Page 34 of Slapshot Bride

The energy is different. Too many heads turning when I come through the door. Too many watchful eyes. Wyatt is at the far end of the bench with his phone in his hand and a grin he has been working on for the last twenty minutes.

“Boys, you’ve got to see this.” He swivels the phone around. “Our man Easton’s apparently landed himself a new catch. And according to the internet, she’s one of the city’s society brides.”

The room goes off. Whoops, catcalls, a “You finally retiring the playboy thing for a wife, Blake?” from someone I can't see.

“You wanna introduce us, Blake?” Wyatt is on his feet now, grinning from ear to ear. “The runaway bride. Bring her by. We could give her the tour. Show her what a real welcome looks like in this locker room. And I mean, she might have been someone else’s bride, but hey, whatever rocks your boat huh?”

That hits me. Not the mockery, but the double meaning behind the words.

My jaw clenches.

I stop unlacing my skate. I stand up.

I'm almost a foot taller than Wyatt and he has had the good sense to fear me for exactly nine months. I watch the moment that good sense returns to him in real time. His grin slips. The phone comes down.

“Wyatt.”

“Easton.”

“Put the damn phone away. And the next time you speak ill of her in this locker room, you and I are going to have a different conversation, and you are not going to enjoy it. Do you understand me?”

“I understand.”

A wolf whistle follows. My gaze travels around the room and the heads turn away.

I sit back down, finish unlacing my skate and I don't look up.

A heavy hand lands on my shoulder.

“Hey.” Theo. “You scared the rookie.”

“Good. Then he got the message loud and clear.”

“He did. He also needed it done by someone he isn't going to spend the next six weeks tiptoeing around.” Theo squeezes my shoulder, once. “You okay?”

“I'm fine.”

“You are not fine, but I’m going to let you lie to me anyway.”

I almost smile.

Theo rises to his feet. He glances around the room at the men who are suddenly very interested in their lockers, phones, and pieces of equipment.

“Just so we’re all clear,” he says conversationally, “if any of you have another joke about that woman rattling around in your head, I’d strongly recommend keeping it there.”

Then he turns around and heads back to his stall as though the matter is settled.

It's.

Kai catches my eye and gives me one nod, which from Kai is the equivalent of a five-minute speech.

I'm not even all the way through changing when Coach’s assistant leans in.

“Easton. Coach wants you. Diane is already up there.”

And here it comes. The moment I’ve been waiting for.

I take the stairs to the office.