Crazy Thing (The Brighton Family #5)

Chapter 50

50

ZIGGY

D arius elbows his way past his brothers, twisting and turning through the row of seats as he makes his way to me.

My heart tingles at the sight of him. Ugh—he’s so freaking hot.

“Hey.”

He grins, slipping a Saints hockey beanie over my head as he lowers into the arena seat next to me. “Hey. If you’re gonna be part of the Brighton cheering section, you need to be wearing the proper attire.”

Nicky gestures to the number seventeen Saints Jersey she’s wearing. “Yup. We’ve got a very strict dress code.” She turns around like a gameshow model to show me that Brighton is printed across the back.

Daphne, Inez and Karli all nod along, modeling their own Saints merchandise in support of Ronan.

“Got it,” I say with a laugh, adjusting my new hat over my messy hair.

I turn in Darius’s direction to find him staring adoringly at me. My cheeks burn as he openly checks me out. The man is looking at me like he wants to eat me up right here in this hockey arena.

When we make eye contact, his own cheeks turn pink. He plays it off by dotting a kiss to the tip of my nose.

It’s Wednesday mid-afternoon and I’m with the Brighton family in Sin Valley, attending one of Ronan’s training camp events. The siblings make no secret of how proud they are of the hockey captain and as for Nicky, she’s not shy to shout her encouragement at her fiancé each time he skates by.

The entire crew is just so excited to be able to support him in this way as the official start of the season approaches.

I’m basically just along for the ride because I have no idea about hockey. But I love the positive vibe in the arena as the players show off their skills on the ice to a small crowd composed mainly of family members and diehard fans.

Ever since we started hanging out—no, dating —Darius hasn’t been working nearly as much as before. Actually, we work so efficiently together at the office during business hours that he doesn’t need to work around the clock anymore.

These days, Darius is always closing up the office early or canceling business lunches to spend time with me. And whenever he has plans with his family or friends—erm, I mean ‘business associates’—he goes out of his way to bring me along.

Darius is an important, highly sought-after man so the fact that he’s always rearranging his schedule to make space for me? That’s how I know I’m special to him. The time we spend together means more to me than any luxury gifts ever could.

When Ronan is off the ice, I turn to Nicky, giving her the details of the community cleanup I’m planning down by the waterfall. I suggest that getting the hockey players to volunteer would be good publicity for the Saints. Nicky loves the idea and promises to get her bosses in the team’s PR department on board.

Then Nolan starts telling me about the vegetarian options he just added at The North Node Tavern. One look at the sneaky smile on Darius’s lips and I know that he’s the one who convinced his brother to add sweet potato buckwheat burgers to the bar’s dinner menu.

When the conversation turns to medicine, Felix listens intently as I speak about the herbal remedies I like to keep on hand to fortify my immune system over the winter season. The whole time, Darius keeps an arm around me, proudly staking his claim.

Throughout the entire afternoon, not once do I feel judged or excluded or out of place.

I’m a part of this group. They consider me. They value my opinions. They embrace me. Despite the quirks I’ve always felt made me difficult to love.

After feeling left out for so long, I’m finally a part of something. I’m not the weird outsider who everyone sort of just tolerates. I feel like I belong.

That’s all thanks to Darius.

For the first time, it really hits me just how much my life has changed for the better over the past few months. The universe has—in the most roundabout way possible—given me everything I wanted and so much more.

The waterfall is safe.

My business is thriving.

My heart is bursting with happiness.

Yes. All thanks to Darius Brighton.