the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

I frowned as she passed me one of the glass bottles. “You mean when he helped me get my car towed?”

“Well, that too, but no, I’m talking about how he spent hours working at his dad’s garage to get all the repairs done.”

“Wait, what?” I stammered. “Reed was the one who fixed my car?”

Paige seemed confused as she took a sip of her drink. “You didn’t know?”

“Reed said it was his dad. He told me Danny didn’t want to charge me.”

“Typical,” Paige muttered. “It wasn’t his dad. Reed worked on it himself and put in extra hours to cover the cost of the parts. Grayson told me he was there every night. He was even late to hockey practice a couple of times.”

My mouth dropped open as I stared at her. “Why didn’t he tell me? I never would have let him do that for me if I’d known.”

“That’s probably why he kept it to himself.” Paige lifted her eyes to the ceiling. “I swear these Darling boys are impossible.”

‘I can’t believe he did that.”

“It’s like I told you,” she said with a smile. “He must really care about you.”

Reed wasn’t supposed to care about me, but if Paige was telling the truth about him fixing Betty, how could I deny that he did? What could he have to gain from secretly repairing my car for me? Why would he do that if all he cared about was scaring off his groupies? And, after what I’d just learned, how was I supposed to keep acting like this relationship was only pretend and that I didn’t care for him too?

“My friend Bonnie just got here,” Paige said, shaking me from my thoughts. She was looking down at her phone. “I need to go find her. Will you be okay if I leave you with Reed and the boys?”

“Uh, yeah, of course,” I said, nodding at her to go ahead. As she left, I slowly turned back to face the room. My heart swelled with a mixture of nerves and excitement when I caught sight of Reed. He was still talking to Matt, and he looked so handsome as he released an easy laugh. Whatever happened going forward, I felt lucky I’d gotten to be his girlfriend these last few weeks, even if it was all for show.

When he saw me watching him and that Paige had disappeared, he waved me over. As I approached, his smile seemed to get brighter, and I found myself wondering how I’d managed to keep such firm boundaries between us for so long. How I hadn’t fallen deeply in love with this boy the moment I met him. I wondered if perhaps I had and I’d just been too stubborn to recognize my feelings for what they were.

“Hey,” he said when I reached him. “I’m glad you’re back. I’ve been wanting to show my girlfriend off.”

My stomach turned uncomfortably at his words. He sounded so genuine as though he was truly proud to have me by his side. But it was also exactly the type of comment my fake boyfriend would make. While it sounded nice, it hinted at one of the real reasons we were together in the first place—to keep his female fans off his back.

I did my best to shake off my doubts. I’d already given in to my feelings for him, and I hoped he was feeling the same thing. There was no going back now.

“Do you want to go dance?” I suggested.

“Reed doesn’t dance.” Matt laughed.

But Reed ignored his friend, keeping his focus on me. “Maybe I was just waiting for the right partner.” He held out a hand toward me, and as I slipped my fingers into his grasp, my world felt complete.

He led me back through the house to the living room where everyone was dancing. It felt like every eye in the room was on us as we made our way through the crowd, but Reed didn’t seem to notice. His attention was entirely on me as he pulled me tightly against him. With our bodies pressed so close together, it was hard to think.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded because my mouth was dry, and my words felt stuck in my throat. My whole body was alight with energy, and every time we shifted to the music my stomach dipped and then soared like a flock of birds taking flight. If this was what it felt like to dance with Reed, kissing him, now I had developed feelings, might be a terrible idea. I was starting to doubt Mia’s plan, and realizing just how much it would hurt if we kissed and he didn’t feel the same way.

I threaded my arms around his neck as we danced, and my fingers lightly brushed against the scar there. The faint line was clearly healed, so it must have been there for years. I swallowed as I remembered all the possible explanations people had come up with for the origin of Reed’s scar. It was a rumor I hadn’t yet asked him about, but one I had been thinking about more than any other. While he’d disproved most of the rumors I’d heard over the last few weeks, either by telling me the truth directly or just by showing he wasn’t that kind of guy, the truth about his scar still remained a mystery.

