“Dude, my grandma hits harder than that guy.” Logan shakes his head. “And don’t even get me started on the tape incident yesterday.”
“There was no tape incident.”
“You yelped, Zay. Out loud. When you ripped the tape off your socks.”
“It pulled my leg hair.”
“You’re literally missing a tooth from blocking a shot and you’re crying about leg hair?”
Archer laughs, and even Banks cracks a smile, and I realize something that catches me off guard.
These idiots. They give me endless crap, chirp me about everything from my tape job to my love life, and half the time I want to strangle them. That’s the funny thing about hockey players—we don’t do the emotional stuff. No big declarations, no deep conversations about our feelings. But they show up when it matters, and that’s enough.
I spent so long thinking I had to do everything alone. That needing people was weakness, that letting anyone in was a risk I couldn’t afford. But sitting here in this locker room, surrounded by idiots who won’t stop making fun of me, I realize I already have what I was so afraid of losing.
A family.
Not just Maisie. Not just Tori now. But this—the brotherhood, the trust, the knowledge that these guys have my back no matter what.
“Hey.” Logan snaps his fingers in front of my face. “You’re doing the thing again.”
“What thing?”
“The soft mushy thing. You’re gonna make me emotional.”
“God forbid.”
“I’m serious. If you start crying, I’m going to start crying, and then Banks is going to make fun of both of us.”
“I would,” Banks confirms.
“See? So pull it together, Bishop. We’ve got practice.”
He claps me on the shoulder and heads toward the tunnel, and the moment passes. But the feeling doesn’t. That warmth in my chest, that sense of belonging—it stays.
Archer pauses next to me on his way out. “Hey. For real though. I’m glad you found someone. After everything with Sienna, with Maisie... you deserve something good.”
“Thanks, Arch.”
“Just don’t screw it up.”
“Helpful.”
“I try.” He grins. “Now come on. Coach is going to murder us if we’re late.”
I grab my helmet and follow him out, but I’m still smiling.
Not because everything’s perfect. It’s not. There’s still the playoff push, still the pressure, still a hundred ways this could all go sideways.
But for the first time in a long time, I’m not facing it alone.
And that makes all the difference.
32
DINOSAUR PANCAKES
Tori
