I'm halfway across the bar, getting drinks, when I hear Sage's voice carry over the noise.
"And then," Sage continues, "when he was fifteen, he tried to impress a girl by doing a backflip off the diving board at the community pool. Except he forgot he was wearing skates."
"Skates?" Piper's eyes widen. "At a pool?"
"He'd just come from practice. Walked straight from the rink to meet her, still in full gear." Sage is grinning like she's been waiting years to tell this story. "Jumped. Realized mid-air. Hit the water like a cannonball made of bad decisions and regret."
I abandon the drinks and head over. "I was twelve," I protest, sliding into the booth across from them.
"You were fifteen, and the fire department had to fish you out with a pool skimmer." Sage grins at Piper. "Oh, and he once got detention for correcting his history teacher's facts about the Great Chicago Fire. Brought in Dad's firefighting manuals as evidence."
The table goes quiet for a beat. Piper's hand finds mine under the table, squeezes once.
"The teacher was wrong," I say quietly. "About the cause. It mattered."
Sage's expression softens. "Everything about fires mattered to you, even back then." She pauses. "Dad thought it was hilarious. Came to the parent-teacher meeting in his uniform, backed you up completely."
Sage's expression softens. "He was so proud of you, Ry. He loved watching you play hockey. Loved that you wanted to be just like him at the firehouse." She pauses. "He never would've wanted you to have to choose."
"Maybe he should have."
"Maybe you're overthinking things." She stands, stretches. "I'm getting another drink. Piper, come help me carry?"
"We're getting two drinks," Piper says.
"Four, actually. I'm planning ahead."
The rest of the team takes the hint, dispersing to the bar or the dartboards as Sage links her arm through Piper's. "We'll be back. Ryder, try not to brood too hard while we're gone."
They're halfway to the bar when Sage turns back, catching my eye. She mouths three words: "Don't screw up."
Then they're gone, the team scattered around the bar, and I'm left alone in the booth with two beers and the weight of every decision I haven't made yet.
Jax slides in across from me thirty seconds later. "Your sister is incredible. Also, she keeps making jokes about my commitment issues and I'm concerned she's psychic."
"She's perceptive."
"She told me you're in love with Piper and too stubborn to admit it."
I nearly choke on my beer. "She said what?"
"Exact words: 'My brother's in love with her but he's going to sabotage it because Lockwoods are genetically predisposed to self-destruction when things get good.'" Jax leans back. "So, is she right?"
"I—"
"Because from where I'm sitting, you've got everything you want right in front of you. Great game tonight. Scouts interested. Girl who looks at you like you hung the moon. Sister who clearly adores you despite your emotional constipation." He pauses. "So what's the problem?"
Same question. Different person asking.
"If I go to the NHL, I leave everything behind," I say finally. "This town. The firehouse. My dad's legacy. Her."
"And if you stay?"
"I give up the dream. Everything I've worked for. Everything Dad wanted for me."
"Did he though?" Jax asks quietly. "Want that for you? Or did he just want you to be happy?"
Piper and Sage return with drinks before I can answer. Sage sets two beers in front of me with a significant look.
