Page 23 of Barn Burner (Love The Game #2)

Brayden

The moment the plane wheels touch the ground in Calgary, I’m pulling on my jacket and shoving everything into my pockets.

“Let Brayden off first, guys!” Henrik announces, and I’m grateful for it. It’s been the longest five hours of my life, and I don’t want to wait any longer. I can’t have anything holding me up. I need to get to him.

Rhett texted me when we got on the bus to take us to the airport, letting me know that Jesse had a compound fracture to his collarbone and had broken his arm in two places, and that he needed surgery to correct the positioning of his bones.

In a way, I was relieved because it could have been so much worse.

If it had been his head or spine, it could have been life-changing.

Broken collarbones and arms can be repaired, but for the entire flight, I still felt like I was going to throw up, knowing he was currently in surgery and I was somewhere over the United States, completely helpless.

The small ounce of relief came from the fact that the team plane has Wi-Fi, so Rhett and Cooper continued to send me texts throughout the night with progress.

Rhett

The surgeon just came out. Surgery all went to plan. He’s currently in the recovery room but hopefully we’ll be able to see him soon.

Great news, he’s out of recovery and in his own room. We’ve told the nurses on reception you’ll be coming and to let you up. Third floor, room 314.

Cooper

You know he’s going to kick your ass for getting into that fight, right?

Well, maybe not literally because he’s in a cast and is high on pain relief, but he’s going to get all growly and grumpy with you because of it grinning emoji

Great game, though!

The plane finally comes to a stop, and when the seat belt light is switched off, I jump out of my seat. Grabbing my bag from the overhead compartment, I apologize to William when I accidentally hit him in the head with it, then rush down the aisle toward the door.

My teammates give me their best wishes and slap my ass and my back as I pass them. Tears burn the back of my eyes at how fucking lucky I am to work with such great guys.

“Let us know how he’s doing!” Petrov calls out.

“I will,” I reply over my shoulder, then thank the flight attendants, who have the door already open. I’m going to need to buy them a gift next time we fly because I’ve been a mess the entire time. I couldn’t eat anything, and I kept pacing up and down the aisles, getting in their way.

Rushing down the steps, I tense as the frigid wind bites at my face, making the bruise on my jaw ache more. The snow has settled and is piling up thick and fast as it continues to fall in fat snowflakes.

The good thing about Canada is that, compared to England, they know how to handle snow. The roads are always cleared and gritted, so there aren’t usually any problems driving in it. Whereas we British folk bring the country to a halt at the first sign of it.

When my feet reach the tarmac, I run as fast as I can across to the parking lot without slipping over. Tossing my bag into the back seat, I crank up the heat and program the address for the hospital into the built-in satnav.

“Bloody hell!” I curse when it comes up on the screen that it’s going to take me thirty minutes to get there. Pulling out of the parking lot, I give the security guard a quick wave as I leave, then try not to break any speeding laws as I make my way to the hospital.

Luck seems to be on my side, though, as I find a parking space in front of the ER doors. I rush through the entrance and find the reception. Their eyes widen as I approach, skidding to a stop in front of them.

“I’m here to see Jesse Huxley. I’m Brayden Nielson,” I say in a rush.

“Ah, yes, they mentioned you were on your way.” The nurse smiles up at me and types something on her computer. “He’s in room 314 on the third floor. The elevators are just through there.” She points to the bank of lifts.

I thank her, and as I spin to head toward the lifts, she stops me.

“I’ll send up an ice pack for your face. You need to apply a cold compress to reduce the inflammation.”

With a shaky nod, I thank her again and head toward the lifts.

The doors open on the third floor, and I’m greeted by Cooper, Rhett, Sara, and Jesse’s dad, Bob.

Sara stands up from the plastic chair, and I practically fall into her arms. She rubs my back in soothing circles as I hide my face in her shoulder, unable to hold back the tears any longer.

Unable to bear the weight of my emotions that have been building for hours.

“Is he okay?” I murmur into her shoulder, ignoring the sting and pain throbbing in my face.

“The surgery was successful. He’s in his own room, but he’s sleeping at the moment. We’re only out here because the nurses are just checking his vitals,” Sara says, her calm voice soothing me.

Taking a shaky breath, I lift my head, and she immediately raises her hands to carefully wipe her thumb under my eyes and over my cheeks. “Sweetheart, what happened to your face?”

“I…” I trail off, letting out a heavy exhale before wiping my eyes with the heel of my palms. “I let my emotions get the better of me.”

“He’s not gonna be too pleased,” Bob adds, arching a brow with a knowing smirk on his face that tells me he knows exactly what happened. “You know he’ll be outside the arena waiting next time Rafferty comes to town.”

I let out a wet laugh. “I know. I’ll talk him down.”

