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They all started shouting “Park-His-Ass” at the top of their lungs, and the kid’s nickname was born. The mood grew a little lighter as everyone packed up their gear in preparation for the trip to Dallas.

“You good?” Alek asked Gus.

His friend sighed. “I can’t say I’m thrilled leaving my wife and kids at home after today. At least my in-laws will be around until Claire and the kids fly out later this week.”

“Do the cops have any leads?”

“Not that they’ve said.” Gus shouldered his equipment bag.

“Everyone in my neighborhood has cameras. Van Horn and Kessler likely have the same setup where they live. It’s only a matter of time until they catch these guys.

I’m sure it’s a relief knowing Sheridan and Finn are headed to Florida tonight, though. ”

“Yeah.” Alek was grateful Sheridan and Finn wouldn’t be home alone, especially since Hattie would be at the vet for a few more days.

“What gives?” Gus narrowed his eyes as he studied Alek carefully when he didn’t elaborate more.

“Nothing.” Alek stowed his headphones in the side pocket of his equipment bag.

“I call bullshit. Dammit, you let the lies Merriweather spewed yesterday get in your head, didn’t you?

Never mind, it’s all over your face. Now you’re bent on ruining the best thing that ever happened to you.

” Gus swore as he grabbed the strap of Alek’s equipment bag and shoved it to him. “Come with me.”

“You’re way off base. That’s not what’s happening,” Alek protested even though it was exactly what was happening. “Everything is fine.”

“Good. Then you won’t mind coming with me to meet some friends of Claire’s.” Gus gestured for Alek to lead the way out of the dressing room.

They maneuvered past the reporters still lobbing questions at Dern and exited into the hallway.

“I’m telling you, Gus,” Alek grumbled. “It’s not what you think.”

He stopped short at the sound of Sheridan’s laugh. She stood outside the family room, chatting up a tall, sandy-haired man who looked at her as if she was his next meal.

“Alek!” Finn ran up, dragging two bags full of dog toys. News of Hattie’s surgery had twice as many fans tossing toys onto the ice. “Guess what? Dr. Trent is going to deliver these to some shelters in Michigan when he goes home for Thanksgiving. Isn’t that cool?”

“Real cool,” Alek replied, his eyes still focused on the exchange between Sheridan and the other man.

It was obvious by the relaxed way she interacted with him that they knew each other well.

That didn’t sit well with him. His chest grew tight as he imagined Sheridan and this guy together.

He hadn’t wanted to believe Merriweather, but it was hard not to, judging by how their bodies leaned into one another with familiarity.

Sheridan’s smile was wary when she first noticed Alek before she donned the chipper people-pleasing one he was starting to despise.

“Here he is,” she told the guy next to her. “Alek, I’d like you to meet Dr. Trent Adams. Trent and I work together at the hospital.”

“He was my friend first,” Finn interjected.

A low roar sounded in Alek’s ears when Trent smiled down at Finn before ruffling his hair.

“Yes, I was,” he told the boy before aiming his pearly whites at Alek. “What a treat to get to see this part of Finn’s life.”

“Uh-huh.” Alek sounded like a Neanderthal, but he didn’t trust himself enough to say more.

“Of course, my husband is more of a sports fan than I am,” Trent continued. He shot Sheridan a guilty look. “He’ll kill me when he finds out Trey Van Horn was at the game we were supposed to come to Friday night. So let’s keep that on the down low, okay?” He nudged her shoulder with his.

“His wife’s little brother is a friend of mine.” Finn puffed out his chest with pride. “I can probably get you an autographed football.”

“That would be an awesome Christmas gift for me to give him.” Trent high-fived Finn.

Alek was having trouble keeping up with the conversation, however.

Relief, guilt, and annoyance all flooded through his veins.

Jesus, he’d been a fool for believing anything out of Brad Merriweather’s deceitful mouth.

Even more so, he was disappointed in himself for not trusting Sheridan.

Damn Madison and Jamie for making him constantly mistrust his judgment.

“I’m sorry. Did you say, ‘your husband’?” he croaked out. The relief he felt was clogging his throat.

Sheridan must have misunderstood his distress because she shot him an astonished look.

“Yes. Gary.” Trent’s tone became clipped. “Claire took him out on the ice to get a picture.”

“Told you Merriweather was baiting you, dumb-ass,” Gus muttered beside Alek.

It was a toss-up between punching his friend or kissing him. He had no doubt Gus arranged this “meeting.”

