“Is everyone decent?” I step into the locker room, one hand over my eyes and trying not to trip.
“Is safe. JJ would kill us if not,” Maxim says from somewhere deep within the large space.
I drop my hand, and when I find the whole lot of them dressed and ready for the game, I grin. Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen Bobby’s ass a few too many times, though I’m pretty sure that was by design. The kid is ridiculous. And in the grand scheme of things, it could be so much worse. As long as they aren’t swinging their junk in my face, I’m good. I’d still rather not see him naked. Even if he does have one of the better asses in hockey. No hair; no tan lines. I definitely teased him about that. Then Bray told me the guy gets spray tans, and I about lost it.
Fuck, these guys are weird. But they’re my weirdos now and they took the news of my relationship with JJ in stride. It’s all I can hope for, especially because the media asks questions about our relationship, no matter who they’re talking too. They’ve all started answering the way Maxim does. “Is love. Who doesn’t lovelove?”
The coaches enter the locker room, and the team settles quickly, waiting for Gavin to give one of his rousing speeches.
“It’s January, boys—” His eyes dart to me. “And girl.”
I drop my head and give it a shake, and a few of the guys laugh.
“I hope you all had a great holiday, but now it’s time to focus.”
Christmas at the brownstone was magical. Hope was worried about her daughters’ first Christmas without their father—he didn’t even call—but my brother was there playing Santa and keeping the kids distracted all day long.
We didn’t hear from Tabitha either, which wasn’t a surprise. For a hefty two million dollars, she agreed to give JJ sole custody. But theagreement requires her to answer her daughter’s calls every night. Avery doesn’t ask to talk to her often, but when she does, we want her to be able to reach her mother. If Tabitha doesn’t pick up, she’s in breach of the agreement and has to pay the money back. It’s definitely motivated her to pick up the phone when it rings.
My favorite part of Christmas was the moment Avery appeared at JJ’s door, asking if she could snuggle with us before we opened presents.
The girl didn’t run down the stairs to see what Santa brought the second she woke up like my nephews did, instead seeking out extra snuggle time with her dad and me. That’s just one more reason I love her so much. She’s a special soul, and those twenty minutes snuggled up with her reminded me of all the times my mom and dad did the same with us kids. All five of us piled into their bed on Saturday mornings. It’s a tradition I want to start with Avery.
I may not have ever wanted kids of my own, but there’s no doubt Avery was always meant to be mine.
“What my brother is trying to say is—” Aiden interjects as he hops up onto the bench surprisingly easily for a guy his age and sways back and forth. “It’s time for a little Bolts edition because we are fucking winning tonight.”
The energy in the room skyrockets. It’s not often that Aiden breaks into song anymore. When he played, it was part of the pregame tradition. Now, he’s selective about when he’ll treat us.
When he launches into his own version of “Paper Rings” by Taylor Swift, I can’t help but smile and dance to the catchy tune.
The mood is high
Cause Addie Langfield’s ’bout to take the net
With Maxim Loob and Banksy on defense
We’re ’bout to put New York to bed
Bobby Dean is fire
As is our entire fleet
Hawke, get the puck for a goal or two or three
I’ll be on the sidelines watching with glee
Score one goal and it’ll be a good night
Oh. Give us another and please no big fights
A hat trick would be really nice
(one, two, one, two, three goals)
The Bolts like shiny things, and the Cup is better than a ring
Uh-huh, that’s right,
