Miranda will be there when I’m done. Hell, she’s probably still wrapped in blankets, waiting for me to come home and kiss her senseless. But right now? I have to dial in.
God knows, if I want any chance at being in the lineup next game, looking up into that VIP box to see my beautiful girl wearing my jersey, I need to perform. Right now. I need to earn it and make her proud.
I pull my clean shirt over my freshly showered body, still warm from the steam. As I tug the hem down, Jaden nudges me on his way past.
“Sucking it up in practice today, huh?” he says with a grin. “Doesn’t have anything to do with a certain strawberry blonde, does it?”
I narrow my gaze at him, but he just laughs.
“Don’t worry, man. I’ve totally been there. I was a complete wreck last October—I couldn’t think about anything but Anna. Being lovesick is the worst.”
“I’m not lovesick,” I fire back.
“There’s nothing wrong with being lovesick,” he says easily.
“Yeah,” Finn chimes in from his locker. “I’m lovesick every single weekend.”
Logan shoves Finn’s arm. “That’s not love, asshole. That’s lust.”
I rub a towel through my hair and look back at Jaden. “So I’m guessing you know.”
“Oh, we know,” he says, grinning with a smug sort of triumph. “Miranda texted Anna last night. Anna showed me. We’re both super excited, man. I mean, we saw it coming… but it’s about time.”
“Wait,” Cade says as he laces up his shoes. “Are we talking about what I think we’re talking about? Did Hollywood and Miranda finally get together?”
I roll my eyes. “Ha-ha. Very funny. These things take time.”
Beckett calls over his shoulder, “Yeah, just glad you could finally seal the deal. Watching that sexual tension between you two was becoming a bit uncomfortable.”
“It was not,” I scoff. “You’re all ridiculous.”
“We’re just happy for you,” Bash says, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder.
I take a breath, glancing around at all of them. “It’s new,” I warn. “So let’s all just take a step back. Don’t do anything to freak her out. It’s only been two days. I don’t want to jinx anything.”
Jaden gives me a confident smile. “Don’t worry. You two have it. You’ll be good.”
I nod, hoping like hell he’s right.
I finish getting dressed, sliding my phone and wallet into my pockets, my mind on Miranda and getting back to her.
It’s ridiculous, bordering on pathetic, how fast I want to get home.
I sling my bag over my shoulder and head toward the garage exit with the guys trailing me. Everyone’s still chirping, giving me shit in that affectionate, brotherly way they always do. I throw a half-hearted glare over my shoulder.
“Seriously,” I say, pushing through the door, “don’t make a big deal about it.”
“Us?” Logan says with fake innocence. “We wouldnever.”
“Liars,” I mutter.
They laugh, and I shake my head, but truthfully? Their excitement kind of means something. These guys are my family. And them seeing what Miranda and I have—believing in it—lightens something in my chest I didn’t know I’d been carrying.
Outside, the cold hits me like a slap, sharp and bright. The storm’s finally stopped, but the world is still blanketed in white. The parking lot is a sea of plowed snowbanks and glittering ice. My breath fogs the air as I walk toward my truck.
I climb in, fire up the engine, and pull my phone from my pocket.
One message from Miranda.