“Uh, we can do better than a picture on the ice,” Alek offered. “How would Gary like to meet some of the guys?”

Trent’s eyes went wide. “He’d probably talk about it for the rest of his life.”

“Better than having him talk about Van Horn and the Growlers forever and ever.” Alek signaled to one of the equipment managers. “And a hockey stick trumps a football any day. Finn, why don’t you take Trent into the lumber yard and help him pick out a stick for Gary? We’ll get the guys to sign it.”

Finn grabbed the doctor’s hand. “Let’s go shopping, Dr. Trent.”

Sheridan wore an indulgent smile as she watched the exchange.

Alek shifted his gaze to meet hers. He wanted to say so much to her, starting with how he’d been a colossal fool for putting her in the same box as the other women who had jilted him before.

The woman standing before him wasn’t like any other woman he knew. And he was damn glad for another shot.

Gus slapped him on the back. “I think I’ll go find Claire and Gary.”

“Hey,” Alek said when they were alone.

“Hi.” She cleared her throat. “Sorry for disappearing last night. I guess Finn wasn’t the only one overwhelmed by the possibility of almost losing Hattie.”

“No worries. You were still catching up on sleep from your shift at the hospital. I did the same. Hattie was pretty restless the night before.”

Her lips twitched. “Lucky for you, you managed to eke out a nap with her at the clinic yesterday afternoon.”

He rubbed his fingers through his hair. “I guy can’t do anything around town without someone ratting him out.”

“At least it didn’t make it to social media. Your cover as a dog tolerator would be blown.”

“Kessler would have a field day with that.”

She moved closer and reached up to gently trace his bottom lip. He managed not to wince when her finger drew close to his wound.

“Does it hurt?” she whispered.

The only thing he felt was the pounding of his heart brought on by her delicate touch.

“Nah.” He let his equipment bag slide from his shoulder and dropped it on the floor by his feet. Placing his hands on either side of her waist, he tugged her body in close to his.

“Liar.” She rested one hand against his chest while the other fiddled with the lapel of his suit jacket. “According to the rumor mill, you two fought about me.”

Alek sighed. Sheridan never liked to be the center of attention, much less to cause any controversy. The idea that she was the catalyst of any sort of conflict within the team had to have wounded her. Merriweather was lucky he was out of Alek’s reach at the moment.

He leaned his forehead against hers. “He said some unforgivable things. All of them untrue. None of the guys believed him.” Except for the idiot in front of you. “I straightened him out.”

“Brad was always jealous of Jamie. It’s so silly. My brother is gone and never coming back.”

“And so many of us still harbor some ire toward the guy.”

It was the wrong thing to say, given how stiff her body grew beneath his fingertips. She dropped her hands and stepped out of his hold. Her eyes were shiny when she brushed the hair out of her face.

Dammit.

“We need to talk.” She looked around the hallway, where anyone could happen upon them at any moment. “I-I need to straighten out some misconceptions you have about Jamie.”

Alek didn’t want to talk about Jamie. He wanted to talk about her and him. And their future together. A future that didn’t involve his former best friend.

He gripped her elbows, pulling her back against his body. “You just said Jamie isn’t coming back. There’s no point in dredging up the past and all the pain that went with it. I want us to start fresh and new. Do you hear me? I. Want. Us.”

Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes went round. He gave her a little shake.

“I want our little makeshift family, Sheridan. For keeps. And if my lip didn’t hurt so freaking bad right now, I’d prove it by kissing you senseless.”

She gasped in a breath before burying her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, brushing soft kisses against her hair.

“Bus is leaving in ten, chumps!” Picard called out from somewhere down the hallway.

Alek swore. There was so much more he needed to say to her. To do to her. Not here, though. They’d have the entire day on Thursday. Enough people would be around to entertain Finn so they could carve out some alone time where he could tell her and show her exactly how he felt.

He shifted her away from his body, then lifted her chin with his finger. Her wet face nearly made his heart stop. “Please tell me those are happy tears?”

Her lips wobbled as she nodded. He blew out a sigh of relief, dropping his hand when Finn came bounding down the hall.

“I got a puck for Uncle Alan.” He waved it in the air. “Aunt Sher, you promised we could stop by and say goodbye to Hattie before we left for the airport. Can we go right now?”

“Go,” Alek said. “And make sure you tell her I said hello.”

Finn gave him a hug. “We’ll see you in Florida.”

“Yes.” Alek winked at Sheridan over the boy’s head. “Yes, you will.”