Stand and Defend (Lakes Hockey Series Book 4)

“I need to FaceTime my parents,” she says, sitting at the kitchen island with an apple scone. She’s picking at crumbs instead of inhaling the whole thing like she usually does. “They saw the hockey game kiss.”

From behind, I rub her arms to ease her tension.

“What do I tell them?”

“Tell them whatever you want.”

She nods, biting a nail, and wraps one arm around her stomach.

“Do you want me to do it with you?”

She spins in her chair, her eyes big and appreciative. “Do you mind? I really don’t want to talk to them alone.”

My chest expands with pride to know she seeks comfort in me when she’s anxious. I thread my fingers in hers. “It’ll be okay.”

“Let’s get this over with.”

This will be slightly awkward, considering I’ve never actually sat down with the Landrys before. Even when I arranged to take Chicken Salad, all correspondence was done through their house manager.

She unlocks her phone and taps the video conferencing app. It rings once and Mrs. Landry answers.

“Jesus Christ, Jordana! What the hell is going on over there?”

Mr. Landry steps into view, and I take a seat on the stool next to her, placing a palm on her thigh. She sets the phone on the island and pushes it back so we both can be seen in the frame.

“Mom, Dad, this is Camden Teller.”

“Oh,” the woman says, putting her proverbial mask back on. “Hello, Camden, nice to unofficially meet you. You have to understand, this is quite a surprise to us, and we didn’t realize you and Jordana were involved.”

“Last we heard, you were the best man at her wedding, not the groom.” Her dad chuckles.

“She’s been staying with me while she gets on her feet again.”

Jordan smiles and her shoulders relax. “Camden has been a good influence on me.”

Mr. Landry speaks up. “Do what makes you happy, kiddo. But you should’ve given PR a heads-up so they could get a spin on it early. You’ve kept us in the dark for a while now. We’ve been worried. I think it’s time we come home to the States.”

It sounds like Jordan’s sent more calls to voicemail than she originally led on to.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “But I needed to take time to fix things. I didn’t like who I was with Bryan. I’m finding myself again, and part of that process is dealing with this on my own. I wanted to show you I could handle it solo.”

“And have you?” he asks.

“Yes. But, until things blow over, I’m staying with Cam.”

Mrs. Landry interjects. “Until things blow over? What⁠—”

“Look, I’m really happy. That’s all that matters, right? I’m taking time for myself, that’s all.” She’s sticking to her guns and is practically glowing. I lick my lips, kissing her is all I want to do. Instead, I squeeze her thigh.

“I’d like to speak with Camden,” her dad says.

I tilt the phone my way. “Nice to meet you, sir.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“I know about you, you have a solid playing career, but from what I hear, you like to party, you’re a playboy and I don’t want⁠—”

I chuckle. “You don’t need to worry about that. Jordan’s been a good influence on me too.”

He nods, and her mom steals the camera. “Please have Jordan step out of the room for a moment.”

My hackles are already up, annoyed by another person trying to tell her what to do. They handle Jordan with kid gloves when she’s strong and capable of making her own choices—far more capable than people give her credit for. She’s no weak prima donna.

“Out of respect for her, I’m not going to do that.”

That’ll go over well. It’s bad enough it’s the first time I’m meeting the Landrys, but they’re also rich as fuck and probably not used to hearing the word no.

“This is nothing against Jordana.” Her mother placates. “But I’d like to speak candidly with you.”

“I’d like to stay and hear it,” Jordan cuts in.

“With all due respect, it’s Jordan’s decision, and I’m going to honor it.” I shrug. “I’m doing things differently than the last guy. If it makes you feel any better, I can promise my answers won’t be dependent on whether she’s in the room or not.”

Her dad’s lips curl up in the corner for a split second. He purses his lips and leans back on the sofa. I might be winning points with him.

Mrs. Landry pastes on a stiff smile. “Fine. I need to know you aren’t playing around with our daughter. Like Frank said, you have a reputation.”

“We’ve learned a lot about ourselves as we’ve gotten closer over the last couple months, there’s been a lot of change—for both of us. I think we’ve brought out the best in each other. She’s a wonderful person, you should be very proud.”

Her dad pipes up. “Our friends have been asking about you. Obviously, they know the wedding didn’t go through, but what would you like us to tell them?”

She rolls her lips together and laughs. “Tell them I found a better man. The best man.”

“Jordana.”

“Oh, come on!” She crosses her arms with a big smile on her face. “There’s no other chance I’ll get to use that joke. It’s solid gold. And it’s true.” She glances at me, and my heart thumps harder.

Mr. Landry nudges his wife, and they smirk. “She’s happy, Patricia,” he says to his wife.

“I guess it’s good she’s making jokes again,” she replies, pleased.

“You don’t need to come home early. I’m happier than I’ve been in the last couple years, and I’ll get better about staying in touch.”

Her dad looks back at us. “We need to know you’re all right. We worry about you. You’re no longer engaged to your fiancé, you’re living with his best friend . . . this is strange.”

“I get it, it looks bizarre from the outside. But really, I’m in a good place.” Jordan sits back, satisfied. “I will ask for help when I need it.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”