Page 36 of Over the Moon (Rosewood River #3)

twenty-five

. . .

Clark

When I signed my two-year contract with the Lions before last season, it was all with the hopes that this would be my long-term home.

After having a kickass first season, our team won the Stanley Cup my first year on the roster, but I still had one more season before I could negotiate a new contract.

A contract that was predicted to be a much more impressive package than what I’d originally signed.

I had the season of my life this last year, which was why it was so important to me to come back stronger than ever this season.

And now, I wasn’t so sure that my place on this team would be my long game anymore.

Eloise Gable had changed the game for me.

We arrived back in the city yesterday, and this was our first official day of preseason practice, also known as training camp.

I snuck over to Eloise’s tiny-ass apartment last night in a baseball cap and a hoodie, because things were different here, and we were both aware of it.

There was press and paparazzi constantly around the training facility, and more people would be paying attention here than they were in Rosewood River, and my girl was terrified of being caught.

But preseason training was a time for teams to experiment with different combinations of players, as well as strategizing new plays. This was when teams worked on chemistry and formed deeper relationships.

Real friendships.

We were already there in a lot of ways, but there were three new guys on the team this season and a few who still preferred to keep to themselves, so this was an opportunity to build on those strengths even more.

We played preseason games to test out different roles and tweak some positions, and then Coach would make adjustments before the regular season began.

But this time was all about teamwork and bonding and all the other things that go into being part of a winning team.

“Holy shit, Chadwick. You were not joking about working your ass off this summer,” Weston said, as I dropped down from the pull-up bar, music blaring in the background.

“Yeah, our boy definitely did not spend his summer floating in the lazy river back home.” Walter Wizowski barked out a laugh. “You’re definitely looking even stronger than last year.”

We called him Wizz, and he was our goalie, and after last season, many considered him the best goalie in the league.

“Let’s see how he does on the ice before we give him a big head,” Sebastian said, as he stood next to Randall and Coach Gable. He must have just walked in because he hadn’t been here a few minutes ago.

The dude was inserting himself in conversations he didn’t belong in. If my teammates wanted to comment on the work I’d put in over the last three months, he should be happy to see it.

That’s what training camp was all about.

But this fucker and I clearly didn’t like one another.

“I think they're referring to my big muscles, Sebastian, not my ego.” I kept my tone light, and he chuckled.

Weston laughed, completely missing the tension between us, which I was happy about. I needed to keep my feelings about this dude in check. He was technically my boss, as well as Eloise’s boss.

It was possible that this was a one-way irritation and that he didn’t have a fucking clue that he was rubbing me wrong, because he didn’t know Eloise and I were together.

“Let’s just keep our heads down and keep working,” Randall said. “You best bring you’re A game out on the ice today, boys.”

“Stick Season,” by Noah Kahan began playing, and Weston and I started belting out the lyrics, while the rest of the guys pretended they didn’t want to join in.

“You two better hope you bring your hockey moves out on the ice today and not your dance moves,” Pete “Lefty” Levine said over his laughter. His nickname came from playing left wing, and the dude was a badass as well as being our team captain.

Randall and Coach turned their attention to the new rookies as I wiped my face with a towel.

“Don’t you worry about our moves. We’ll be just fine,” I said as I waggled my brows.

“What’s the deal with Randall being such a dick all the time?” Wizz said, keeping his voice low.

“I don’t think he likes that Coach’s daughter is more qualified than him,” Weston said, tipping his head back and sucking down some water. “He’s been making some backhanded comments about her when Coach isn’t around.”

“Like what?” I asked, my voice coming out harsher than I meant it to.

“Yeah, I’ve heard it, too. He said she only got the gig because of her father.” Lefty leaned in, voice low. “He definitely feels threatened by her.”

“Well, it’s not Randall’s job to tell us to bring our A game. We always bring our fucking A game. And he’s being an insecure little pussy griping about Eloise coming on board. Looks like she’s worked wonders on Chadwick,” Wizz said.

