Page 33

My eyes are glued to the game as our guys battle in our own zone.

There’s one minute left and New York has pulled their goalie, outnumbering us on the ice.

Our fans are all on their feet, pounding on the glass as excitement courses through the arena.

New York somehow manages to escape with the puck from the corner, sending it to the front of the net to try and tie the game.

Their player finds the puck and shoots a backhand shot that ricochets off the post.

My heart stops as I suck in a breath.

That was close.

Our defenseman takes the puck and skates to the corner to eat up the rest of the clock.

The buzzer sounds, the guys jump up and start hugging each other.

Then they hop over the boards to go congratulate our goalie.

We just won our last game before Thanksgiving 3–2, and I can’t help but mirror their excitement as I turn to high five Lincoln and Hunter.

Hunter quickly turns to congratulate the rest of the staff, but Lincoln holds on for an extra second before turning to make his way down the tunnel.

Things have been tense between Lincoln and me ever since we heard each other getting off through the wall on our road trip earlier this month.

And by tense, I don’t mean in a bad, awkward kind of way.

I mean in a I-want-to-rip-your-clothes-off type of way.

Unfortunately, our schedule has been so chaotic, and Sadie is still crashing at my place, which means we haven’t been able to find time to blow off steam together.

We’re going to have to wait at least a few more days because tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we’ll be celebrating together as a team at Niko’s house.

Our schedule doesn’t really give us much time off, but we do get Thanksgiving Day off to celebrate.

I think only one guy on the team is local to Green Bay.

In fact, most of them are from Canada or overseas.

There are a couple of Americans who have some family in town, though.

Everyone, including their families, is invited to Niko’s for turkey and football tomorrow.

My sexual frustration is at an all-time high, but I am excited for good food and football.

Growing up in the Detroit area, Thanksgiving is always a day to watch football.

Every year the Lions play on Turkey Day, and this year they happen to be playing against Green Bay.

It’ll be fun to experience the rivalry game with the team, although only Lincoln could understand the significance of the game as a fellow Detroiter.

It’s past ten o’clock at night as I make my way out of the employee entrance to my car.

Hunter asked if I wanted to join him and Lincoln for a postgame beer but I declined.

I’m making my nana’s famous stuffing for tomorrow and I still have to prep.

I probably need to pull apart six loaves of bread for the army of hockey players that will be there.

Niko insisted that he and his chef have the menu under control, but I’ve been feeling a little homesick lately and I want to have a piece of home with me on the holiday.

Travel has always been hard on my mom since her accident, so she and my dad won’t be traveling here to celebrate.

I’m used to it, but that doesn’t mean it makes it any easier to be away from them on these special occasions.

My mom and I may not be as close these days, but I still miss her immensely.

I think I may miss her more because of the strain on our relationship.

Fighting the emotion down, I pull into my apartment complex and park by the side door that leads to my apartment.

Thank god there’s an empty space, because it’s cold as hell in this city in November—with the windchill it’s only, like, twelve degrees today.

I’m used to the cold but I am dreading the winter here in Green Bay.

I pull my beanie onto my head and sprint to the door.

I make it inside in record time but can still feel the chill deep in my bones.

I unlock the door to my apartment and push it open.

I’m immediately smacked in the face with the scent of homemade goodness.

Sadie must be baking because it smells like pumpkin spice up in here.

Walking to the kitchen, I find her bent over, pulling a pie out of the oven.

She must have been baking all day because she sets it down next to three other pies on the counter.

“Damn, girl, I could call you Martha Stewart. It smells heavenly in here right now.”

Sadie takes off her purple oven mitts, which are covered in goofy-looking goats, and sets them on the counter.

She leans back against the counter, looking both exhausted and beautiful.

“I’ve been on my feet for hours but, damn, did I kill it today. I made a peanut butter pie, a pecan pie, and two pumpkin pies for tomorrow.”

“You sure you want to stick to the whole yoga thing? You could make a fortune selling this stuff.”

She waves me off before sitting down on the stool next to me.

“Baking is something I do for fun. I don’t want to lose the joy by turning it into a business.” She gnaws at her bottom lip after she says it.

She seems nervous, which is definitely not like her.

“What’s going on? You’re gonna put a hole in your lip if you keep gnawing at it like that.”

Sadie sits up straight and turns so she’s facing me directly .

Okay, this seems serious.

I turn and face her, giving her my full attention.

“The yoga studio is closing. There was too much water damage from the pipes bursting. So, basically, I’m unemployed. That’s what I didn’t want to tell you the other day when I was avoiding my phone,” she blurts out in one breath.

Without thinking, I reach over and wrap my arms around her.

“I’m so sorry, Sadie. I know you loved it there. Any idea what you’re going to do?”

