I love the camaraderie here. And it feels incredible to be needed by the team like this. Yet I’m needed just as much, if not more, at home. I’m all Avery has. Even when Tabitha was still in the picture, she was barely involved.
Last season I was constantly scrambling to find someone to take care of Avery because Tabitha would just disappear on a whim.
Honestly, her absence is better in the long term. Having her pop in and out of Avery’s life whenever she chose was brutal. Knowing that it’s just the two of us now allows me to give Avery the structure she so needs at this age. Even if it’s the chaotic structure of the brownstone.
Thank fuck Beckett offered this living situation as a solution. If not, I would have retired this year. I don’t need this job or the money. I may love it, but no job is worth Avery’s happiness and well-being. But once I found out my cousin Hope was moving into the brownstone as well, the decision was easy. Because starting now, when I travel, Avery will be surrounded by her cousins and a houseful of people who love her almost as much as I do. People I trust to have her best interests in mind.
“Aiden will be handling special teams,” Gavin says as I force myself to focus on his instructions.
As Aiden steps forward, I expect him to break out in song like he does in almost any situation, but instead, he just gives a little wave.
“And I’d like to introduce Adeline Langfield, our new goaltender coach,” Gavin continues. “We are incredibly lucky that Coach Langfield has joined us. Adeline is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and the former leading goaltender of the PWHL. And as most of you know, she’s my niece.” He smiles at her warmly.
In response, she offers him a simple nod, maintaining a professional air.
A rookie raises a hand, and with a sigh, Gavin nods at him.
“Permission to use nicknames, Coach? There are too many Langfields on staff to keep up with.”
Several guys laugh, but Gavin, who is normally pretty laid-back, doesn’t smile. “I’ll let Coach Langfield inform you of what she prefers to be called, but if she’s given a nickname, then I suggest you give Aiden and Brooks and me similar monikers too.”
The warning is clear. Adeline should be treated with the same respect as any male coach in this room.
“I’m happy to go by Lep,” Aiden says with an easy smile, breaking the tension.
The group breaks into quiet chatter, the guys discussing their own nicknames. Some are plays on last names, some are related to their positions, and some are throwbacks to stupid things the guys did when they were kids, like Dirk.
Adeline is the one who gave me my nickname.
Hansy is a play on Hanson, but it also refers to the way I used to stop so many goals with my hands. A terrible habit that resulted in me overstretching my back and did a number on my knees.
Addie Angles saved me, though. The girl could contort her body into angles not one of us could ever hope to mimic.
But fuck did we try.
The girl would do anything to stop a puck. That’s why I still believe she should be out on that ice rather than standing on the sidelines training me.
Adeline gives the rookie the kind of smile that comes with teeth. She’s not showing them, but damn is she about to bite. “You can call me Coach,” she tells him over the loud chatter of the rest of the guys.
The noise dies at the sound of her voice, probably because we know that when any coach speaks, we shut the fuck up rather than because of her tone.
“And if that’s too confusing for you,” she coos with the deadliest of smiles, “I answer to Great One, Madam Hockey, and the devil. Take your pick.”
Her uncles all chuckle, as does the majority of the first line. We all know that Adeline is pretty harmless, but we also know that in order to make it in this industry, she has to have one hell of a thick skin.
I gnaw on my mouth guard again, studying the only person in this room who didn’t even crack a smile at her joke.
Dirk.
The guy is going to be a problem.
“Now that we’ve gotten introductions out of the way,” Gavin says with a clap that echoes off the high ceiling, “let’s have some fun.”
As we disperse, I head to the boards, ready for instructions.
Sidney and Cade remain at center ice, talking, and Gavin asks Adeline to stay back for a second, so it’s just me along with Jarred andDirk. Not wanting to make conversation with Dirk, I turn away from him and focus on retying my skates.
“Can you believe they put her in this position?” he grumbles to Jarred. “We’d probably be better off getting cut. Then maybe we’d get picked up by another team.”
