Voice softer, he said, “They want to see you. I know they do. But it should be on your terms—that’s why I didn’t tell them. So they wouldn’t catch you by surprise.”
I stared down at my food. I missed my team so damn much. I wanted to see them so, so bad. And holy shit, I wanted to believe that they missed me and wanted to see me too.
But I was still convinced that they resented me for leaving them in a lurch mid-season. It was impossible to imagine the kind of warm welcome he was suggesting.
“I’m serious, Avery,” he said gently. “Next time we skate, let’s see if some of the guys will join us. I can guarantee they will.”
The thought of practicing with my friends again filled me with both a sense of dread and a deep, painful longing. I cringed at the idea of looking them in the eyes again; no matter how much Peyton assured me they had my back, and no matter how much they’d been texting me to try to get meto golf with them, I was embarrassed and ashamed of what I was going through. It didn’t matter how much people reassured me that this wasn’t a failure or a character flaw, it still felt like one, and I didn’t want to see their pity or their derision.
At the same time, just thinking about hitting the ice with Baddy, Eminem, and some of the other guys… God, it made my chest physically ache. I’d always been restless when I was rehabbing from an injury, eager to get back out there and skate, and now—I mean, fuck. What was stopping me except pride?
I took a deep breath and met Peyton’s gaze again. “They really want to practice with me?”
“All of them,” he said without hesitation.
My heart pounded as I weighed my options, hemming and hawing between hiding away with my bruised pride and stepping back out into the camaraderie I’d been missing so much.
Finally, I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, let’s do it.”
And nothing galvanized my decision more than the way it made Peyton smile.
God, yeah.
Let’s do this.
CHAPTER 26
PEYTON
We had practice the next morning, and before I left for the rink, I sent out a group text.
Hey guys, if anyone wants to get in a bit more ice time, me and Calds have the rink from 3-4. More the merrier.
The responses started almost immediately.
Baddy
Today? Hell yeah I’m there.
Eminem
Count me in
Yeah today
Mix
Full-contact or?
Willie
Got plans with the kids, but LMK aboutnext time!
Baddy
Calds is there, Mix. You know it’s gonna be full contact.
Mix