“Hi,” the nurse says, popping her head around the corner. “Just to let you know, you can go back in. He’s awake now, too.”

She disappears again, and I turn to look at Jesse’s family, but they’re all looking at me expectantly.

“What are you waiting for?” Sara squeezes my bicep. “Go see him.”

“Don’t you want to see him first?” I ask in confusion.

“We’ve already seen him, even though he was asleep. Plus, you’re the one he’ll want to see the most,” she assures with a smile. “Go.”

Not needing to be told twice, I quickly thank them and round the corner toward his room.

I find room 314 halfway down the brightly lit hall, the smell of disinfectant filling my nose.

I peek my head through the partially open door, and my breath catches in my throat at the sight of him lying there.

He’s hooked up to several monitors, some of them making steady beeping sounds.

His eyes are closed, but his breathing is too steady for him to be sleeping.

“Jesse?” I say so quietly I’m not sure if he can hear me. But those blue eyes I love so much slowly open, and his lips tilt into a tired smile when he spots me.

“Hey, Brayden,” he rasps, his voice thick from not being used in hours.

I step into the room, closing the door softly behind me, and head over to stand at the side of his bed.

Taking hold of his good hand, I lace our fingers together and bring it to my lips, pressing a kiss to his knuckles.

With my other hand, I card my fingers through his hair, brushing it off his face.

His eyes close again as he leans into my touch.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here,” I whisper.

“It’s okay. You’re here now, and that’s all I need,” he mumbles. “Wouldn’t say no to kissin’ you, though.”

“I can do that,” I say with a smile. I slide my mouth over his, kissing him softly and gently. He lets out a happy hum and lets go of my hand to cup the back of my head.

“Lie with me,” he murmurs against my lips.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me.” He pats the space beside him, the side opposite to his injuries. “I’ve missed you, and I just wanna hold you.”

Kicking off my shoes, I carefully climb onto the bed and curl into his side. He fingers my hair, toying with the strands. I know I need to keep my head elevated, but needing to hear the steady thump of his heart is more important. I rest my head on his chest and close my eyes.

We lie there in silence. The only sound is the monotone beeping from one of the machines. His hand becomes lax, his fingers buried in my hair.

It’s not until I think he’s fallen asleep that he whispers, “Who do I need to kill?”

“What?” I whisper back.

“Your face. Who do I need to kill?”

A bubble of laughter travels up my throat as I tilt my head back to glance up at him. His fingers start to caress my scalp again, and I’m close to purring like a cat under his touch. “This is nothing. You should see him. I think I broke his nose.”

“Mhm,” he hums without opening his eyes, and the sound vibrates through his chest. “I would still put him in the ground for laying a hand on you.”

For what feels like the hundredth time tonight, the back of my eyes burns with unshed tears.

I swallow past the lump forming in my throat and scan my gaze over his face.

He’s drowsy from the pain relief, and the chances of him remembering this conversation in the morning are slim, but I can’t wait any longer to tell him how I feel.

This isn’t how I wanted to confess my feelings for him, but sometimes life doesn’t always follow the plan you set.

“Jesse?” I say on a whisper.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

His hand freezes on my head as his eyes slowly open. He rolls his head on the pillow, rewarding me with those gorgeous eyes. “I love you, too, Brayden.”

I can’t fight the smile from spreading across my face. Happiness surges through me like a live wire, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I’d do anything for this man.

“I did a lot of thinking on the flight back,” I admit, shifting so I can rest my head on my palm.

“Sounds dangerous,” he murmurs with a smirk.

“Okay, cheeky.” I chuckle, then turn serious again.

“I know we might be moving fast, but when I have the break in February, I’d like us to talk about what’s next.

I have two more years on my contract with the Bobcats, and I’d like your say in whether I re-sign with a no-trade clause or whether I retire. ”

Surprise flickers over his tired face. His tongue darts out to lick over his lips. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. Only you can make that decision.”

“I’m not asking you, but you’re my future, Jesse. Hockey is only temporary, but I’d like you to be my forever, so your thoughts are important to me.”

His lips part, almost like he wants to argue, and then his face softens.

He combs his fingers through my hair again, pushing the strands from my face before tracing his thumb over my lip.

“I’d like you to be my forever, too, but I’ll never ask you to stop doing something you love.

I’m not going anywhere, Brayden, so don’t divert off the path you’ve worked so hard to build.

” He lets out a small grunt and grimaces in pain.

“I will be there supporting you in whatever you decide to do.”

Without jostling him, I stretch up and press a kiss to his lips. “I love you,” I say against his lips.

“I love you, too,” he replies, kissing me again before adding, “Just don’t move to Edmonton. I don’t think I could wear an Edmonton jersey, even if it did have your name on the back.”

I snort out a laugh. “Noted.”