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010

Author: Enn
last update publish date: 2026-02-01 07:24:23

August's POV

The spare bedroom that I occupied in this new house was way smaller than my bedroom in Chicago, and even the hotel I stayed in for a month after arriving in Florida. But in a matter of two days since I moved in, I had managed to transform the room, even a tad bit.

I was stretched across my bed the next morning, scrolling half-heartedly through my phone, when a knock came at my door. I didn’t answer fast enough because it opened anyway.

Dona appeared at the door, drowning in a ho
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  • Falling For My Stepbrother On Ice   115

    August's POV "Mom, I found you finally. I don't know where best to start, so I'll start with the bad stuff and work backwards. Dad is in prison. I know you always believed he could change, and I know you loved him in your own way, but he couldn't and he didn't, and now he's exactly where he belongs. Russell too. You don't have to worry about either of them anymore. I made sure of that, with a lot of help from the people in my new life. About those people, I have found my grandparents, Fiona and Frank, and they are good people. I know you have your reasons for not telling me about them, and I understand now. Aunt Martha's boy, Kade, is in my life as well. He is the best man I know. I have a mother figure named Samantha who opened her home to me when she had every reason not to, and her daughter, who I will tell you about in a moment. I went to college like you wanted, and I played hockey there too. And I have a spot on the national team waiting for me in January. Do you remember y

  • Falling For My Stepbrother On Ice   114

    Dona's POV That eventful November rolled into a cold, gray December, and on the morning of the trial against Peter, my mother couldn't sit still. She was beside me on the hard wooden bench in the courtroom gallery, her leg bouncing up and down in a rapid, anxious rhythm that she probably didn't even know she was doing. I put my hand over her knee and she stopped, looked at me, and managed a nervous smile. "It's going to be fine, okay?" I told her. "Keisha hasn't lost a case in four years. I googled her." Mom laughed without humor. "You googled my lawyer?" "I try to be thorough when it comes to things like this." I leaned my head sideways against hers and she leaned back, silently letting me know she had my back just as much as I had hers. I thought about the police car pulling away from our curb that night in November, her hand slipping out of mine. I thought about all the mornings I'd spent in this past year being furious at her for choices I didn't understand, and all the nigh

  • Falling For My Stepbrother On Ice   113

    August's POV The second we skated out onto the ice, the crowd roared at the top of their voices. I'd played in front of big crowds before, junior league games that packed out smaller rinks, and scrimmages with decent turnouts. But this was even crazier. Every seat was filled, the FSU student section was a wall of garnet and gold. The noise felt like a physical hit when I walked through the tunnel. It was like walking into a wave. I was still adjusting to the light when the commentator's voice roared through the speakers. "AND HERE COME YOUR FLORIDA STATE ICEHAWKS! Led out by captain August Reynolds, who we understand will be taking his talents to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in January! This is the man's last outing as FSU captain, folks, and what a stage to go out on!" I stopped skating for half a second. How did they already know that? I'd told my teammates this morning. It had been approximately three minutes since that conversation happened in the locker r

  • Falling For My Stepbrother On Ice   112

    August's POV The day of every hockey match was always raucous. But this one was even more loud than the past ones. Everyone in the locker room was on a roll. Nate was sitting on the bench with his phone, reading out loud to whoever would listen. "So, the Gulf Coast University captain is a guy called Bryce Holloway," Nate announced, scrolling on his face. "He's six foot two, plays left wing, has scored seventeen goals this season." "Whoa, monster!" Diego muttered. "Damn right." Nate continued. "Their defense is physical, they like to crowd the boards and slow the game down." "Classic south Florida hockey," Mason replied. "They can't skate fast so they just make it ugly and messy, those gorillas." "But we skate faster," Diego answered, throwing a jab at the air. "Simple." I was half listening, half staring at my phone. I pulled up Samantha's contact and typed quickly. ME: Are you coming for the finals today? She replied a few minutes later. SAMANTHA: I can't, sweetheart. Keish

  • Falling For My Stepbrother On Ice   112

    August's POV The day of every hockey match was always raucous. But this one was even more loud than the past ones. Everyone in the locker room was on a roll. Nate was sitting on the bench with his phone, reading out loud to whoever would listen. "So, the Gulf Coast University captain is a guy called Bryce Holloway," Nate announced, scrolling on his face. "He's six foot two, plays left wing, has scored seventeen goals this season." "Whoa, monster!" Diego muttered. "Damn right." Nate continued. "Their defense is physical, they like to crowd the boards and slow the game down." "Classic south Florida hockey," Mason replied. "They can't skate fast so they just make it ugly and messy, those gorillas." "But we skate faster," Diego answered, throwing a jab at the air. "Simple." I was half listening, half staring at my phone. I pulled up Samantha's contact and typed quickly. ME: Are you coming for the finals today? She replied a few minutes later. SAMANTHA: I can't, sweetheart. Keish

  • Falling For My Stepbrother On Ice   111

    August's POV A week later, the four of us were at Tallahassee International Airport, and Piper was already a disaster. She was sitting on the bench between Dona and me, staring at the departures board with a desolate look. Her eyes were dry but only just, and every few minutes she'd pull in a slow breath through her nose that was doing absolutely nothing to help. Kade was at the check-in counter doing whatever needed to be done, his duffel bag on the floor beside him as he spoke to the woman behind the desk. "He's only going for five months," Dona reminded Piper, rubbing her shoulder gently. "I know," Piper replied, in the flat voice of someone who knew but didn't particularly care about the information. "And Christmas is literally around the corner. You can fly out to Chicago and see him." "I know that too." "So technically it's not even that long before..." "Dona, I know, okay?" Piper cut her off, but without any real heat. She just kept staring at the board. I leaned forw

  • Falling For My Stepbrother On Ice   030

    August's POV Some days later, I was back on the ice for practice, but my head wasn’t in it. Coach’s whistle kept making my teeth grind. Every play I tried went wrong. I knew my passes were way too slow and my shots were off target. The puck might as well have been a bar of soap. “Reynolds!” Coach

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-25
  • Falling For My Stepbrother On Ice   032

    Dona's POV My mom shifted the plate of pecan pie in her hands so it wouldn’t slide, then leaned over and pressed the doorbell beside Piper's door again. The chime echoed inside the apartment, but nothing happened. She sighed and impatiently pushed her blonde hair out of her face, tucking it behind

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-26
  • Falling For My Stepbrother On Ice   031

    August's POV As soon as I was in the locker room, I slammed my gear into my cubby and sat down, dragging both hands through my hair. I’d kissed her twice. Once in anger, once because I couldn’t stop myself. And both times it felt too good for me to deserve. Like something I’d been missing all my

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-25
  • Falling For My Stepbrother On Ice   57

    Dona's POV Piper continued eating in silence for a few minutes, chewing aggressively like she was taking her frustration out on the food. Then she suddenly gave a start, as if she'd just remembered something important. "Oh, oh!" She turned to me. "My mom called yesterday, and she told me to tell

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-04-05
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