Page 7

“Someone ordered food?” Greg calls out in the hall and I head over to him to accept the bags.

“Thanks, man. How’s it going?”

Greg shrugs and hands me the white bags and steps back. He looks like he’s aged fifteen years in the last five. “It’s going. Retiring after this season.”

I frown at him and shake my head. “We’ll miss you around here, no one gets the ice as perfect as you do.”

He snorts and begins to turn around. “Still have several months left, boy. You’ll see my ugly mug around for a while yet, driving my machine.”

I nod and turn so that I can find the guys. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

After we eat and suit up in the locker room on the couches, we have a team meeting. We’re heading to Canada and California next week for more away games.

I feel a migraine coming on. Will Alyssa and Caroline really move in with Marie? I feel like my mind is spinning, I can’t focus on shit.

They’re only sixteen, I’m their legal guardian, but I won’t fight them if they fucking hate me as much as it feels like they do lately.

Hell… I’ll give them anything and everything if it would make them happy.

They were barely eight years old when we moved here, they basically know Marie and me as their parents.

After our team meeting with our coaches, we’re shoved out into the hall to head to the ice.

The music is blasting. The lights are bright and colorful.

The announcer is pumping up the crowd… I glance up to the box that Marie and the girls always sit in with the WAGs to find that it’s just filled with the other family members of the team.

I sigh when my name is called and I skate out, letting the ice bring me to my safe space.

I pat my line on the backs as we get in place and stare down the assholes in red and black. Tonight is going to be a good game, I feel like hitting, punching someone. That’ll help, it always does.

The puck is dropped and Arizona steamrolls through us, passing it back and forth between their center and right winger…

Nolan, our goalie, is watching the puck like a hawk, waiting for his time to shine. He won’t let the puck get past him tonight. He’s wired, determined.

One of our defensemen, Blake, slams into Arizona’s center and I swoop in and catch the puck, rushing down to the other side of the arena, I pass to Logan and he waits for me to be open again.

He passes it back to me and I slap it towards the net, holding my breath.

“ GOAL!” The screams pump me up even more. This is exactly what I needed.

I raise my arms in the air and circle around to get back into place. I glare down at the asshole right in front of me, winking at him and let him crash into me as soon as the puck is in our possession.

He shoves me into the wall and my head clinks against the plexiglass. I bare my teeth at him, getting away from him, skating away, watching Arizona get their first goal.

1-1.

Damn it, Nolan.

_____________

The buzzer sounds and I bask in the screams, shouts, and hollers.

We barely won. 4-3. We rush through the halls to the locker room and I sigh as I get undressed and head straight to the showers.

I need to call the girls to make sure they’re okay, I have no idea where they are and it’s giving me another migraine.

Or maybe it’s just the same one that I’ve been ignoring.

Why can’t Marie just tell me where they are so that I know they’re safe?

Blake starts singing a few feet away and I snort. Our resident clown. He even has the red hair for it. Belting out some new pop song, swinging his ass around as he soaps up his hair.

After we’re all wrapped in towels and staring longingly at our clothes, we have another meeting. I sit down on the bench in front of my locker and barely hear Coach Williams drone on and on about what we need to do differently.

“Be back here at six tomorrow. We’re going to practice every day until I know we’re ready for our away games next week, you fuckers are slacking. Get out of here.”

We all nod and stand, pulling on our suits and fixing our hair before we head out for any interviews and seeing our families.

Well, their families.

Most of the guys are married, have kids, or have girlfriends. Or are waiting to run into a bunny on the way out to take out to the nearest hotel.

I apparently have a girlfriend now, but there’s no way Alex would ever step foot near a rink. I frown as I head out, nodding to fans and signing some tickets. I shake hands, and groan internally when I’m stopped. I plaster a fake smile on my face and glance over to the camera.

“James Carter! What a game, two goals, most importantly, the winning goal for tonight. How does it feel?”

I chuckle and wink at Marissa before turning towards the camera. “Just doing my job. It feels great to be out on the ice, doing what I love.”

She nods and smiles widely at me, “Great. You have another four years of your contract here, are you loving Minnesota enough to stay for the rest of your career, or do you think you’d move on?”

