Unable to get within shooting range of their net to get a clear shot, I have no other option but to send it back over to Riley. Dodging a move from one of their D-men, Riley moves to the left first, then right, and is able to send a slapshot straight into their net.
After that, we never really let the Tigers back into the game. From that moment on, we work together as one efficientmachine, taking over the ice, giving them no room to maneuver. We sabotage their game every chance we get until the final whistle blows. Although Cody lets one goal in, we still scored five goals. It’s our biggest win this season and Riley and Cody are named among the3 Starsalong with Kovalenko.
As we pile into the locker room, there’s a feeling of hope in the air that we can still turn this shit season around. My body is buzzing from head to toe, and I’m finally again reminded why hockey is it for me. Even when I eventually retire from the NHL, I know that hockey will still be an essential part of my life. Either as a coach somewhere or as an old, gray granddad watching my grandchildren stumble across the ice for the very first time. Hockey is in my blood, ingrained into my very soul. Shit, I get all teary-eyed just thinking about it.
The guys are all over Cody, ruffling his hair, tapping his shoulder pads and sucker punching him. Shyly, he thanks them all for their praise, his eyes shining, cheeks flushed. My fingers tingle to touch him too, but I’m afraid that if I first get started, I won’t be able to stop. And that I won’t just stick to patting his shoulder or ruffling his hair. No, that I’ll want to do more than that, perhaps hug him, feel him against me, squeeze him tight. Breathe him in like I did the other night when we watchedLove, Simon, and we sat so close that he felt like a part of me. Yeah, I’m pretty sure that if I start touching Cody like that, I’ll just crave more. I’ve already grown addicted to his presence in the condo, the feel of his warm body brushing up against me randomly when we move around in the kitchen, the scent of him lingering in the air.
“Good game, boys!” Coach yells through the locker room. “Better get ready when you leave the stadium. The press is lined up outside.” He grins broadly, pride dwelling in his eyes, his gaze searching the room, until it lands on Cody. “And you, young man,” Coach points his paw at Cody, who shrinks a little, eyelidsfluttering nervously. “You better get ready for the bloodhounds. All eyes are on you now, kid.”
Cody nods slowly, his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he swallows. He looks so small and frail, although he’s a few inches taller than me, and yet, there’s this edge of fierce determination in his eyes. Tipping his chin in Coach’s direction, a cheeky smile blooms at the right corner of his mouth while he brushes his sweaty bangs away from his forehead. And then the usually shy Cody surprises the shit out of us all.
“I’m ready, Coach. They can just bring it. Ain’t gonna throw me off my game. I know where I’m headed.”
Well, okay then.
Chapter Thirteen
Cody
“Man, that was close,right?” Luke smiles at me, his eyes hooded, fatigue painted across his face. He lies splayed out on a sun chair on the rooftop terrace of the hotel we’re staying at in San Diego. Stretching his arms above his head, he groans, his neck muscles popping. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of pale skin where his T-shirt has ridden up, revealing his rippling stomach.
“Nah, I never had any doubts,” I smirk back, my voice drowsy from the one post-game beer I had down in the hotel bar.
“Shut up.” Luke reaches out across the small table between us and pushes at my shoulder. I’m lying down, too, lazily reclined on an identical sun bed, enjoying the cool breeze wafting across the terrace. It’s a clear night, but you can’t see any stars, the big city lights polluting the sky, making it impossible to spot them.The rest of the team have either gone back to their rooms or are down in the bar still celebrating what has been a successful away week.
After the euphoric win in Utah, my home state, we moved on to Texas and won against the Dallas Star Chasers in a messy game with a lot of penalties. Virtanen busted an eyebrow in a faceoff with one of the Chasers, and Kennedy sprained his right wrist when he was thrown against the ice.
“I didn’t,” I protest. “I knew we were gonna win tonight. Troye told me.” I stick out my tongue teasingly.
“Fuck off, man. Now he talks to you?” Luke shakes his head.
