It wasn’t much of a solution, but it was the best I could offer. We’d proven tonight that our coaching relationship was working, that Adan’s development was accelerating, that his NHL dreams were within reach. I couldn’t abandon him when he was so close to achieving everything he’d worked for.
But I also couldn’t ignore the very real danger we’d exposed ourselves to. The moment when discovery had been a matter of seconds, when everything we’d both worked for could have been destroyed by one careless moment.
“We’ll figure it out,” Adan said, echoing his words from the other night.
“We have to.”
“But for now, we celebrate. I’m going to call my parents and tell them about the scout.”
“They’ll be proud.”
“They’ll be over the moon.” He grinned, and for a moment, he looked exactly like what he was; a twenty-year-old kid whose wildest dreams were starting to come true. “And I’m going to thank them for every sacrifice they made to get me here.”
“They’ll appreciate that.”
“I’ll see you Monday for training?”
“Monday at seven. We have work to do if we want to impress McLaughlin when he comes back.”
“We’ll be ready.”
As Adan headed toward the locker room to join his teammates’ celebration, I remained in the tunnel. I blew out a deep breath, willing my shoulders to relax. The game, the scout, the kiss, the near-discovery… All of it felt like a preview of the complications to come.
But as I thought about McLaughlin’s words, about Adan’s performance, about the genuine possibility that we might help him achieve his NHL dreams, I knew I couldn’t walk away. The risk was real, the danger was increasing, but the potential reward—for him, not for me—was too important to abandon.
I would find a way to make this work. I had to.
Even if it meant risking everything I’d built for myself in the process.
16
ADAN
The Sigma Chi house was packed wall to wall with college kids in various states of costume creativity and intoxication. Music pounded from speakers that had definitely seen better days, and the air was thick with the smell of cheap beer and whatever someone had been smoking on the back porch. Ugh, I detested that smell. I’d never smoked, but I honestly couldn’t figure out why people want to do pot. The smell alone made me nauseous.
“This is fucking epic!” Tank shouted over the noise, adjusting the fake sword attached to his pirate costume. “I love Halloween!”
I tugged at my vampire cape, already regretting the costume choice. I’d wanted something easy and above all cheap, since I didn’t have money to waste on shit like this, but now the cape kept getting caught on people and furniture.
“Rivera! Looking good, man!” Connor appeared through the crowd, dressed as a zombie hockey player, complete with fake blood streaked across a tattered Millard jersey. “Very mysterious and brooding. Perfect for you.”
“Thanks. I think.”
The team had been talking about this party for weeks. Sigma Chi threw legendary Halloween parties, and after our recent wins—especially with NHL scouts starting to take notice—everyone was in the mood to celebrate.
I should’ve been having fun. The music was decent, the beer was free, and half the campus seemed to be here. My teammates were in great moods, still riding high from beating Syracuse and the buzz around McLaughlin’s visit. Hell, we were undefeated in the season so far. Everything about the night should’ve been perfect.
Instead, I felt like I was going through the motions, present in body but not really engaged. I found myself checking my phone more than talking to people, scanning the crowd without really seeing it, counting down time instead of enjoying the moment.
“Adan?”
I turned to find a familiar face approaching through the crowd, and my stomach did a complicated flip. Ellie Paquette was making her way toward me with the kind of confident smile that had first caught my attention at a party like this one back in May.
She was dressed as some kind of sexy witch, all black dress and dramatic make-up that made her green eyes look even more striking than usual. We’d hooked up a few times last year before summer break, and I hadn’t seen her since.
“Hey,” she said, sidling up next to me with the kind of casual intimacy that suggested she was picking up exactly where we’d left off. “I was hoping you’d be here tonight.”
“Hey, Ellie. You look great.”
