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“Options are fine,” she replies. “Fear isn’t.”

I sigh. “It’s not fear.”

She shakes her head. “Well, leave me out of it, you hear? Don’t you go worrying about me and making crazy life-changing decisions.”

She turns and makes her way out of the room, muttering under her breath.

I watch her go and murmur, “How can I not?”

CHAPTER FOUR: FREE AGENT

JULIAN

Monday, I’m back in Denver, at the stadium. We’ve just finished practice. After the other guys have filtered out of the locker room, I make my way to Coach’s office.

His door is open. I still stop at the threshold and knock on the frame.

“Coach,” I call.

He glances up from the papers on his desk and gives me a curious frown. Coach Sullivan is a big guy, even by my standards. He’s tall and broad-shouldered, but admittedly a bit rounder in his older age compared to when he played hockey. He’s smooth-shaven and bald, with sharp dark eyes that can make tough-as-nails hockey players quiver in their pads when he glares. He tilts his chin toward one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Wilder. What can I help you with?”

I walk into the room and drop down into the chair. For a second, I hesitate to say what I know I need to say. Then I think of Mrs. Clay leaning against the counter and insisting she’s fine when I know she’s not, and I exhale.

“I’ve been thinking about next season.”

He leans back in his chair and nods. “Already? This season just started.”

I clear my throat. “Well, you know…I’m a free agent now.”

“Yeah,” he mutters, arching a brow. “Get to the point, Wilder. What do you want to say?”

I run a hand over the back of my neck.

“I was back in Chicago this weekend,” I tell him.

“Everything okay with Mrs. Clay?” he asks.

His immediate concern for her is just a reminder of how good of a guy Coach is. How much he actually gives a shit about his players.

“She says it is, but I think she’s trying not to let on just how bad things really are,” I admit. “She’s slowing down. It’s clear it’s getting harder for her to take care of herself.”

Coach nods. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I’ve been thinking about what it would mean to be closer,” I murmur. “To be in Chicago so I can take care of her.”

I glance up to gauge his reaction, worried he’ll look angry. To my relief, he appears calm.

“We’d miss you,” he says after a moment.

Fuck, why does that suck so much to hear? Something tightens in my chest.

“I know,” I nod.

He leans forward and rests his arms on his desk. “You’re a big part of this team, Wilder. I’d hate not to have you with us, but I’ll be straight with you.” He lets out a huff of breath. “The way we’ve built this team and have worked so hard to keep the core unit all together has forced us to put a salary cap in place. We may not be able to offer you what another organization can.”

My stomach twists. That’s a strike against Denver. “Fuck, yeah…I appreciate the honesty.”

Coach studies me for a second before continuing, “If you decide to explore options, you should talk to someone who knows the business side.”