Page 44 of Replay (Toronto Blaze #3)

Don’t Freak Out

Katie

It was a semi-official meeting of PAC—the Player Adjacent Club.

We couldn’t keep using the anti-WAG name because a lot of us were WAGs.

I was with Josh now, so officially a girlfriend, but we didn’t want to leave Jess out.

We had our separate group from the other WAGS, but we had things in common as well.

We weren’t in opposition to them, we just had different needs for support than the more traditional WAGs.

It was a cold night in late January, and we, the PAC, were at the Top Shelf, sitting in the hockey player section.

The team had just won a home game and we were waiting for the players to arrive.

When the timing worked out, we sat together at games to support our fellow adjacents, but that was about the only time Jess bothered to go.

Tonight had been a PAC-free game. Callie had a late meeting at the office and hadn’t wanted to walk into the game partway through.

Jayna had been at a sledge hockey association meeting, and Jess said she’d had a bad day.

Josh was at the tables with us. He’d deemed himself a member, claiming that IR meant he was now adjacent rather than a player.

The others had agreed to give him part-time status, which meant he could be with us on occasion, but not always.

Sometimes we wanted girl time together. He could argue semantics, but he didn’t understand what it was like to be close to a player but not be one.

It was a Friday night, no one had to be up early in the morning, and we’d decided to come out for the after-game fun. Jess had been a little reluctant, but I’d convinced her. I was closer to her than the other two, and I hadn’t seen her for a few days.

Josh had another week before he could stop using crutches, and he couldn’t wait. I was looking forward to the brace coming off—he complained a lot about itching, and though we’d managed to work around it, it would be nice to have sex without it limiting what we could do.

Though we’d been very creative.

We were on our second round of drinks—none of us had driven, so we were indulging—when the team started to trickle in. They were met with applause for a difficult win.

The team had been slowly, very slowly, climbing in the standings and tonight they’d made it to the wild card slot.

There were still months to play, and no guarantees they’d get into the playoffs, but after the horrible start to the season, everyone was feeling optimistic.

They missed Josh’s scoring though. He felt guilty.

He blamed himself for playing more recklessly the night he got injured after the trade news, but hockey was a dangerous sport.

As I reminded him, he could have been injured at any time.

Daniel sat across from me. After ordering a drink, he grinned. “Enjoying having the place to yourselves now?”

He’d bought his own place in the same building that Jess and JJ lived in and moved out a week ago. I was going to miss his cooking, but with his departure I’d agreed to move in with Josh. Officially.

“I still feel guilty.” Like I had pushed him out. I was at Josh’s all the time now. It had started when he got out of the hospital and I was helping him cope with his crutches. I was still Madeline’s tenant till the end of the month, but I’d slept almost every night at Josh’s.

“It’s fine, Katie. My divorce is final and it’s time to start fresh.”

“Still…”

Daniel tilted his beer toward me. “The real reason I moved out is because I can’t carpool with Josh anymore. Now I can drive in with JJ. Nothing to do with the noises coming from Josh’s bedroom.”

My cheeks flamed and I covered my face with my hands. Josh and I were noisy. After having to be so quiet when we were in high school, it was like we’d gone completely in the opposite direction. I swore we’d be quieter each time, but…

“Still better than having your date ask your brother for his autograph,” Jess whispered in my ear. She had a point.

Josh was on the other side of me from Jess, his hand warm on my thigh.

He liked to be touching me, and I was happy to indulge him.

Even though he wasn’t on the active roster, he was still popular with the fans, including the puck bunnies.

When he claimed me like this, I didn’t have to kiss him every time a jersey chaser considered making a play for him.

Not that kissing Josh was a hardship.

He still had times he stressed about the uncertainty around his hockey-playing future, but so far rehab was going well, and he was spending a lot of his free time studying films of games.

Once the brace and crutches were gone, he was going to the practice arena when the team was in town to do exercises with the team trainers, and I knew he’d be talking to Coach as well.

I was confident he’d be playing next season and made plans to deal with that.

School was enjoyable again. My new advisor was much easier to deal with. He still questioned and challenged me, but he was willing to offer his advice when I asked for it and never gave me that same misogynistic vibe. And my research project, slightly amended, was a go.

All in all, once we’d gotten through Christmas with Mrs. Middleton, life had been so much better than it had seemed for those few dark days in December.

Josh was coming home with me for reading week, and he’d have his turn on the hot seat.

Mom and Dad were starting to come around to the idea of the two of us, and once they heard Josh brag about how I was doing at school, they’d end up supporting us.

I’d have never thought we’d get here, Josh and me, after that night he arrived at the condo with Madeline. But I was so glad he did.

* * *

Josh

Katie was tucked up beside me and I’d soon be done with the crutches.

I hoped I’d be able to play next season, but I was working on the stuff Coach had talked about.

So whatever happened, I’d have a future, most likely with hockey.

Conversation swirled around me, and I was happy to enjoy being with my girl and my teammates.

“I swear, that chick was hiding everything in that purse she had…”

“The ref was looking right at him and still didn’t…”

My phone chirped, so I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a message from my agent, Allen.

Don’t freak out. You’re not part of the trade.

Of course I immediately freaked out. A trade? No one would want to trade for me till we had a better idea if I’d be able to play again. Or would they?

Don’t you know me? Of course I’m freaking out.

