“No, I don’t.” Liam scowls. “II don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh really?” Grant rolls his eyes. “Is that why you’re an asshole to everyonebutkids? I see the jerseys you sign and the pucks you give out during warmups.”
“They offer to trade me candy,” Liam says. “I love Starbursts.”
“Wow.” Riley smiles. “He does have a heart.”
“I’m serious, Miller. A month off. We’ll evaluate things in March,” I tell him, and he nods.
“Thanks, Coach.” His smile is weak, but the life is returning to his eyes. “I love Emmy and Murphy more than anything.”
“Maverick the family man Miller.” Ethan grins. “Who would’ve thought?”
****
It’s another hour and a half before I can leave the arena, and when I do, the moon is high in the sky. The temperature is biting and cold, the late February wind brutal on my face. I ask my Uber driver to drop me two blocks from Hannah’s apartment so I can walk the rest of the way, taking a deep breath for the first time all night.
The call to the commissioner’s office about getting Maverick taken care of has been made. I’ve scoured our AHL team’s roster and a couple other players in the ECHL I’ve had my eye on. There’s a girl out in Chicago with a playing style similar to the offense we like to run I’m hoping to talk to, but I’m trying to not get too excited. Maverick told me he’d call me later, and we’re figuring this shit out.
By the time I get to the hallway that leads to Hannah’s apartment, I’m exhausted, but she’s there, opening the door inone of the DC Stars T-shirts I left at her place and giving me a smile that’s as bright as can be.
“Coach,” she says, her voice sultry and sweet.
“Everett.” My eyes rake down her legs. There’s a charm bracelet clasped around her ankle. Bright pink painted toes, and she has a tiny braid in her hair. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too.” She holds the door open for me. I step inside, kicking off my shoes in the foyer. “Are you hungry?”
“No. Just drained.” I rub my forehead, a headache forming there from the stress. From wanting to make sure my guys are taken care of and everyone is safe. “Can we go to your room so I can stretch my legs? My knee is killing me.”
“Of course.” Hannah stands on her toes to kiss my cheek, then offers me her hand. I follow her down the hall, rubbing my thumb over her knuckles and savoring in the warmth of her palm. She climbs on the bed, propping herself up on an elbow, and pats the spot next to her. “If you want to take off some clothes, I wouldn’t mind.”
I chuckle and get rid of my suit and tie, draping everything over her desk chair so they don’t wrinkle. I settle next to her on the mattress, an arm behind my head and a hand on her thigh.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hi.” She doesn’t try to hide her smile, and neither do I. “Did you yell at the guys after that loss?”
“No. Didn’t feel right.” My hand moves to her hair, and I play with the braid framing her face. “There are days when being a good coach takes the back seat to being a decent human.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re both.” Hannah scoots closer. “Anything I can do to help?”
“I don’t want to share too many details and disrespect my players’ privacy, but I had a conversation with some of the guys about helping with Murphy, Maverick and Emmy’s baby, and around their house.” I sigh. “Lots of moving parts.”
“I’d never want you to share something a player told you in confidence.” She puts a hand flat on my chest. “Do you want more kids?”
“I don’t know. Liv is perfect, but can I really get that lucky twice in a row?” I laugh. “I guess my answer is a tentative maybe, but with the caveat of knowing I’m perfectly happy with how things are now.”
“Imagine teaching another kid how to drive in fifteen or twenty years. We’ll probably all have spaceships by then.”
“What about you?” I ask, playing with her sleeve. “Do you want kids?”
“No.” There’s a long pause. “I’m not sure I even want to get married. Apparently, that’s controversial? So many marriages end in divorce—and I’m not saying people who are in non-legally binding relationships don’t break up—but I guess I can’t comprehend being tied to someone for the rest of my life.” A soft chuckle now. “Guess that makes me cynical.”
“Not cynical at all. Kali and I never got married, even after having Liv. What works for one person might not work for everyone else. Who gives a fuck what people do with their lives? Marriage, no marriage. Kids, no kids. Everyone needs to mind their own fucking business and let people justlive.”
“Wow.” Hannah draws circles on my skin, and I shiver under her touch. “You’re hot when you get fired up about things.”
“If you think that was fired up, you should’ve seen me on the bench during tonight’s game. I broke a clipboard.”
