Page 13

It’s our first preseason game and I am amped up.

My blood is pumping, my heart is pounding, and my hands can’t seem to stop shaking.

Breathe, Lincoln.

Camp went well, and our coaching staff seems to be coming together, finally.

I can’t help but still feel a little bit of animosity coming from Grayson, but that could be because I threatened to ruin his life.

Either way, we’re one step closer to having a finalized roster and things are good.

During the preseason, rosters aren’t finalized just yet.

There’s still some prospects fighting for a spot, and not all the starters play each game.

It’s the perfect time to see the prospects in live action to see if they can play at the same level as they do in practice.

We’re hoping to see a little bit more of our special teams during preseason too.

Special teams are so important.

If we can’t score on the power play or keep the other team from scoring when we are shorthanded, there’s no way we’ll make the playoffs.

I know Ellie has been working tirelessly to get our first power play unit solidified.

She still isn’t sure if she has the right people out on the ice with Niko.

I want to go over her thoughts before this game one more time and give her any support she might need.

She’s talking with a few of the players outside the locker room as they tape their sticks and prep for the game.

I was absolutely blown away by the guys in that locker room at our first players’ meeting.

Not a single one of them had a smartass remark or blinked twice when I introduced Ellie as one of our assistant coaches.

Hell, some of them were in awe.

These rookies have been watching and hearing about Ellie their entire lives.

Now if only Grayson could take a page out of their books and get over himself, that would be great.

“Montgomery, you got a second?”

She says something to the guys and walks over to where I’m standing.

“What’s up, Link?”

I groan.

“Could you please stop calling me Link? Lincoln or Coach is fine.”

Ellie shifts uncomfortably on her feet.

“I’m sorry. I’ve called you Link my entire life. Just a habit, I guess. What’s up, Coach?”

Well, fuck.

I didn’t want to start this meeting off like that.

I practically scolded her like a damn child.

“It’s just that my dad used to call me that and I’d rather not be reminded of him.”

I’m not sure why the hell I let that slip.

But every time she calls me Link, my fists clench and I’m immediately brought back to that time.

I swear it’s the cause of these nightmares coming back.

Maybe Katie is right.

It’s not fair to blame Ellie for something she has no idea about.

That still doesn’t mean I want her knowing the worst parts of me.

Slowly she looks up at me with her beautiful, blue eyes.

God, she’s gorgeous.

“Of course. It won’t happen again,” Ellie says softly.

I open my notebook to where I have the power play notes we went over at our last meeting.

“Are you still thinking of putting the rookie, Jefferson, down low on Niko’s unit? ”

She smiles.

I swear I can see the gears turning in her head.

“Yeah, I want to see what he does down there. The guy’s got grit. He’s smaller but feisty as hell and rarely loses a battle down low. That, and with how silky his hands are, I think he’s our guy to get Niko the puck more.”

It’s hard not to be impressed with Ellie when she talks about the team like this.

I’d love to sit here and blame her success on who her father is, but it’s almost impossible to do at this point.

I’m seeing firsthand just how brilliant, driven, and tenacious this woman is.

Part of me is completely captivated by her when she’s explaining different on ice scenarios like she is now.

I clear my throat.

“Right. He’s a hell of a player for sure. We just gotta make sure he doesn’t get knocked around out there. Games are totally different from practice. Who knows if our guys have been taking it easy on him.”

Ellie nibbles on the corner of her lip, and I can’t help but imagine sinking my teeth into it myself.

Damn it to hell.

Knock it off, Scott.

“Yeah, you’re right. But I think this one is going to surprise us. I’ve been watching his game tape from Minnesota and this kid has it. I’m excited to see what he shows us today.”

I can’t help but smile.

This woman is locked in and just as excited for this game as I am.

“All right. Let’s see what he’s got today. That’s all I needed.” I close my notebook and put my pen in my pants pocket because I know I’ll need it during the game to make notes.

Ellie is still standing next to me.

She’s playing with the charm on her necklace, almost as if she’s nervous.

I put my hands in my pockets and level her with a look.

“What is it, Montgomery?”

She takes a deep breath before talking again.

“I just want to thank you for having my back on this power play stuff. I know some of the staff were questioning it, but I appreciate your support with it all. ”

What the hell is she talking about?

No one has come to me about disagreeing with her ideas.

Who could she be talking about?

Grayson.

I bet that shithead has been running his mouth behind the scenes.

I wait until she meets my eyes before talking again.