Pulling back, I notice a tear running down her cheek but she quickly swipes it away.

“I don’t know why I’m so emotional. It’s not the end of the world, but it kind of feels like it right now. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. It’s not like there’s a bunch of yoga studios popping up all over the place these days.”

I grab her hand and give it a little squeeze.

“You don’t need to figure it out right this second. You can stay here as long as you need to.” She nods but I can tell she’s not convinced.

“Hey, maybe this is a good thing. It’ll give you time to figure out what you want to do. Hell, you could open your own studio here. Downtown doesn’t have anything like that right now.”

This idea seems to perk her right up.

“You sure you don’t mind me staying here? How are you supposed to get it on with your hottie head coach if I’m in the next room?”

Well, damn, I didn’t really think about that.

But my sex life is nowhere near as important as Sadie is.

She should know that.

“Lincoln has a perfectly fine apartment we can use for our sextracurricular activities,” I say as I waggle my brows.

Sadie howls with laughter and reaches over me to hug me.

“Thank you, Ellie. I kind of love your idea of opening my own studio. But I promise I’ll find a job so I can at least pay you some rent while I’m figuring out my shit.”

I wave her off as I stand up and make my way to the pantry.

This bread isn’t going to rip itself apart.

“Don’t worry about the money, Sadie. I want you to save every penny so you have a nest egg. But I wouldn’t be opposed to your help prepping this stuffing.” I set six loaves of white bread onto the counter and put my hands on my hips.

“What do you say?”

Sadie leaps off her stool and grabs two loaves of bread.

“You got yourself a deal, Coach Montgomery.”

It’s just after noon when Sadie and I pull up to Niko’s house for Thanksgiving, and holy shit this place is immaculate.

He lives on the outskirts of the city where it’s a bit more rural and his house sits alone at the end of his street, surrounded by acres of land.

It has a modern farmhouse-type feel to it—white with black trim and windows, and the pillars on his wrap-around porch are stained a dark wood.

Off to the side of the house it looks like a small guest or pool house, and behind that sits an outdoor hockey rink.

It’s absolutely breathtaking.

Both Sadie and I stand just outside my car, mouths gaping at the beauty in front of us.

We stand there speechless for far too long and a car door closing snaps us back into reality.

I look over my shoulder to see Lincoln.

My heart skips a beat and I’m no longer gaping at the house.

Instead, I’m gaping at the tall drink of water walking toward me.

He is mouth-wateringly handsome today.

He’s dressed casually in a pair of dark jeans that hug his muscular thighs and ass just right.

On top, he’s wearing a thick, dark blue button-down with brown cuffs and collar.

Over his button-down he’s wearing a brown Carhartt vest that matches his collar perfectly.

The scruff on his face has me wishing he was between my legs giving me a beard burn right about now.

It may be cold enough to see our breath out here, but I’m fanning myself as he walks up to greet us.

“Hey,” he says in a low rasp that sends chills down my spine.

I do my best to sound unaffected by his presence, but fail miserably as a high-pitched “Hi” comes out of my mouth.

Sadie laughs next to me and I give her a quick elbow to her side.

“Ouch! Don’t be mad at me. I’m not the one leaving you breathless and making you all squeaky.”

I scowl at her, but she just smiles before skipping her way to the house.

Lincoln and I walk side by side until we reach the front door.

Sadie rings the doorbell, and I find myself bouncing with nerves.

Pull yourself together, Ellie.

This is fine.

It is normal.

We’re just two coworkers who are going to enjoy a nice meal with our team.

Nothing more.

I feel Lincoln before I hear him as he leans in and whispers, “You look gorgeous, Coach.”

With my heart in a puddle on the floor, I turn to look at him and find him grinning.

It comes out in a whisper but I finally manage to nod and say, “Thank you.”

He seems more than satisfied with the effect he has on me and his cocky grin has me pulling my shit together.

My eyes work their way up and down his body.

He seems to enjoy my attention, licking his lips and doing the same to me.

I gotta knock him down a peg so even though he has me basically drooling I bite back, “You don’t look so bad yourself, Lincoln. You fit in real nice here in the country. Forget your cowboy boots at home?”

Sadie looks back at me shaking her head and mouthing something to me.

I think she says, “you’re so bad,” but I can’t be sure.

I simply shrug my shoulders and thank the heavens when Niko answers the door before Lincoln can snap back at me.

Niko ushers us into his home, and the inside is just as gorgeous as the outside.

Wooden beams line the ceiling throughout his open concept living space and neutral tones paint his walls.

His house is a literal dream.

“Wow, Niko. This place is amazing. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

He takes my coat from me and hangs it in the closet at our side before gesturing us forward to make our way into the living room.