I frown and shrug. “Haven’t thought of it. It feels like it’s been so much longer than that. The team, this rink… it’s family, home. Like you said, I still have another four years to figure it out.” I nod and step away and she waves me off to be in someone else’s face.

At least it’s only her back here tonight and not a million different news crews.

What the hell was that about, though? I signed a ten-year contract and still have four years left, not four months. Are there already talks about me leaving or being traded? I thought I was doing well, I need to pull up my stats when I get home.

I smile and nod to the WAG’s and ignore the puck bunnies as I head out to the parking lot.

I was still slightly hoping that Marie would show up. She’s never missed a home game until recently. Neither have the girls. This is the second one they’ve all missed and my… stomach hurts. It’s clenching with anxiety.

Have I been too attached to Marie? Have I been holding her back and now that I have a girlfriend she’s free? Maybe it’s all for the best and maybe it was time we spread our own wings. Right?

I step up into my truck and start the engine, staring down at my phone to find a few texts from the girls. Wishing me luck and complaining about the game. Well that’s a start at least.

I smile as I call Caroline and hope that she answers.

“Hey, great game! We were on the edge of our seats.”

I chuckle and lean back in my seat and get comfortable. “It was hectic. How’s your night?”

“Good. We’re about to go to bed… Marie’s house is awesome! The TV is basically as big as the wall.”

I snort and recall the emails from my credit card company. Yeah… You’re welcome, Marie. “I bet it felt like you were right on the ice, huh? What did you have for dinner?”

She huffs and I imagine she’s rolling her eyes. “Marie’s on a health kick. We had some weird vegetable pasta with alfredo sauce and a salad.” I smile, Marie loves to go through her stages. She’s always been a healthy eater though.

“Good. Can I talk to Lyss?”

“No. She said she’s not ready to talk to you yet…

Marie bought us some clothes and we have toiletries, everything we need, honestly.

We think we’ll stay here until you’re back from your away games next week so that we don’t have to go back and forth.

” I hear Marie talking in the background and Caroline answers her lowly, too low for me to hear.

“Anyway… See you soon.” She hangs up and I stare blankly out the window into the black night sky.

Alex offered to hang out with the girls during the away games.

Looks like the girls didn’t approve. I guess I can tell her she can just make herself at home or stay in the vacation home since she isn’t moving in yet.

We’re not allowed to bring our girlfriends, wives or families with us unless they’re staying in a separate hotel and take a commercial flight.

Or any flight that isn’t on our team jet.

I tap my fingers along my steering wheel and watch as the lot empties. I frown at my phone when I scroll through my notifications and don’t see anything from Alex at all. Usually she at least calls or texts.

I make my way home and head straight to my room, slamming the door. Alex doesn’t move in for another week or two. I don’t think I’ve ever been here alone.

Sure, Marie has had overnight dates, the girls have had sleepovers with their friends…

But now it just feels so empty, lonely. Like my brain knows this is how it’s going to be from now on. I need to figure out a way to see Marie and talk to her. If she didn’t want to live here with Alex, then we could have been adults and talked about it.

I try calling Alex and leave her a voicemail when she doesn’t answer.

“Hey… It’s me. Haven’t heard from you today and just want to make sure you’re…

good, I guess. I wish you were here with me, the girls aren’t here so it’s so quiet.

Anyway, we had a decent game tonight, we won 4-3…

Um, okay. I hope you have a good night.”

I toss my phone onto the bed and slip out of my suit, hanging the articles up on the chair beside my bed.

Shit, that’s right. Tomorrow is Alex’s appointment at her doctor’s office. She told me I don’t have to go, but I might as well now that I don’t have anything better to do. Plus, she came to mine, what’s the harm?

_____________

After practice, I try calling Alex again but her phone goes straight to voicemail. I frown and step up into my truck and head out to the doctor’s office that she said she booked the appointment at.

I haven’t had her naked, writhing under me for months. I groan at the image that’s branded into my brain and park five minutes before the appointment time.

I head into the lobby and don’t see her seated anywhere, she must have already been called back. I knock on the counter and wave to the receptionist.