I straighten up and set aside my drink. I wasn’t expecting Coach to bring this up. “Yeah, absolutely. But I thought Ryker was in the running for it.”
“I talked to him about it, but he said he wasn’t interested in the extra responsibility. Said he was too old for that stuff and just wants to play.”
I chuckle softly. “That sounds like something he’d say.”
“I’ve noticed a lot of growth in you this summer. You’ve matured a lot since you got married.”
“Thanks, Coach. I’m glad to hear you say that.”
“I’ll admit, I didn’t think you had it in you to change. I’ve worked with a lot of players in my career who claim they want to be taken seriously as captain or alternate captain, but theydon’t put in the work. They don’t understand that you need to be a model off the ice too,” he says. “Initially, I wrote you off as one of them, but you really cleaned up your act. I, for one, was getting sick of seeing your face all over the tabloids, partying and hooking up.”
I let out an embarrassed chuckle. “I understand why you felt that way.” I clear my throat. “That stuff doesn’t interest me anymore though. Now that I’m married, I just want to spend all my time with my wife.”
He cracks a smile, his gaze drifting to his wife Abby, who’s talking with Sophie and Ellie.
“I know the feeling.” He looks at me. “I’ll make an official announcement at training camp, but just between you and me, you’ll be wearing the A on your jersey this season.”
Excitement shoots through me. “Thank you for giving me this shot, Coach. You won’t regret it.”
He pats my shoulder before walking off.
“What’s that smile for?”
I turn around at the sound of Ellie’s voice.
I grin at her. “I’m gonna be alternate captain this season. Coach Porter just told me.”
Her eyes go wide, and she squeals.
I chuckle as I pull her close to me and shush her gently.
“No one’s supposed to know other than me,” I say. “Coach will make the official announcement at training camp, but until then, it’s a secret.”
She kisses me. “Congratulations,” she murmurs against my mouth. “We should celebrate when we get back to the vacation rental.” There’s a naughty lilt to her voice.
“What’d you have in mind?”
She leans her mouth to my ear. “It involves me naked in bed, and you using my toys on me,” she whispers.
My dick twitches in my pants. I close my eyes and groan.
“Ellie baby. You can’t tease me like that. Not when we’re forty-five minutes from our rental and we’ve got another hour left in this reception.”
She giggles and quirks her eyebrow at me. “Come on. You love it when I tease you.” She glances past my shoulder. “How about some champagne to celebrate you getting alternate captain? The waitstaff just dropped off bottles of champagne at the table. I can grab one for us to share.”
“That sounds perfect.”
She walks off, and I ask the bartender for two champagne flutes.
“Camden? Is that you?”
I turn around and see a woman holding a camera, smiling at me.
In the dim lighting, I don’t recognize her. I start to apologize, but she walks up to me.
“Oh my gosh, that is you!”
When she smiles at me, my slow-moving gears in my brain finally recognize who this is. Kendra, a woman I’ve hooked up with a few times.