“Ellie. No one has said a thing to me about not agreeing with these changes. If they did, I’d tell them the same thing I told you. The power play for this team did not work last year. Something’s gotta give. I trust you to make the appropriate adjustments, yeah? You got this.”

She juts her chin up, standing proud.

“Thanks, Coach. I got this.” She smiles at me before turning back and walking toward the trainer’s room.

I can’t help but watch her walk away.

The atmosphere in the arena is more alive than I’ve ever seen for a preseason game.

The noise is electrifying, yet intimidating.

Although the crowd is filled with our opponents’ colors, I see quite a bit of Bobcats’ black and green mixed in too.

There is even a group of girl hockey players behind our bench holding signs.

Most of them are trying to get Ellie’s attention, a hero in their midst.

The roar of the crowd has not only me, but our entire team buzzing with energy.

The entire bench is on their feet, watching as we work the puck in the offensive zone.

There are two minutes left in the third period and we’re tied 2–2 against the Wolves.

For a preseason game it’s been pretty invigorating, especially being in their barn.

Away games are always tough, but having our first preseason game not in our own rink makes it even tougher.

Niko steals the puck down low in the offensive zone and is about to drop his shoulder to drive the net when, out of nowhere, the defenseman slides his stick between Niko’s legs, attempting to knock the puck away, totally taking his feet out from under him.

“ What the hell was that, ref? ” I scream at the top of my lungs.

I look over at Ellie to see her smirking.

“What?” I scoff.

“His arm is in the air, Coach. He’s calling the penalty. No need to get all aggressive.” She smiles and turns to grab her whiteboard.

I call a timeout because there’s nothing better than a power play opportunity right now.

If we score on this power play, we can end the game before it goes to overtime and we can start our season off on the right foot.

Our first power play unit takes the ice and huddles around the bench.

“All right, boys. Time to take advantage of this opportunity and end this game. Coach Montgomery will draw up the faceoff and setup she wants you running.” I nod at Ellie and step down the bench to give her some room.

Grayson stands on the other side of me with his arms crossed, shaking his head.

Ignoring his assholery, I turn my attention back to Ellie.

She’s down on the ground, whiteboard leaning against the boards, drawing up the faceoff they’ve been working on in practice this week.

“You guys have been working on this play all week. There’s no reason we can’t execute it. Niko, you’ll win the faceoff behind you to your left, and then drive the net. Jefferson, you’ll pop down low to get the pass from the blue line. You’ll drive the net just under the top of the circle which should draw their defenseman to you. We’ve watched their D-man bite all game. When he bites, Niko, you should have the space to pop backdoor and be wide open. Jefferson, you get him the puck and drive the net for any rebound. If we don’t score right off this faceoff, it’s fine. We work our ass off to get the puck. Support each other all over the ice. Less than two minutes left. Nothing left to lose. Any questions?”

Our guys are locked in.

Each and every guy on the ice can’t take their eyes off her as she draws up the play.

Hell, I can’t take my eyes off her.

The confidence she wears is mesmerizing.

Ellie makes her way back up onto the bench and I give her a quick nod.

It’s not much, but she knows enough to know that it’s a nod of approval.

She knows what she’s doing.

She sees things differently on the ice and is smarter than most men I’ve worked with.

Maybe I should’ve never doubted her in the first place.

The players line up at the left faceoff dot and the ref drops the puck.

Niko cleanly wins the draw, and it’s as if these guys have been playing together for months.

The play Ellie drew up is executed to perfection.

Niko pops backdoor, just behind the goalie so he’s open, as Jefferson drives the net.

Jefferson passes to Niko, and he snipes the puck top shelf over the goalie’s shoulder on the short side.

Fucking beautiful.

Excitement radiates off the bench as all the guys jump up to celebrate.

Hell, I’m so excited, I jump and lift both arms in the air and turn toward Ellie to see her coming my way.

We meet halfway and give each other a double high five.

I don’t let go of her hands right away and for a brief moment we lock eyes, both overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment.

She has the most radiant smile on her face.

She’s about to say something to me but I beat her to it.

“Nice work, Coach. That play was flawless.”

We finally let go of each other's hands and Ellie nods back at me. “Thanks, Lincoln. The guys did all the work.”

I can’t help but smile and shake my head at her. “That’s bullshit and you know it. That was all you.”

Ellie shrugs one shoulder nonchalantly as they skate by the bench to tap gloves with the team. “Yeah, maybe.”

Then she winks.

And I’m a fucking goner.