“Agreed. If Coach wants to ride our ass, that’s his job.

But Randall has been out of control lately.

You’re lucky you were back in Rosewood River these last few months because he’s been more of an asshole than usual lately,” Weston said.

He and I talked every couple of days, so he’d been filling me in about Randall while I was gone. I just hadn’t realized how bad it was.

My blood was boiling that he was talking shit about Eloise behind her back. It was completely unprofessional and disrespectful. Coach Gable would have his ass if he found out about it.

“All right, let’s take a break, grab some food, and then meet on the ice at 1:00 p.m. Talia ordered lunch, and it’s ready for you in the team room,” Coach Gable said, referring to Randall’s assistant who handled all the training camp meals and activities.

There was a rumor that she and Randall were having an affair, yet the dude never stopped reminding Eloise about the ethical clause in her contract.

It pissed me the hell off.

I glanced around to see where Eloise was, but she hadn’t returned since she’d gone off to check out Tyler Cane’s ankle injury.

He played center with me, and he was a beast on the ice.

Go figure that the dude rolled his ankle teaching his little girl how to ride a two-wheeler.

We’d all given him shit this morning when we saw it wrapped, and he admitted he tripped over a pothole in the road.

Eloise insisted he come get it checked out, and she hadn’t come back yet.

We made our way toward the team room, and I said I’d meet the guys in there. I turned down the hallway toward Eloise’s office, knowing I could make up a reasonable excuse about wanting to check in regarding my MCL injury without making anyone suspicious.

When I turned the corner, I heard Sebastian’s voice before I saw him.

Sebastian fucking Wayburn.

“It was completely unnecessary, but thank you,” Eloise said. “Do you get all the new employees flowers?”

“Only the smart, pretty employees.” He chuckled, and my blood boiled as I paused outside the door for a few seconds before turning in the doorway and knocking on the open door.

“Hey, I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” I lied.

Sebastian stood on the opposite side of her desk with a cocky grin on his face, where an outrageously large floral arrangement sat on her desk.

“No, of course not. Just welcoming our new employee to the team.” He winked at her.

“Wow, Sebastian, I don’t recall receiving any flowers when I signed with the team.” I forced a chuckle as I arched a brow.

“I wasn’t running the show when you signed last year.” He turned to face me and smirked. “Gift-giving is my love language.”

“I can see that. Nice touch. I’m sure the new rookies will be thrilled to receive the personal touch you’re bringing to the team,” I said.

He barked out a laugh as if I was playing around with him and not completely appalled.

He. Was. Hitting. On. Her.

On my woman.

My fucking woman.

And I couldn’t do a goddamn thing about it.

Eloise cleared her throat and turned her attention to me, her gaze softening when I looked at him. “Thank you for stopping by, Clark. I wanted to get an update on that knee of yours after this morning’s workout.”

“I’m a man of my word,” I said, as Sebastian walked toward the door.

“Yes. We’ve got to make sure our star player doesn’t get hurt,” Sebastian said. “I’ll stop by to finish our conversation later, Eloise.”

She nodded just before he walked out of the office.

I dropped to sit in the chair across from her, even though it took everything I had in me not to lock the door and kiss her senseless.

I didn’t like this. The sneaking around. The lying. The not being able to claim her and let everyone know that she was mine.

“Hey,” she said, as she opened her top desk drawer and pulled out our notebook. “How was practice?”

She wrote something down and passed it to me.

I read the short note.

I’m sorry about that. The flowers arrived, and he showed up shortly after. I promise you, it’s harmless.

I nodded and played along with the conversation just in case he was lingering out in the hallway. “Practice was good. Everything feels fine, and I’m looking forward to getting out on the ice this afternoon.”

I jotted down a quick note back to her.

You have nothing to apologize for. I don’t like that fucker.