I slowly peered up at him, and as our gazes locked, a familiar warmth spread through me. “What happened here?” I murmured, my fingers brushing against his scar once more. I couldn’t help but notice his reaction.

A subtle shiver rippled through his body. He closed his eyes for a moment, and I wasn’t sure if he was going to reply.

“There are rumors…” I added when he hadn’t said anything for a few moments.

“I didn’t know people still talked about it,” he murmured, opening his eyes to look at me again. He cleared his throat. “What have you heard?” His voice was lower, huskier somehow. I couldn’t tell if it was in reaction to my touch or if perhaps he was worried about the story behind his scar.

“Several things,” I replied. “One of the explanations involved a girl and an ice skate…”

He visibly swallowed as he returned my curious gaze. “I guess they got one right for once…”

My stomach twisted uncomfortably as I saw anxiety in his eyes. Was this really one of the few rumors that was actually true? I’d heard Reed got his scar because he’d broken some poor girl’s heart and she’d thrown the skate at him in a rage. I’d hoped that, like most of the other rumors, it would turn out to be false.

“What happened?” I asked, but I was no longer certain I wanted to know.

We’d all but stopped dancing as we spoke, and Reed kept glancing around like he was worried we’d be overheard. “I’d rather we didn’t talk about it here.”

Was the truth really that bad? I was about to ask him why, but the sound of shouting coming from outside stopped me. Everyone on the dance floor froze and looked in the direction of the noise. It was muffled at first, but then one bellowed word rang clear: “Cops!”

It echoed through the room like an alarm, rippling across the dance floor until total chaos erupted. Everyone burst back to life and started scrambling for the nearest exit. A mix of panicked voices and excited laughter filled the air, and I felt like I was caught in the midst of a stampede.

Reed caged me in his arms, barging his way through the frantic crowd and back out to the den. I was surprised to find that all the guys from the hockey team were still there. Had they not heard the commotion or seen the people racing to get out of the house?

“Are the cops really here?” Matt asked as he fell into step beside Reed.

Before Reed could reply, Matt’s question was answered as a familiar flash of red and blue light illuminated the next room. It must have been coming through a window. The police were in the front driveway.

“I guess so,” Reed grunted. “But don’t worry, man. I’ll help you sort it out. We just need to make sure every Devils player that’s here gets out without being seen.”

“They want to help, too,” Matt replied.

“They’re not helping anyone if the entire team gets benched for our game next week. Get them out of here, now.”

While the rest of the kids at the party seemed to be enjoying the adrenaline rush of running from the cops, it appeared the consequences of getting caught were a lot greater for the hockey team. Matt nodded firmly at Reed before gathering the other members of the team. Reed was still on a mission though, and he kept a hand placed firmly on my lower back as he guided me over to where Paige and his brothers were waiting.

He chucked his keys at Parker, who grabbed them easily out of the air. “Take the girls home.”

“What? No way,” Parker replied. “I’m staying to help.”

“I don’t have time to argue, Parker,” Reed said. “Take them home, and make sure none of you are caught.”

There was a sinking feeling in my chest as I realized Reed wasn’t coming too. Of course, he wasn’t. There was no way he would leave Matt to face the cops alone.

He stared Parker down as he waited for his younger brother to agree. Parker must have known Reed was serious because he caved far quicker than I expected, and he gave Reed a serious nod. “Okay, you got it.”

Relief flashed in Reed’s eyes, but then he winced. “Wait, my truck’s parked out front…”

“Take mine instead.” Grayson handed over his keys. “It’s parked around the corner. Paige knows where it is.”

“You’re staying?” Paige asked, her eyes were wide with concern although she didn’t look surprised.

Grayson nodded. “Someone needs to keep Reed out of trouble.”

Reed shot him a scowl but didn’t argue. I imagined even Reed thought twice about taking his twin brother on.

