Page 56 of Grumpy Pucking Orc (Orcs on Ice #1)

Jordan

A bby joined me at my house to watch Thursday night’s game with a six pack of beer and a giant buffalo-chicken pizza. “Buffalo chicken. Game at Buffalo, New York. Get it?” she said as she handed the pizza box to me.

It was just the two of us tonight. Willa was out on what she’d called the long shot of all long shot dates.

Stephanie was working to finish up her project in Hampton.

I’d considered watching the game at a sports bar but decided it would be nice to curl up at home instead.

Abby could shack up in my guest room if she was too tired or tipsy to drive, and this way I wouldn’t have to scout out Judy’s vomit after arriving home late at night.

Plus, I didn’t need to rush home to be ready for Ozar’s post-game call.

I put out corn chips and salsa. Abby and I settled on the sofa to watch the game, pizza box on the coffee table and beers in hand while Judy meowed for my crusts and wound around my legs.

The game was amazing. I swear that Abby and I hardly said a word, our eyes riveted to the television. It was the best game I’d ever seen the Tusks play. Admittedly, Buffalo wasn’t having the best season, but I saw a huge improvement in the orc team.

“They’re doing daily workouts and practices,” Abby said at the end of the first quarter. “It really seems to be paying off.”

I turned to her in surprise. “Ozar told me. How did you know?”

Her lips curled up in a mischievous grin. “I did what you said and told my boss I wanted us to pitch the Tusks. The team owner went for it, and I’ve been running their public relations campaigns since last week. Gotta say, it’s the most fun I’ve had in over a year.”

“Abby, that’s awesome!” I was rarely on social media except to post dental procedure pictures to my Instagram account and hadn’t realized this. Making a mental note, I decided to look up the team’s accounts and follow them.

“Ozar has been pushing the team hard with the workouts and practices,” I said. “I keep telling him that it will pay off, and that they’re improving at a remarkable rate, but I think he’s getting impatient.”

“Orcs seem to be physically gifted. I can imagine they’d struggle with patience in mastering a sport they’d never done before,” Abby agreed.

I nodded, and we turned our attention back to the TV as the teams took the ice once more. It was a white-knuckle game which the Tusks ended up losing, but the score was close, and I was thrilled that they’d scored two points—one by Ozar.

And I’d seen several glimpses of my family behind the Tusks’ bench, embarrassingly decked out in orc gear and signs. It was nice that they’d gone all out in support of my boyfriend, even though the fake plastic tusks were borderline cringe.

No, it was totally cringe.

Plus, my phone had completely blown up during the game with my family’s texts, breaking my focus.

Wow, your hockey-guy is totally hot.

Is it safe for them to play without shirts? Aren’t they cold? What if they get hurt?

Your man scored a point! Way to go!

Who is that other forward? Is he single? Does he like younger human females?

I rolled my eyes at Holly’s text, assuming that she was talking about Ugwyll. I’d barely spoken two words to the orc, and there was no way I was introducing him to my barely legal cousin.

Setting my phone on vibrate, I shoved it under a pillow and concentrated on the game. It was the best the Tusks had played, and I was thrilled with the final score, even if they hadn’t won.

I tossed the empty pizza box and got us the last of the two beers, returning to the couch to watch the post-game interviews.

“Soooo?” Abby eyed me, taking a quick swig of her beer. “Let’s talk Ozar. How are things going between you two?”

My friends knew about the proposal, and the long silence before Ozar’s reply to my text. They knew we’d been communicating every night since then, and that those calls had been glorious.

And they knew that there was a dark cloud hovering at the edge of our relationship.

“Right now, things are good,” I told her. “But I feel like we’re just holding back that storm on the horizon. He calls me each night, and it’s amazing, but we both know that we’re just putting off all the issues we need to face once he gets back to Baltimore.”

Abby pulled a notepad out of her purse. “Okay. In preparation for what’s looming on the horizon, let’s do this like a relationship assessment. What are the traits you want in a husband?”

I thought about that for a few seconds. “He’s got to be kind. Likes my friends. Family-focused. Has either a career or some charity or something he’s passionate about. Loves cats.”

She stopped scribbling on the notepad and looked up at me. “Extrovert? Introvert?”

I held up a hand and rocked it back and forth.

“A little of each? I want someone who enjoys going to the occasional concert or game or party, but who also is okay relaxing at home at the end of a day. I do a lot of my research and writing in the evenings, so I need someone who is happy to do their own thing then as well.”

“Mmmm.” Abby kept writing.

“Not a super foodie, but willing to experiment and enjoy discovering new places to dine. I want someone who isn’t an ass about keeping the house clean, who doesn’t mind cooking occasionally.”

Abby laughed. “Chili with hot dogs?”

I grimaced. “Ugh. If that’s all he can cook, then I’m good with delivery.”

“DoorDash for the win,” Abby agreed. “Kids? No kids?”

It felt like my heart did a double-tap. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.

When I was young, I always envisioned myself married with two or three children, but then I never met the right guy.

Or even close to the right guy. So, I changed my focus to my career and gave up on the whole husband and family thing. ”

Abby set down the notepad and pen, eyeing me with a somber expression. “Oh, Jordan. I totally understand.”

“I’m thirty.” And I was on a roll here. “It made sense to give up on all that and find satisfaction with my friends, my family, and my career, right?”

She nodded. “And it’s not like you don’t love your career. You’ve got a full life right now. Lots to be happy about. There’s no need to be defensive about it. We women are more than wives and mothers.”

“We are.” I stared down at my glass of wine. “Ozar wants a ton of children. Like six or eight or a hundred.”

