I follow my team off the rink as excited chatter over the win dominates the locker room as we ice bath, shower, and change into our suits.
Forty-five minutes later, I’m walking out of the player’s exit and into the warm night air. A crowd of mostly female fans swarms me as soon as they see me. I sign a few autographs, making sure the kids standing there get priority as I Sharpie my name on their jerseys and make small talk with them.
When the crowd finally breaks, I spot Miles’s family standing off to the side, talking to a few of my teammates. I know Travis and Jake have inked a few, and a lot of people know Ryder from doing business with him on their cars, so it doesn’t surprise me that they recognize them.
The conversation that has me walking over with a frown on my face is Savi’s laughter ringing through the air as Hayes speaks a little too close to her ear for my comfort. They are further away from the group, and I’m not liking it one bit.
“Shouldn’t you be with the rest of the team celebrating at Breakaway?” My voice comes out a little more abruptly than I intended, causing Hayes’s lip to quirk at the corner.
“Funny, I was just talking to Savannah about that,” he looks at her and grins. “Seems like she’s headed that way too.”
“To Breakaway?” I glance at her, and she just shrugs.
“My brothers want to celebrate with you, so I guess that’s where we are going.”
“Wait, do you two know each other?” Hayes asks, looking between us.
“You could say that?” I grit out. I know her better than I probably should, as memories flash through my mind of how she felt coming apart in my hand.
“He’s…my brother’s best friend and staying in my guest house until he finds a place.”
“So you’re thefriend,” he chuckles. “Now it makes sense why Knox got so protective over you during the press release. If I had a friend who looked like you, I wouldn’t be sharing your name either.”
“What’s he talking about?” Savi looks at me in confusion.
“Nothing important.” I give Hayes theshut the fuck uplook, and he just laughs while I try to brush it off like it was nothing. “It was just some nosy reporter trying to get a rise out of me.”
Miles walks over with Olivia just then, saving me from this conversation.
“Great game, man.” Miles grabs my shoulder and beams at me. “You guys were killing it out there tonight.”
“I had forgotten how exciting the games are live,” Olivia grins widely.
“Better than Chicago games?” I ask, mentioning her old hometown. She told me she’s a huge hockey fan when we first met, and we made a bet I would get her over to my side after our first game.
“Maybe it was the company,” she says, grinning at Miles as he throws his arm around her, “but I had the best time I’ve ever had at a hockey game. You’ve got one more fan for your team.”
“I knew I could get you to convert,” I smile.
“Maybeit was the company?” Miles feigns being hurt, causing her to laugh.
“It wasdefinitelythe company,” she grins, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him on the lips. They seem so happy and at peace with life now. It’s an unfamiliar feeling that I’ve never been able to hold on to.
I feel Savi’s eyes on me, and I briefly meet them before I look away. I know it’s exactly the type of relationship she wants and the kind she deserves. It puts me on edge, though, when she looks at me as if I could give it to her.
Travis, Jake, and Ryder finally walk over and join us with their wives as the congratulations go around for our win tonight.
Just like Hayes said, they all want to go out and celebrate having secured babysitters and sleepovers for the night, so we start walking the few blocks to Breakaway.
At some point during our walk, the couples pair up, and Savi and I end up bringing up the rear at a slower pace. Hayes must have gone on ahead, eager to meet his adoring fans, I’m sure.
“What were you and Hayes talking about earlier?”
She gives me a sideways glance as the question comes out of nowhere. Hell, even I didn’t mean to ask it. It came out before I could stop it.
“He was just asking me if this was my first game and if I had fun,” she says, looking straight ahead. “Then he asked me if I was going to Breakaway and wanted to buy me a drink later.”
“About Hayes…”
