Page 24 of Playing for Keeps (Seattle Hawks Ice Hockey #4)

“What about cha-cha-cha ?” I wiggle my hips in the seat, putting on a pout that would rival Mick Jagger. It never fails to amuse and annoy her at the same time the way I keep saying that stupid phrase.

“You’re too much, Jay! Do you know that?”

“Nah.” I shake my head, even if the convo got heavy before, we’re back to lighter, more stable ground. And it’s no problem at all talking about whatever she needed to get off her chest, it doesn’t phase me.

“I think I’m just enough.”

Tyler and I pass the puck back and forth in one of Coach Carter’s famous drill sessions he loves so much, it’s usually topped off by a round of puck control and some passes and shots to the net.

We like to give Ulrich, our larger-than-life goalie, and the reserve, Ollie, a run for their money, keep them on their toes and all of that.

Taylor and Ashton are right next to us as I give them the full rundown on the previous evening’s offerings, when I danced my ass off at the studio and took Jade to dinner.

“You did the fucking cha cha?” Tyler looks at me like I have something unnatural growing on my face and bursts into a fit of laughter, closely followed by Taylor and Ash.

“For real?” Ash balks.

“Hey don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” I do a quick hip waggle demonstration where more laughing ensues.

“Jade must’ve really done a number on you,” Taylor muses. “I know you’re up for most things, but dancing, Bro? All for the sake of being in the bridal party?”

“You can all laugh,” I say, holding my head high. “But Jade has always wanted to learn how to dance properly, and as the best man, it’s kinda my duty.”

“Yeah, and that’s not all,” Ty mutters from the side of his mouth.

“Wanna say that a bit louder?” I abandon the puck and poke him in the shoulder with the end of my hockey stick.

“Yeah, you two seemed awfully cozy the other night when you left together.” Taylor raises his eyebrows. “Wanna elaborate on that?”

I wave it off with my gloved hand. “We watched a movie, that’s it. We’re friends.”

“Famous last words,” Ash throws his two cents in. “Not that it’s a bad thing. Look how Mads and I started out, all thanks to the big guy here.” He gives Taylor a pat on the shoulder and pulls his glove off, waving his hand in front of us. “Ended up hitched in a matter of months.”

“We’re not getting hitched,” I grit out. “I’ve known her forever, she’s getting over a breakup.”

“What better way to swoop in, right off the bat.” Ty gives me an all too knowing look.

“No one is swooping in, okay?” I look to Ash, trying to take the heat off me since they wanna grill me over Jade all of a sudden.

“I think what we really need to focus on here is how Ashton went to Hawaii and got married, and had a second whirlwind wedding last month. How are you navigating the long-distance, by the way?” They did just that, right after the Stanley Cup final, getting married secretly in Hawaii on vacation.

Then, last month they had the proper wedding in Miami where we were all actually invited this time.

Mads lives in Miami, and Ash bought a place there during the off season.

He spent the entire break over there between the new place and seeing his mom and sister in Tampa.

They were going back and forth when the season started, but I believe she’s taking some extended leave since she’s been with the company a while.

A couple of months off from her job definitely means she can spend some more time with him.

“Navigating things just fine,” he tells me. “And I won’t be playing forever, anyway.”

“So Mads is gonna move out here?” Ty asks, and I’m glad he’s getting in on the act. I don’t need to be answering questions about Jade right now. “Surely you can’t live in a different city to your wife?”

“It’s not long term,” he says. “And she’ll move here until my contract runs out. Her boss, Tess, says there’s always a place for her there and she can always work from the Seattle office and fly back and forth. I’m away for half the time, anyway.”

“That’s tough going,” Taylor says, looking over his shoulder to check where Coach Carter and Assistant Coach Ted are.

There’s been retirements all round in the NHL since last season, including our secondary center.

They’ve just traded Adam Brayson fresh out of Vancouver to take over from the second-line with the Hawks.

I’ve been the first-line center for the Hawks for years and it takes skilled dedication, experience and a shit-tonne of hard work.

As the years tick on, it only gets harder to prove your place in the team and keep earning your spot.

When newer, slightly younger, fresh blood steps into the fold, it can be a transition for everyone.

Not that I let it bother me, it just means I have to work that much harder and hopefully the new guy isn’t a cocky shit.

He’s proving to be okay so far, but it’s early days yet.

Jake was different when he came in as a rookie last season, slightly sure of himself at times, but each of the guys has taken him under their wing. Hopefully, it will be much the same with Adam. I don’t know too much about the guy.

“We’ll be fine, like I say, it isn’t forever.” His eyes flick to me, momentarily distracted from the puck passing drills. “But it’s totally worth it when you find the right girl. My unsolicited advice is to go for it if you feel something for Jade. Forget what anyone else thinks.”

“I’m with him on that,” Ty says. And he knows better than all of us, he fell for the fucking coach’s daughter for god’s sake.

What they had to navigate through last season was pretty tough on both of them.

I know Coach was unhappy about the way he found out about them.

But Ty is a good guy and he will always do right by Cindy.

Coach Carter saw that in the end, and they’ve never looked back.

“Me three,” says Taylor.

All eyes are on me again, just when I thought I’d diverted them onto someone else, the conversation is right back at me.

I laugh and shake my head. “You guys might have all caught the love bug recently, but I’m fine living in the blissful world of singleton. Thanks all the same.”

“You say that now,” Ty snickers. We all know he and Cindy are practically living together and he and her cute little French bulldog, Henry, are practically inseparable.

Taylor is no better. He and Emmerson patched up their long separation when we won the Stanley Cup and he quickly proposed shortly after, they’re planning a summer wedding.

“Getting tied down to one woman just isn’t for me,” I say, but even as the words leave my mouth, it feels like I could choke on them. Things could be different for me if I’d let them. And it isn’t like I’m not thinking about Jade and if we could be more.

The idea is a little absurd, but equally fitting. That is, if she felt something for me, too.

But I’m not going to go there with her, no siree.

“You sure about that?” Ty cocks his head and I almost forget how well he knows me, too well, it seems, from the smirk on his face.

I grasp the end of my stick and draw it back, in one swift whoosh I whack the puck across the ice, pushing off my skates as I go. “I’m sure,” I call out over my shoulder, but I have to wonder who I’m trying to convince. Them or me? Right now, I can’t exactly tell.