She chuckled when I passed it back, and she read what I’d written before tucking the notebook back into her desk. “I’ll be there. Looking forward to seeing everyone out on the ice today.”

“Glad you’ll be out there. You’ll get to see us in action.”

“Well, you’re definitely ready, but I appreciate you giving me updates. Let’s touch base after the scrimmage, all right?”

“Absolutely,” I said. Her tongue swiped out along her bottom lip, and I groaned internally, giving her a warning look. She laughed, shaking her head as if she hadn’t realized what she was doing to me.

“I’ll see you later, Clark.”

I pushed to my feet and mouthed the words, count on it, before holding up my hand and leaving her office.

I made my way to the team room, where everyone was sitting around on the couches and chairs, chowing down on sub sandwiches. I grabbed a plate and joined my boys, where Weston motioned to the empty seat beside him.

“You good?” he asked, obviously wondering where I’d gone.

“Yeah. All good. I just stopped by to see Eloise to give her an update on my knee. She just wants me to check in these first few weeks to make sure everything is still feeling good with us pushing hard during training camp.”

He nodded, his gaze narrowing the slightest bit. “She not only healed you, she got you in good shape this summer. You weren’t kidding when you said she’s a badass trainer, as well.”

“Yep. She followed Randall’s workouts, as she respects the fact that he’s the team trainer, but she tailored them for me, getting me into shape while allowing my knee to recover properly.” I reached for my water. “So what do you think of the new rookies?”

“They’ve got potential. With Bear and Stitch retiring, we need to bring in some strong defensive players.”

“For sure,” Wizz said. “I was at Bear’s house this weekend. I took Layla to his son’s birthday party. The dude was already sporting a beer belly.” Wizz had a little girl who was the same age as Bear’s son.

We all shared a laugh. Robby Baroni, also known as Bear, was one of the best defensive players I’d ever had the honor of playing with.

He and Wizz had come up in the league together, and they were tight.

I was bummed that I’d only gotten one season with him, but grateful that we shared that Stanley Cup win together.

He considered retiring the year before, and to say he was happy he pushed one more year to go on to win the cup was an understatement.

“Hey, he’s earned the right to sport a beer belly,” I said with a laugh.

I called over the two rookies, who were looking awkward as fuck sitting by themselves, and they came to join us. I remembered my rookie season well, and having older dudes who took me under their wings made all the difference.

They were both coming straight out of high school, so they were young. I researched them both, and they were each a standout in their own right.

They told us about where they moved from, and both seemed to have followed the team closely, so they were aware of our positions and the team stats, which, considering we won the cup last season, wasn’t a surprise.

Everyone was watching us.

We listened and talked about the training and what they should expect. We gave them a little shit about how young they were, which came with the territory. But they were definitely more relaxed when we finished lunch. I gave them a few tips for the scrimmage, and they listened intently.

And then we suited up and got ready to get out on the ice.

When we made our way to the arena, I saw a few of the players' wives with their kids, sitting low in the bleachers. We encouraged family to come out during training camp. We’d have a few games where we opened it to the public, but today was our first day on the ice, and Coach wanted to keep it small.

My eyes found Eloise immediately, as they always did. Her father sat beside her, with Randall on his other side. Her lips turned up in the corners the slightest bit just as a big body blocked my view, and Sebastian fucking Wayburn moved to sit beside her.

Weston slammed into me on the ice, shoving me forward and leaning close enough so only I’d hear him. “You don’t want to show your hand, brother, at least not with an audience.”

I gave him a look that said I had no idea what he was talking about, and he gave me one back that said, nice try, asshole .

That didn’t take long.

I chuckled before turning my focus to the scrimmage that was about to start.

My hand wrapped around my stick, and I tapped it against the ice a few times.

I glanced back one last time at the stands, my gaze locking with Eloise as I tuned everyone else out.

Hockey had always been my first love.

But it sure as hell wasn’t my only love anymore.