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  “Yeah, I’m just a reporter with stupid questions.”

  He scowled, and she glared back as he sat down with more force than needed. Fuck, she pissed him off. The high of his goal was gone and replaced by annoyance. He didn’t tap it; he wristed it.

  She was a brat.

  He wristed it. Well, maybe wristed-tapped it in, but same thing. It was wristed!

  Leaning over to Anderson, he said, “Hey, I wristed that, right?”

  Anderson shrugged. “Looked like a tap with flair to me, but who gives two fucks? It’s a goal. Great job, bro.”

  “But it wasn’t a wrister.” Grumbling, he leaned back into Jet. “Tap in?”

  “Yeah, for sure, but a really pretty tap in that could be considered an ugly wrister.”

  “Damn it.”

  Jet patted his shoulders. “But if she asks, I’ll say it was a wrister.”

  Vaughn laughed. “Good man, Jet.”

  “Thanks.”

  Then something occurred to him. Leaning back once more, he asked, “Do you think I’m gonna get fined for that f-bomb?”

  Jet shook his head. “Wasn’t on camera.”

  His only saving grace. And while he should be happy about that—and his goal—he wasn’t.

  Because Vaughn didn’t like that Brie was right.

  He didn’t like it one fucking bit.

  When the door opened to Wren’s apartment, they saw exasperation come over her face instantly.

  “Go away.”

  She went to shut the door, but Jensen held it open, holding up a bottle of wine. “Merry Christmas,” he said in his low and sexy voice that usually made girls swoon. But Wren Lemiere did not swoon.

  “Come on, Wrenny, let us in. It’s Christmas.”

  “I don’t care. I want to be alone.”

  “We don’t care that you want to be alone.” Vaughn pushed the door, and she went with it as she let out an annoyed breath. Like her soul, her apartment was decorated with dark furniture and dark accessories. When they were younger, they all made fun of her for being the Goth kid of the group. She would joke back that she had voodoo dolls of them all. It scared Vaughn so bad, he didn’t sleep for a week. He still wasn’t sure she was joking back then. Not that it mattered now; she loved them.

  “I hate you two. Go away.”

  Sometimes.

  Laughing, he fell onto her couch, kicking his feet up as he looked around. “Done nothing with the place, I see.”

  “I’m never home, always at work, waiting for you, it seems.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve told you like a billion times, I don’t need therapy.”

  “You do. You have some anger issues that need to be fixed.”

  “Can’t fix issues when there aren’t any. I wouldn’t be angry if people would do what they’re supposed to.”

  “So why do you get angry on the ice? No one is perfect.”

  Rolling his eyes, he shrugged. “But I’m supposed to be. I’m paid bookoo bucks to bring wins, along with my teammates. Sometimes we don’t, and that pisses me off.”

  “Which is why you need therapy.”

  “Whatever,” he finally said, falling back against the couch as she lowered into a very uncomfortable looking chair.

  Jensen came with glasses of wine, but Wren declined hers. “My stomach is still a little iffy.”

  “It’s been a week.”

  “Yeah, I have some kind of bug from what the doctors are saying.” She looked down and pulled in a deep breath.

  “Are you okay?” Jensen asked, lowering himself to the couch beside Vaughn.

  “Yeah, fine.”

  She was lying and they both knew it, but before they could press, she went on. “So what, like thirty minutes, and then you two will leave?”

  With a laugh, Vaughn shook his head. “Some would think you hate us.”

  “I do.”

  “You do not,” Jensen said with a laugh.

  She shrugged. “Maybe not you, but him, yes. He drives me insane, just like Wells.”

  “Who, by the way, called earlier and is spending Christmas with Alex’s family, and they love him. He informed me this is good,” Vaughn said with a quick shrug. “I’ve never met parents like that, so I wouldn’t know.”

  “Yeah, he seems excited, but I think it won’t last.”

  Jensen looked to Wren. “Really?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, he’s still head over heels for Matty. Alex is the rebound guy.”

  Vaughn smiled. “It’s like our own soap opera we get to watch firsthand. Who will Wells end up with? The rebound guy, or the love of his life who won’t come out of the closet? Dun-dun-dunnnnn…”

  Jensen scoffed as Wren smiled curtly. “Who knows? He’s so in love with being in love. It’s sickening. Love is whack, and guys are assholes.”

  Vaughn held up his hand. “I second all of that.”

  Jensen glared over at him before looking to Wren. “But not all guys are assholes, and love can be great if you want it to be.”

  Wren shook her head as Vaughn’s head fell back while he groaned. “This conversation is boring!”

  “Okay, two-year-old,” Wren called to him before looking over to Jensen. “Maybe so. But, for example, I was finally dating a guy…well, maybe not dating. I was fucking him more than once, and things were good. He was funny, hot, and we were having a great time. I considered moving forward with him. Something happened, and he dropped me like a bad habit. I thought this guy was cool, he could have been the one, and bam! He sucks. Relationships suck. Feelings suck. I hate people.”

  Vaughn went to say something funny, but her eyes started to fill with tears, so his lips slammed shut as Jensen scooted forward in his chair. “What in the world? What happened? Who is he? I’ll kill him.”

  Jeez, alert the media, Wren’s knight in shining armor had arrived.

  Though, she had no clue.

  Or didn’t notice.

  It was so sad.

  Shaking her head, she looked away. “It doesn’t matter. He’s a piece of junk, and like always, I’ll figure it out on my own.”

  “You don’t have to be alone, though.”

  “Yeah, I do. You know I do. No one wants to deal with all this,” she said, waving her hand around herself. Vaughn looked to Jensen, who was looking at her like a lost dog. This was Jensen’s chance, but Vaughn’s goofy best friend looked down at the ground. Loser.

  Rolling his eyes, Vaughn added, “There is someone who does, Wrenny. He could be sitting in this room.”

  Looking up at him with a crestfallen look, she shook her head as he felt Jensen glaring at him. “Don’t, Vaughn. I can’t right now.”

  He wasn’t actually talking about himself, but whatever, the girl was basically a mixture of Sadness and Anger from Inside Out, and yes, Vaughn was not embarrassed he loved that movie. “Just saying, don’t give up. I know Mama and Papa wouldn’t like that at all.”

  “Please do not tell my mother and father about this.” Covering her face, she ran her fingers through her dark hair as she itched her head. “They’re so mad I didn’t come home, but I couldn’t. I just want to be alone. Figure my life out.”

  “What’s going on, Wren? Tell us. We can help you,” Jensen said, and when Vaughn looked up, he saw that Wren had tears running down her cheeks.

  “Whoa, woman tears freak me out, and I thought you couldn’t cry.”

  “Shut up, Vaughn,” she snapped, shaking her head before wiping her face. “Nothing, I’m fine. Just a lot going on, and I’m confused. But I’m fine. Don’t you guys gotta get to Gramps and Grams’s?”

  “We went before we came here.”

  She nodded. “How are they? Did you apologize that I couldn’t come? Did you give Amy and Phyllis a hug from me?”

  She was changing the subject, and Vaughn could see that Jensen didn’t want to let her. But Jensen said nothing as he nodded. “Yeah, we did. They all said hi and that they miss you.”

  “I’ll go visit after the new year. Hopef