I said a rushed goodbye to Reed before I followed Paige and Parker to the back door of the house. I glanced over my shoulder before we reached it and found Reed was already talking seriously with Matt. This might have been his best friend’s house, but Reed looked like he was taking charge. I hoped Grayson wouldn’t have to go to any great lengths to keep his brother from getting in trouble, like he’d suggested.

When we got outside, there were still kids dashing in every direction. Some were hopping over the back fence and running into the woods behind Matt’s house while a few others had even climbed up into the trees as if the cops wouldn’t think to shine their flashlights a few feet above their heads. I even heard a few giggles coming from a small pink and white children’s playhouse, and it looked like at least three people had squeezed themselves inside the tiny toy home to hide. The backyard and the woods beyond still echoed with both screams and laughter.

Parker didn’t sprint across the grass like everyone else though. He walked casually but with authority as he guided me and Paige toward the back fence to a gate that was partially obstructed by an overgrown bush.

“You don’t think they’ll get in trouble, do you?” I asked, peering back toward the house.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Paige said, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. “This isn’t the first time.”

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Parker agreed. “Grayson’s scowl will probably make the cops turn and run in the other direction. I can’t believe Reed put me on babysitting duty.”

“Hey!” Paige and I both complained at once.

“Just joking,” Parker grinned. “Sort of.”

His relaxed attitude made me feel a little better. If Parker wasn’t worried, I shouldn’t be either, right?

We managed to get back to Grayson’s car without incident, and by the time we reached it, the street had turned quiet. I was guessing that meant most of the partygoers had either left or were in hiding. Parker didn’t seem too concerned about racing for the car or darting between trees as I’d seen some kids do. I couldn’t decide if he was brave, stupid, or just arrogant enough that he really didn’t think he could get in trouble.

Parker dropped Paige home first. She lived just a few streets from Matt, but she didn’t look particularly pleased to be back at her house so soon. We still hadn’t heard from Grayson or Reed, and we exchanged phone numbers before she got out of the car so we could text each other the moment we heard anything about the party.

It was only as Parker pulled up outside my house that a text finally came through.

Reed: All good here. There were no cops. It was a prank by some Saints players. They even brought their own fake siren.

I released a sigh of relief. “It was a prank,” I told Parker, and I noticed his grasp on the steering wheel loosen. Apparently, he’d been more worried than he had let on.

“I’m going to kill those Saints,” Parker grumbled before I’d even explained who was behind the prank. “I was about to score with the hottest girl in our year. Their timing couldn’t have been worse.”

“And on that note, I’m going to go,” I replied. “Thanks for driving me home, Parker. I know you wanted to stay, so I really appreciate it.”

He shrugged like it was no big deal. “You’re Reed’s girl,” he replied. “That makes you family.”

I had no idea how to respond. It humbled me to know how easily Parker, and all Reed’s family and friends, had accepted me. But it also filled me with guilt knowing we were deceiving them all. I desperately wished what Parker had said was true. That I really was Reed’s girl.

I smiled at him before stepping out of the car and making my way to the house. I waited until I was in my room before I replied to Reed’s message.

Me: Glad you’re okay. What happened?

Reed: Not much. They ran off as soon as Matt, Grayson, and I went out front to confront them.

Reed: Sorry our night was ruined. I still owe you the story of how I got my scar. Can you meet me at the rink tomorrow morning? There’s something I need to show you to help explain.

I frowned down at my phone. In all the excitement of fleeing Matt’s house, I’d completely forgotten Reed had been about to tell me what happened with his scar. I drew in a breath before I responded.

Me: I have work at 11, but I can meet you before?

Reed: Great. Come by just after 10.

Reed: And please promise you won’t think less of me…

I stared at his final message and tried to figure out what he could mean by that. Was the story of how he got his scar really so terrible? And if it was, did I even want to hear his explanation? Nothing had gone according to plan tonight, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to face any more surprises. But I guessed that was a problem for tomorrow.

Whatever Reed had to show me, I just hoped I wouldn’t think less of him too.