Abby laughed. “Uhhh, how do you feel about that?”

This was beginning to remind me of a therapy appointment, but I answered her anyway.

“I’m uncertain. At thirty, I’ve got a limited child-bearing window, and I don’t like the idea of spending the next ten years in back-to-back pregnancy.”

She winced.

“But Ozar is so good with kids, and he wants to be an involved parent, so maybe?” My voice wavered a bit and Abby gave me a sharp look.

“Do you believe him? Sometimes guys have good intentions, but then all the housekeeping and child rearing falls to the woman,” she pointed out.

“I know. But I think he really will be an involved parent. And…” I took a deep breath.

“I’m absolutely on board for two. Maybe three.

At first, I thought just one, but then I remembered growing up with my brother, and the Porter kids down the street that we used to play with, and I thought that two or three would be great.

Maybe more, but I wouldn’t want to commit to that until I saw how things went with the second. And the third.”

Abby picked up her pen, biting back a smile. “So, six? ”

“Oh, God!” I put my head in my hands for a few seconds before looking up at her.

“What am I doing? Last month I was a dedicated single cat-lady focused on my career. And now I’m considering a husband and children.

Again. After having given up on that and reconciling myself to a different but equally happy plan for my future. ”

“You are absolutely overthinking this whole thing.” Abby scowled and jabbed her pen toward me. “Stop it. Life throws all sorts of surprises our way. We’ve got to be flexible, to be open to changing course.”

“When have you ever known me to be flexible? I live by my routine, just like Judy does.”

“You don’t puke in the hallway if your routine is disrupted,” Abby teased.

I sighed. “No, but it’s tough for me to pivot. I’m not the pivoting kind of woman.”

“You pivoted once,” she gently reminded me.

“Think about pivoting back. I’m not saying marry Ozar and have a hundred little green babies.

I’m not saying dump your dental practice and become some sort of homestead tradwife in his clan.

Just ask your heart what it wants and take that into consideration when making your decision. ”

I was already listening to my heart. That’s what worried me.

“Okay, let’s rate Ozar one to ten on your list with ten being the highest score. Kindness.”

“Ten.” I didn’t hesitate at all on that one. Ozar had to be the kindest man I’d ever met outside of my father and brother.

“Likes your friends?”

I wrinkled my nose. “Seven? I really don’t know since he hasn’t hung out a lot with you all. He always asks how you and Willa are doing though and never has an issue with me spending time with my friends.”

“Family-focused?”

“Ten,” I shot back. “Eleven. Maybe twelve.”

Abby snorted. “Career or charity or something he’s passionate about?”

That one took some thinking. “I…I don’t know.

He’s passionate about being a Guardian for his clan, but that involves us living with his people and I don’t want to give up my career.

He wants to make this hockey team a success, but he swings back and forth with it.

I don’t blame him since it’s not like he can control what the other orcs on the team can do.

I think he has the capacity to be passionate about a career or a charity, but I’m not sure he’s found that yet here in my world. ”

“Seven? Four?” Abby held her pen poised above the notepad.

I held up my hands. “Eight. Put down eight because I’m sure he’ll find something.”

There was a poignant silence before Abby spoke. “Sure? Or hopeful?”

I scowled. “Okay. Six.”

“Loves cats?” Abby powered on.

“Ten. He’s made a lot of effort to bond with Judy and she’s responding. He really seems to love her.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s the most important question,” Abby teased.

“It’s up there,” I told her. “Gotta say it’s a dealbreaker of a question, but not the only dealbreaker.”

“That’s fair. Extrovert or introvert?” she asked.

“More introvert than extrovert, but he seems to enjoy hanging with the team and going out, so I’m going to say an eight on the compatibility scale. ”

“Foodie?” Abby continued.

I smiled fondly. “He’s always willing to trying anything I put in front of him. He’ll go anywhere, do anything. I really love that about him. He’s not snobby about food or activities at all. He’s open for any adventure. A ten.”

Abby nodded. “We’ve already discussed kids.”

“We’re a five on that right now, but I’m hoping we can come to an agreement.”

Abby put her notepad down. “He’s scoring high, but the big roadblock seems to be that he wants to go home to live, and you don’t. And the kid issue.”

I glanced at the television. They’d cut to an image of the orcs entering the press area of the arena in Buffalo.

Immediately, my eyes went to Ozar, wearing a T-shirt that stretched tight across his chest and a knit cap with his black hair spilling out beneath the edge.

The orc fidgeted, looking like he would love nothing more than to bolt past the press and take refuge on the bus, which is what he did after answering a few brief questions.

Abby sighed. “Ozar and Ugwyll are the fan favorites. I really need to coach them on interviews.”

“Bwat does a good job,” I pointed out. “He’s relaxed and seems to enjoy answering their questions.”

“Yeah, but he’s not seen as a dynamic player.

He’s…just kind of there on the ice. It’s not all his fault.

Defense just doesn’t get as much attention.

” Abby frowned. “When they’re back in town, I’ll put together better profiles on the other players.

We can’t just focus on Ozar and Ugwyll all the time. ”

“You’re really into this.” I smiled, loving that Abby was doing this. Yes, she was getting paid, but any hype she and her company could generate for the team would help Ozar to be more satisfied in his job—and hopefully he’ll be satisfied enough to want to remain here.

I didn’t want him to leave. But I didn’t want to go with him and live the rest of my life with his clan.

And we’d need to address this issue soon.

Tonight’s game with Buffalo was their last on the road.

The team would be returning home tomorrow in preparation for a game against the Avalanche.

And then , we would have to talk about our future—one that we hopefully could spend together.