The warm glow of the dining room made everything feel cozier, the clink of glasses and hum of voices filling the air as everyone settled around the long table. Brooke had outdone herself—plates of delicious food were piled high, and the casual, welcoming atmosphere made it feel like a true celebration.
"If something doesn't taste good, don't say anything. It'll hurt my feelings," Brooke warned, narrowing her eyes playfully.
"Everything will taste great, hon. Don't worry, right guys?" Luke said, glancing at the table. Everyone nodded quickly, murmuring their agreement.
"So, Valeria, you're a doctor?" Easton asked from across the table, Aiden perched happily at his side.
"No, I'm a PA," I corrected. "I work alongside doctors—I'm trained to do many of the same tasks, but under their supervision."
"Why don't they just call you a doctor then?" Leo chimed in.
"Basically, because I didn't do the long schooling," I said with a shrug. "Which I don't mind. I love my job."
"But you get the stethoscope and scrubs, right?" Easton asked with a teasing grin.
"Don't answer that," Brooke interjected quickly. I nodded in compliance, and the table erupted in laughter.
"So," Luke said, glancing at me with a mischievous grin. "We want to hear more about last game's... enthusiasm from a certain someone." "No, we don't," Brooke groaned, already bracing herself.
"No, I think we do," Nate laughed, leaning back in his chair.
I rolled my eyes, but they were all looking at me now. "There's literally nothing to say! I just thought he looked really cool in the uniform, and I mean, come on—it's pretty hot when someone makes the crowd go crazy scoring the first goal of the game."
"Thank you," Easton said smoothly, his grin growing wider from across the table.
"You could be his puck bunny," Damian quipped, a sly grin on his face. "That's what we won't be doing," Easton cut in, shooting Damian a look. "Right, right, sorry," Damian said, throwing his hands up in mock defense.
"What's a puck bunny?" I asked, glancing between them curiously.
"It's when a girl pretends to like hockey just to hook up with a player," Leo explained casually.
"Ah," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Well, I am definitely not that. My friend actually dragged me to the game. But do you guys really fall for them?"
Brooke started laughing.
"Exclude me," Luke said, raising his hand. "They've all had their share of puck bunnies," Brooke teased, glancing around the table. "No way," I said, scrunching my nose in disbelief. "You guys actually feed into that?"
"Speaking of," I added, turning my attention to Easton, "my friend did mention you were a bit of a player." Everyone but Easton burst into laughter.
"Well, you can't believe everything you hear in the media," Easton said, though his grin was still intact. "Except for this," Nate cut in, stifling a laugh. "East has the worst track record with the ladies."
"Don't deny it," Leo warned, grinning as Easton leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "Okay, maybe, but I'm not like a wh—" "Language," Brooke said sharply, cutting him off.
I raised an eyebrow at Easton, smirking. "Why not just settle down, then? If you want a girl at every game so bad."
The table erupted into laughter again, and Easton just shook his head."No, no," Leo said, coughing through his laughter. "Edwards does not do relationships."
