“Yeah, bud. It’s a good party.”
And it is. For as much as Larsen was talking up the carbs that would be available—and they definitely are in both solid and liquid form—there are a lot of other options too, which means I’ll be able to eat and not feel like complete shit tomorrow.
After the first period, I make my way to the kitchen to grab the single beer I’ll allow myself tonight. The women are all sitting on the counters now, every chair and stool in the place occupied by a Yeti.
“Beckett Kane, you’re a hard man to pin down,” Gloria says when I’m forced into the middle of their conversation to dig through the cooler.
I find the silver can I’m searching for before meeting her eyes. “I didn’t realize you were looking for me.”
She shrugs. “J.D. was excited when you joined the team. Just wanted to meet the man who had my husband’s panties all in a twist.”
“She’s exaggerating!” J.D. yells, leaning away from the conversation he’s having with Pike to focus on his wife. “No pantie-twisting was involved. Gloria just likes to know everything about everyone, so my vague answers about your life weren’t up to her expectations.”
“He told me you spent your free time sharpening your skates because you didn’t trust the equipment managers enough to do it.”
My eyebrows pull together in confusion. “What?”
J.D. throws up his hands. “I had to tell hersomething. She was trying to figure out, and I quote, ‘the type of man you are,’ so she can decide whether you need fed, fixed up, or friended.”
“Gloria takes her role as team mom very seriously,” Larsen adds, grabbing two beers out of the cooler without bothering to look at what kind they are.
Larsen sways slightly. “You ladies know I hid the desserts in the fridge, right?” I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be a whisper, but it did not land.
“Yes, Rookie,” Maya replies. “You’ve told us five times now. You also got a ridiculous number of options. Who do you think is going to eat all those?”
“I didn’t know what you’d want,” Larsen explains as Maya completely ignores his puppy-dog eyes. “And you said you love dessert when we were all out at dinner the other night.”
A lump forms in my throat when I realize I was invited to that dinner. And I chose not to go so I could watch game film at home instead. In April. When I don’t have another game for six months.
“Of course I love dessert,” Maya replies, as she and Larsen continue bickering about how ridiculous he is for filling his refrigerator with desserts instead of the drinks he has spread across the apartment in various coolers.
I make my way back to the living room, content to watch the game, occasionally commenting on plays, as the rest of the guys swirl around me, talking and laughing.
“You could do that once you’re done, you know,” Li suggests when I comment on the Bears switching their lines differently than they did against us.
“What? Coach?” I ask, my pulse picking up its pace at the mention of the word.
“I mean, sure,” Li agrees. “But I meant the analysis. And the commentary. I bet one of the sports networks would pay you good money to look pretty and talk hockey all day.”
I picture it. Spending my days watching film, talking to people who are just as obsessed with the sport as I am. It’d almost be like I was back—nope. Not going there. But it would be great.
“Maybe,” I say, not willing to commit to anything other than hockey right now. But it is nice that, for the first time, I havesomething more than a black hole to look forward to once I’m done.
Chapter 43
Beckett
Oneofthethingshockey analysts love to praise me for is my ability to wait. To hold the blue line.
But when I’m waiting to hear the results of the tests Doctor Lowell ran? Not patient at all. I’m so jumpy I’d certainly get beat wide if I were in a game right now. I’ve all but worn a path in front of his office when, finally, blessedly, the door swings open.
“You ready, Kane?” he asks.
No.
“Of course.” I walk into his office, my stomach dropping as I notice we’re the only two here. Almost like he told everyone else to clear out before he tells me my career is over.
Lowell doesn’t sit right away. “Your hip flexor strain has healed,” he reports. “Structurally, it looks fine now, after taking a few weeks off.”