“What? Antoine doesn’t talk to you?” I mock-gasp. “He didn’t tell ya we were gonna shut down those Devils?” We did. We owned the game from start until finish, stunning the shit out of the San Diego Devils in the first period with two goals in rapid succession. Our defense was rock solid at the other end. I only let in one goal the entire game and in the end, we came away with a solid 4-1 victory.
“That’s not the kinda relationship we have, Antoine and I,” Luke pats the left side of his chest just above his heart.
“Cute,” I grin, yawning loudly. As amazing as this week has been, I’m wiped out and ready to go home.Home. Aurora is home now. Every muscle in my body aches and I’m longing for my own bed. My knee is good, though, and I’m very well aware that it has a lot to do with the guy lying next to me. During all three games, Luke has had my back, covering me, and keeping me out of harm’s way. It’s like he always knows exactly how to move to protect me, and I’ve never had this type of connection with another player before.
It hasn’t gone unnoticed by the press either, aDenver Sportsbroadcaster referring to thedivine synergybetween Luke and me yesterday while theDenver Gazettenamed us thenew dream teamin their sports news.
“My parents are flying out for our next couple of home games,” Luke hums. “My dad has a conference in Aspen, so my mom’s coming with him.” As always, when conversation lands on parents or siblings, my chest tightens, and it feels like someone is sitting on top of me. The other players’ families fly in regularly to watch our home games and Buckhammer’s entire family came out to dinner with us in Dallas. My mom has yet to make an appearance at a game, which doesn’t surprise me since she’s probably deeply engulfed in her latest love affair. She’ll be sure to grace me with her presence if we make it to the playoffs, though. No wayhockey mom extraordinaireis going to want to miss that. Yeah, Mom being a no-show so far doesn’t bother me too much, though. I’d rather have her stay back in Arizona instead of breathing down my neck, pointing out imagined mistakes on my part.
“That’s nice,” I say.
“What about you? Do your folks live far away?” Luke tips his head back to look at the midnight-blue sky and his face relaxed, the slope of his soft chin beckoning for my fingers to trace it. To find out if his skin is really as smooth as it looks.
“Nah, my mom lives in Arizona,” I croak, averting my gaze.
“And your dad?”
“It’s just me and my mom,” I swallow, regret washing over me. “My, uhm… my parents divorced when I was nine. My older brother, Danny, went to live with my dad in Idaho, and I moved to Phoenix with my mom shortly after.” It’s the same story I always tell people. Just another fragmented family scattered across the US. I never go into details and people usually leave it at that. But tonight, something feels off. Perhaps because Luke and I have grown close over the past few weeks. Not only as teammates, but also as roomies and maybe even friends. There’s never any trace of judgment from his end, always just this openness that makes me want to open up in return. So, I decideto do something I’ve never done before. I tell him about the one thing in my life that hurts the most.
“I haven’t seen my dad or Danny since that day when I was nine. I don’t know… my mom used to say that he’d started over. Didn’t want me in his life anymore. I never questioned it. But now… I’m not so sure anymore.” I trail off, brushing a hand across my face, feeling out of breath for no particular reason and yet lighter than I have in ages.
“What do you mean?” Luke turns his head, his gaze searching mine.
“I think… I just don’t see my dad doing something like that. He wasn’t that kind of parent while I was growing up. And even if… even if he’d moved on with someone else, he would never have kept Danny and me from each other. He just wouldn’t.” Speaking those words for the first time, sharing this part of myself with someone else, I realize it’s true. My dad just wouldn’t do that. “I think… no, Iknowmy mom kept me from him and Danny. She was always vague at best, shutting me down whenever I asked about them. She kept me from him. I see that now.” My eyes sting and my throat feels raw. At that moment, it’s like a curtain is pulled to the side, and I see the world for what it is. All the lies and my mother’s resentment. It’s like waking up from a long slumber, and suddenly, the world has changed around you and you slowly have to piece it back together again.
“Shit.” Luke sits up in his chair, his hair unruly, sticking out from lying down. “I’m so sorry, man. That’s really fucked up.” His eyes are glowing, his mouth nothing but a narrow line in his beautiful face. Indignation pours off of him in waves. He’s angry. He’s angry on my behalf. “Sorry,” he swallows. “I mean…”
