Page 19 of Back in the Game (Pride in the Game #1)

That’s why when the weekend hit, he chose to take a day off and relax on the lake instead. He was getting closer to pulling off Harrison’s trick, but there had been little success. If he didn’t take a break, he would start breaking sticks; it was that simple.

Lounging on the dock in his swim shorts was a thousand times better than getting sweaty and frustrated on the ice. Harrison had gone into town for groceries, which meant he had the next few hours to decompress.

And he didn’t want to talk about how—despite fighting his feelings since he was a kid—he was pretty sure he was in love with Harrison Killinger.

People said meeting a celebrity crush never went well, and yes, he and Harrison fought, but damn . They were getting along so well, and Harrison was open to talking about anything that didn’t involve his hockey career.

Hell, they had spent one night looking at Jett’s highlight reels, and Harrison had offered advice on what he could do to better his game.

Things he thought Jett was lacking were worked on during training, and Jett didn’t want to say he was being coached because Harrison hated when he made the comparison, but that’s what it felt like .

Harrison had gone from giving him the lukewarm shoulder and mocking him to putting effort into getting along with him and passing down his techniques to someone he considered his rival.

All of it came back to why Jett was worried about the building tension. He wanted, more than anything, to be Harrison’s friend. He deserved companionship that wasn’t family-related, even if Arlo was great.

Harrison needed him. He didn’t want to be cocky about it, but Jett noticed he made him smile a lot, and he brought out Killinger’s competitiveness on the daily.

Arlo made several comments about how animated his cousin was during their last phone call, which was a huge ego boost but solidified his resolve.

By the end of next week, Jett was walking away with a new friend. He needed to visit his dad more often, so now he would have double the excuse to return home during his downtime.

He could invite Harrison to Christmas dinner and ask for conditioning help during his breaks. It sucked that they wouldn’t be spending tons of time together like they were now, but he was confident he could convince Harrison to visit him in Toronto—when he was ready.

His phone rang, and Jett prepared himself to tell Arlo to give it a rest and focus on his camp training, until he saw the name of the caller.

“Cap!”

There was a lengthy pause, and then his captain chuckled.

“What are you up to, Jetty? You’ve been acting shifty in the group chat.”

Shifty? Jett didn’t know what he was talking about.

“If by shifty you mean my refusal to answer Wolf’s question about Arlo Townsend being my boyfriend, I think I cleared that up.”

There was more laughter, and Ryan Bracken sighed. “Yeah, I was with him when you went into detail about how incompatible you are as bottoms. Thanks for that, because I’ve never seen Wolf blush before, and I managed to get a picture as proof.”

Jett crossed his ankles and readjusted his sunglasses. “You guys were hanging out? That sounds awful.”

“It was a quick practice session. We older guys need to keep moving or we seize up. ”

Ryan wasn’t old, but how he whined about it sometimes gave Jett a headache.

“We have new blood coming too,” said Jett. “Niko Cote? He looks like he’ll be a good fit.”

Another pause.

“Jett, if I were a meaner person, I would have teased you about that one.”

Jett had no sweet clue what he was talking about.

“Where is Killinger?”

The question took him off guard, but Jett made sure to answer so it didn’t sound like he was hesitating. “He’s probably at his house. Why?”

“You fucking lying brat. Your father told me what you were up to, so don’t try to pretend otherwise.”

His dad was such a traitor. Even after renting him the best place to bass fish, he still betrayed him.

That’s what he got for introducing his dad to his captain, and not watching to ensure there was no exchange of numbers. They were two peas in a pod now.

“He’s out—getting survival supplies or maybe trying to find shears big enough to chop the damn beard off.”

“That’s what I fucking thought.”

Jett rolled his eyes.

“Listen, I watched Killinger play just as much as you with your boy crush. That guy was a fucking animal on the ice, and had he made it to the NHL, he would have been the number one player in the league for sure. You need to learn everything you can from him. He could be so good for your career.”

It wasn’t a lie, but how Bracken said it made him feel gross—like he was trying to convince Jett to use Harrison.

“It’s more than that,” said Jett. He wanted to say more, but he couldn’t get the words to form properly in his mind.

His captain went quiet, and then he took a breath. “Oh, it’s like that?”

“No!” Jett sat up and yanked his sunglasses off, needing to see better. “He—he needs help, Ryan. Fuck, I wish I could convince him to consult for our team because he’s got such a great eye for the game, and we would be a better team with him in Toronto.”

“And you don’t think he’ll come? Not even if I talk to Coach and see if something can be worked out?”

Jett shook his head, not caring if he couldn’t see it.

“That accident broke more than his leg, Cap. It broke his goddamn spirit. Maybe if I had more time, but we have a rookie to take care of and a new season to take a second shot at the cup. It would be stupid to lose focus now, especially since we almost won last year.”

Ryan hummed in the older brother tone he often used with Jett. “I don’t know, Jetty. It sounds like you’re going to be distracted either way.”

Jett deflated because his captain was right—which is why he wore the damn C.

“Look, if you feel this strongly about him, whether it’s because he would fit well with the team or with you, then we need to make a game plan.

I’m not going to push you about this anymore because I can hear how stressed you are, but I’m letting you know that I’m setting up a meeting with Coach right now. ”

Jett swung an arm over his eyes. He felt like he needed to hide for some reason.

“If you suggest it to him and he bites, a position will be here for him. And don’t feel guilty about telling me this because Killinger is still one of us. He has, and always will be, a Sunburst. Nothing can ever take that away from him—not even a broken heart.”

Tears were stinging his eyes and his nose. This is why he loved his team and his Captain most of all. They were all stand-up guys, and Jett knew they would always have his back.

He was relieved to know it extended to Harrison, no matter how far he had drifted away. And the sad thing was that Harrison had no idea people like Ryan and the members of the Sunbursts were still rooting for him and wanting to see him succeed.

“Train hard, Jetty. I’ll see you in a week, which is great because it’s been cloudy as hell here, and we need more sunshine.”

Jett scoffed and wiped away his tears. “You’re fucking corny and weird. I’m done talking to you. ”

Ryan’s laugh was cut off when Jett hung up, but he was smiling. A weight lifted off his chest, and for the first time in the last few days, he felt like he could breathe better.

He stared at the water and listened to the lapping of the waves hitting the shore. It was so quiet and isolating . Jett would go crazy in all the silence every day.

He knew Harrison liked the silence. He knew he preferred the isolation too, but maybe he could convince him to accept a few moments of chaos and splash of noise now and then.

Jett grinned and stood, setting his phone and shades on the lounger to keep them safe. He sprinted to the end of the dock and took a running jump, hollering before he hit the water.

When he resurfaced, all tranquillity on the lake was gone, leaving only the echoes of laughter and the heat of the sun warming everything it touched.