Page 109 of Breakaway Bet

But here I am, past the point of falling and in some uncharted territory that’s affecting every aspect of my life. I’m losing myself in her, and I can’t let that happen.

I push her out of my mind.

I can’t be emotionally vulnerable when I’m here on the ice. I need to focus.

I draw in a deep breath as Coach Willis drops the puck for another face-off.

This one goes my way.

So does the next.

I’m locked back in.

I’m ready for camp. I’m ready for the season. I’m ready for a fucking Cup run.

What I’m not ready for is sacrificing the woman who’s becoming my everything in order to reach my goals.

CHAPTER 36: Ivy Maddox

Fan Skate

Nocturno is a go, and I’ve been working my ass off to get it ready for launch, which will be in November. The month starts with a four-game home stand, which means he’s actually in town for nearly the first two weeks of the month. He’ll still have games and practice, but he won’t be running on fumes from traveling, and he’ll get to sleep in his own bed while we add in the chaos of a launch.

I choose a date in the middle of that and get his approval. As he gets busier and busier in the days leading up to training camp, I throw myself into working on things like social rollout and events. I work on the public announcement and start planning a big launch party. I choose a Tuesday since I know from my brothers’ schedules that football players get the day off. I double-check that this year’s World Series isn’t scheduled to go into November in case the Vegas Heat makes it that far this year. I start making a guest list of VIPs to invite and a top-five list of where I can host this event.

I love how I feel as I work through these launch details. I feel needed and capable as excitement starts to consume me. We’re still a couple months away from launch, but I have all the time in the world to make this launch absolutely stellar—especially as training camp officially begins.

He synced his practice, game, and travel schedules for the season to my calendar, and I’m reviewing some of the upcoming parts of training camp—fan skate days, scrimmages, and events for season ticket holders. Some of the days are just open practice so fans can sit in the crowd and see their favorite players.

Today is a fan skate day after practice, and I imagine one would need a ticket for such an event, but given that I’m married to one of the star players, I think I can figure out some way to get in. I head over to the practice facility, and there’s a big ass line out the door.

I twist my lips, sure this was a bad idea, but I get in the back of the line.

I wait about an hour outside before I make it inside the practice facility, and the line still winds toward the place where Cash so easily just grabbed me a pair of skates in my size not so long ago during my first—and only—skating lesson.

Once I’m inside, I spot a familiar face that everybody else inside also spots at the same time.

“West! West!”