“He is the best baby,” Chloe agrees. “If I wasn’t so busy with the store, we might consider having one.”
I wish that were my biggest concern right now. The trial is going to be here in a few weeks. It’s all I can do not to focus on it.
Making music is not cheap. Studio time. Production. Tours. It costs a lot. Something Eric drilled into my head. If none of that money gets recovered, it’s going to be damn hard to start over.
“You know, I’m having the girls over to watch the game next week. Do you want to come?” Chloe asks, interrupting me from my thoughts.
“I’d love to.”
It’ll be a good distraction for me. That and I think I like the idea of making friends with these women.
I have a feeling they’ll be in my life for a long time. I don’t know how much longer Jasper will be playing, but even if he retires, these guys are like family, and I feel like I could have the same bond with them as Jasper has with his teammates.
Because this thing with Jasper? I plan on it lasting forever.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
JASPER
“Are you ready to get back out there?” Marcus asks.
“Fuck, yeah,” I say.
“Shoulder feeling good?”
“Feels great.” I give it a roll for good measure. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be back if I wasn’t ready.
“Good. We need you out there,” Bode agrees. “We’ve got a tough road ahead of us if we’re going to make the playoffs.”
“We’re looking good though,” Noah says, rapping his knuckles against his chair. “If only it was a home game tonight to welcome you back, Jasper.”
“I’m just glad to be back on the ice.”
Especially since San Jose is a tough opponent. They’re in the running for the top seed in the western conference. Analysts are calling it a preview of the finals.
No pressure, right?
“Alright, men. We’ve got a tough game ahead of us tonight.” Coach Andrews calls our attention to him. “Having Jasper back is going to make a big difference.”
Whoops and cheers greet me, and fuck, it feels good. It feels nice to be wanted by the team.
“San Jose is a good team. Let’s stick to the game plan and we’ve got a shot to bring home the win.”
By the time we’re walking out to start the game, Noah is bumping his elbow against mine. “We’ve got this.”
“Yeah, we do.”
“Going to have the game of our lives.”
“Damn straight,” I agree. “Let’s show these young kids how the game is played.”
The game starts off on a high note. Everyone is skating well. Marcus and Bode start off strong but don’t get any points on the board before Noah and I start our shift.
It’s easy to read one another. Where he is, I’m there. Wherever the puck is, it’s like my stick is a magnet for it.
Getting my legs under me in a game feels pretty damn good.
It’s like whatever we do out here, we can’t be stopped. Before our shift ends, I put the puck in the back of the net.