It’s not you, so settle. Team’s getting a goal scorer. It’s a rental, doesn’t mean they’re giving up on you.

Sure, but if that rental did well, they might sign him on again. I must have tensed up, because Katie noticed there was something going on.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered in my ear.

“Allen said there’s a trade.”

Her eyes went wide. “Where?”

“It’s not me. They traded for a rental for the playoffs.”

Daniel was across from Katie, and we weren’t quiet enough. “Who’s traded?”

He’d spoken loud enough for Royster to hear. “There’s a trade?”

Now everyone heard. “Shit, anyone got a message from their agent?”

“I did!” I yelled.

“No, Ducky! We need you next season!”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not me.”

“Who is it?”

Was I supposed to keep this quiet? But if it was a done deal, the whole world would know soon.

“I don’t have any names. Allen says there’s a trade, for a playoff rental. A goal scorer. That’s all I know.”

“We could use someone to take your place till you’re back, Ducky,” Oppy said.

I knew that. Didn’t mean I liked it. Some of the guys started guessing names, but most of them had a phone out. The atmosphere at the table had turned tense. My fault. Even Cooper was texting—probably his agent.

“I think you’ve started something,” Katie said in a low voice.

“Yeah, I didn’t mean to.”

She shrugged. “It wouldn’t have been a secret for long anyway.”

Since I didn’t need to check in with my agent—if he’d been going to tell me names, he’d have already done it—I used my phone to check on the Canadian sports network site. They had almost as good connections as Allen and usually were the first to break trade news.

A banner started to scroll through their website. I missed the first words but saw trade and Blaze and Los Angeles .

“I’ve got it!” yelled Crash.

Katie looked over my shoulder as Crash read out what was on his screen—exactly the same as mine.

“Novak and Olsson from the Blaze for LA’s Alek Denbrowski.”

Denny? Why the hell would the team trade for him? Guy had a rep in the league as a wild card.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

Everyone stared at JJ in surprise. He was so quiet it was easy to forget when he was around, and when he talked it was normally polite. If the team had an award for player most likely to melt into the woodwork, JJ was the guy. Kind of the opposite of Denny.

JJ bit back whatever he was going to say. “I’m hitting up the head.” He shoved his chair almost hard enough to knock it over and strode off without looking at anyone.

Whoa. Did not see that coming. There was bad blood between JJ and Denny? I didn’t remember anything from when we’d played LA. This trade looked like it was going to mess up team chemistry. What the fuck was management doing?

“You okay, Jess?”

Katie was talking to JJ’s sister. Jessica also looked majorly upset. She didn’t come out to team things that often, but she and JJ never caused trouble or attracted attention. Seeing them riled up like this raised a lot of questions.

“What a shitty day. If Justin comes back, tell him I left.” She threw some money down on the table and shoved her chair out pretty hard too.

Damn, something big was going on here. Then she was gone.

I turned back to the table. Everyone looked shocked. “What’s the big deal with JJ and his sister and Denny?”

Even Cooper shrugged. If anyone knew what was up with JJ it was Cooper.

“When’s the new guy arriving?” Crash asked.

We looked at Cooper, because he was our captain and he knew shit. “I didn’t even know the trade was happening. With the time change, he won’t get here till tomorrow at the earliest. Your agent have any details, Ducky?”

I shook my head. “He just told me I wasn’t being traded and not to freak out.”

The celebratory mood was gone and everyone started to leave. I hoped like hell management knew something we didn’t, because so far this trade was a problem, and Denny hadn’t even arrived.

On the TV screens, pictures of Novak and Olsson were on one half, Denny on the other. His photo showed a guy wearing an intense expression, dark hair down to his shoulders and a full beard. Maybe the hair would help him adjust to Canada after being in California.

Jayna and Callie talked to Katie while I called up a ride to get us home. They were worried about Jess. They finally hugged, and Cooper and Mitch led their girlfriends away.

“Do you know why JJ blew up like that?” Katie asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t remember him doing anything when we played LA, so not sure why he’s so pissed. I mean, Denny has a rep.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s got a killer shot and a good eye, but he’s a hothead and a defensive liability. Maybe JJ thinks it’ll be more work for him?”

Katie tilted her head. “And Jess was upset about that too?”

I tugged her close, holding one hand with mine on the crutch. “I’m sure you’ll find out. And we’ll do whatever we can to help them. Meantime, the condo is all ours.”

“I’m so embarrassed that Daniel heard us.”

“What can I say? I’m just that good.”

She poked me in the ribs. “It’s still embarrassing.”

“Now that he’s gone, we have to break in the rest of the rooms.”

“Break them in?”

I nodded. “We have to have sex in every room.”

“We do, eh? It’s a rule?”

“Oh yeah. I’m looking forward to that.”

She rolled her eyes, but her hand squeezed mine. She was on board.

I’d never have dreamed, back when this season started, that I’d be where I was now. And I hated being injured, missing games and not knowing where I’d be next season. But at the end of it all, I had Katie, and that made everything worth it.

I leaned over to kiss her, here where she’d kissed me to chase off a bunny. “I love you.” I didn’t want her to ever worry about another woman again.

Her lips quirked up. “I know.”

I waited. Still no ride outside, and Katie didn’t say it back.

“Come on. Tell me.” I knew it, but some part of me always wanted that reassurance from her.

She grinned more widely but put me out of my misery. “I love you, Josh Middleton.”

And all was right with my world.