“Thank you. I’d like to say I designed it myself but this was all my mom. She’s an interior designer and I’m extremely grateful for her. She even cleansed the space with sage before letting me move in.”

This comment seems to pique Sadie’s interest.

She’s always telling me I need to cleanse my space and get the bad juju out of it.

She elbows me out of her way as she moves in closer to Niko’s space and gives me a look.

Good lordy, I know that look.

It means, “ Oh my god, this guy is perfect and he’s all mine. ”

Shaking my head, I follow as Niko gives us a small tour of his main floor.

We set the dishes we brought down on the giant island and we’re just through the kitchen when his daughter comes barreling into his legs.

He pretends to stumble backward, and then grabs her under the arms and hoists her so she’s resting on her hip.

“Everyone, this is my daughter Sophia. Can you say hi, Soph?”

She buries her head in the crook of her dad’s neck but gives us a small wave with her hand.

She’s the cutest little girl I’ve ever seen.

Sophia perks her head up and asks, “Daddy, who are your pretty friends?”

Yep.

Definitely the cutest little girl I’ve ever seen.

Niko introduces all of us.

Sophia yanks Sadie’s hand and leads her into the living room.

“Come on, Sadie! I want to show you my animals!”

Lincoln and I are both chuckling when Niko excuses himself to supervise his daughter.

We make our way into the living room and sit on opposite sides of the couch.

There’s only a few guys here so far, and they all seem to be mingling around the food in the kitchen.

Why am I not surprised?

The football game starts and we all lose ourselves in good conversation and appetizers.

I’m in the middle of a conversation with Sadie and a couple of the players’ wives when I see Lincoln follow Niko into the kitchen.

Their conversation doesn’t look to be nearly as pleasant as the one I’m having, immediately putting me on high alert.

Does Niko know about me and Lincoln?

Instead of driving myself crazy with questions, I decide to get my ass up and find out if everything is okay.

They are standing at the stove with their backs to me as I weave my way through people to the island.

I’m about to ask if everything is okay when Niko’s words stop me in my tracks.

“She just took off three days ago. I haven’t heard from her since. Sophia keeps asking why her mom isn’t here for Thanksgiving. She’s not around much, but she never misses a holiday.”

My heart breaks at the helplessness in Niko’s voice.

Poor Niko.

Poor Sophia.

I decide that this conversation is none of my business and am about to turn around when I hear Lincoln.

“Ya know, my mom took off when I was a kid too. I don’t really ever talk about it, but?—”

Yeah, this is definitely none of my business.

My emotions grip me by the throat and I turn and walk away before I break down in tears.

I guess I never really stopped to think about Lincoln’s home life when I was a kid.

My life was a big enough mess to worry about, I hadn’t even realized that Lincoln was going through his own shit.

Hell, we were both kids, but I’m starting to realize there’s so much I don’t know about him.

I decide now that I don’t want that to be the case anymore.

I want to know everything about him as a person and a man .

The rest of the day goes off without a hitch.

Detroit wins the game, the food is amazing, and the company is even better.

Sadie hitches a ride home with Hunter, and the last of the players have just left.

That leaves me, Lincoln, Niko, and his staff to clean up what’s left of the mess.

You’d think these grown men would know how to clean up after themselves, but apparently they do not.

“You guys don’t have to stay and clean up,” Niko says while picking up a stray plate from underneath his coffee table.

I take the plate from him.

“ You are the one who shouldn’t have to clean up. You were generous enough to host. And besides, I think someone is waiting for a bedtime story.” I nod to Sophia who is half asleep on the couch with her blanket and stuffy in hand.

Niko looks over at his daughter and smiles.

“You sure?” he asks before scooping her up into his arms.

“We got it,” Lincoln whispers as he claps Niko on the shoulder.

“We’ll finish cleaning this up and see ourselves out. Thanks for everything, man. Today was great.”

Niko waves to me before making his way up the stairs with Sophia, which leaves me alone with Lincoln.

We are very rarely ever alone like this, so I take the opportunity to try to get to know this mystery man who has me weak at the knees.

“I overheard you and Niko in the kitchen earlier. Sophia’s mom took off, huh?”

Lincoln looks shocked for a brief moment, but then continues to pick up cups and napkins off the coffee table.

Clearing his throat, he finally answers, “Yeah. I guess she took off earlier this week. Which isn’t really a new thing for her, but I guess she never misses holidays. They’ve been divorced a few years and Niko has sole custody, but he said something feels off this time. Niko is pretty worried. Sophia keeps asking about her too.”

“Damn, that poor kid.” Lincoln nods at my remark, but doesn’t say anything.

It’s silent for a moment before I find the courage to ask him about his mom.

“I also heard you tell him about your mom…” I leave it at that and wait for a response.

The seconds that tick by are agonizing, and I think I made a mistake by bringing it up, but then Lincoln finally speaks up.

“Yeah, I did. You make it a habit to eavesdrop on people?”

I stop what I’m doing and turn, ready to apologize profusely when I see him smiling at me.

Of course, he’s just giving me shit.

That’s what we do.

I know I don’t need to apologize but I do it anyway.

“I’m sorry. I walked away right after you told him your mom left. I swear I didn’t hear anything else.”

Lincoln sets his garbage bag next to the couch and takes a seat.

He puts his elbows on his knees, resting his chin on top of his hands.

It looks like he’s about to say something, so I stop what I’m doing and take a seat in front of him on the coffee table.

We’re face to face now.

He takes a deep breath and then begins telling me his story.

“My mom left when I was ten. I’m pretty sure it was right around the same time of your mom’s accident.”

I try to mask how shocked I am by this fact.

I had no idea that his mom left that year.

I take a second to gather myself.

“I had no idea.” I give him an encouraging smile.

“What happened after your mom left?”

He’s quiet again for a moment, almost as if he’s replaying the day back in his mind.

“I went to school one day and came home to my dad. Drunk. He was the angriest I’d ever seen him. Which is saying a lot because he was drunk and angry all the time.” He stops talking to compose himself.

The emotion in his voice has me reaching out and touching his leg.

I let him know he’s not alone, but don’t rush him.

It’s a few more seconds before he continues.

“He kept saying it was my fault she left, that I was too much trouble. When in reality, I know it was his fault. His drinking always led to him getting physical. I did my best to protect my mom, but I was only ten.” He shrugs, looking both haunted and broken.

I can’t hold back any longer, I reach over and wrap my arms around his neck.

Without letting go, I turn my head so he can hear me clearly.

“Lincoln, it was not your fault. It wasn’t your job to take care of your mom. That’s supposed to be your dad’s job. It sounds like he failed at that and at being a father. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

We hold onto each other for a couple minutes, not saying anything.

I can feel him take a deep breath before he pulls away from me.

But he grabs my hands as he sinks back into the couch.

“I just wish she would’ve taken me with her.” It’s a whisper, but I hear the heartbreak loud and clear in his words.

I’m not sure what I did to deserve this vulnerability from him.

This man has defenses built up higher than The Wall in Game of Thrones .

The fact that he’s letting them down for me, well, it’s more than I could have ever imagined.

I drop his hands, leaning forward and take his face in mine.

I wait until he’s looking at me before choosing my next words.

“The man you have become despite your parents’ failures is extraordinary. I know I don’t know half the shit you went through, but look at the man you are today. You wouldn’t be here, in this spot, an amazing NHL coach, if it wasn’t for your past. Every battle, every hard day, you are the one who pushed through. You defeated the odds and triumphed. I’m sorry, but fuck your parents for ever letting a little boy think their mistakes were his fault. You are a better man because of the hell you fought through.”

I may have crossed a line.

Maybe I said too much, but I had to.

This beautiful, broken man is so much more than he thinks he is .

Lincoln closes his eyes and seems to consider my words before opening them again.

With my hands still on his face, he nods.

“Thank you, Ellie. I’ve tried telling myself those things a million times, but for some reason, when you say it, it’s easier to believe.”

We sit there, suspended in this moment of time, staring at each other with a deeper understanding and something else.

I can’t quite figure it out, but there’s a shift that’s happening between us.

We both seem to feel it at the same time because the next thing I know, he’s leaning in and his lips are on mine.

My self-control drops for a moment and I kiss him back.

It’s not the same type of kiss from the coaches’ room, there’s no desperation or hunger.

No, it’s so much more.

It’s soft, it’s gentle, it’s like we’re having a silent conversation with our lips.

We’re here in this moment, finally seeing each other clearly for the first time.

He explores my mouth with his tongue, and it’s when I find myself moaning that I remember where we are.

Pushing his shoulders back, I scan the room and surrounding rooms to see if anyone saw us kiss.

Luckily, Niko is still upstairs and his staff is nowhere to be seen.

“Lincoln, we can’t do this here.”

He runs his hand through his hair before leaning back on the couch.

“I know, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself. But damn it, Ellie, it’s been weeks since I’ve been able to taste you and I am losing my mind.”

The desperation in his voice and the lust in his eyes has me propositioning him before I can stop myself.

“Well, Sadie is with Hunter at his place for a post-meal yoga session. Your place or mine?”

The next thing I know, Lincoln is grabbing my hand and we’re sprinting out of Niko’s place like a couple of kids ready to break all the rules.