Page 26 of The Alternate Captain (Elite Hockey #3)

My dad texts me on the drive over to Kelly’s, telling me he and Jayne have split up. And he has the audacity to blame me.

I don’t reply, because I’m so fucking angry at him. I end up putting my stereo on loud, and driving to Kelly’s at a speed I should reserve for the highway.

I spot the cardboard covering Kelly’s window as soon as I pull into the street. You can’t miss it. It’s taped over where a single pane of glass should be and it looks like whoever did it rushed the job.

Parking up, I hop out of my car, giving her front door a quick knock before it swings open to reveal a girl I’ve never seen before carrying empty shopping bags.

“Can I help you?” she asks, raising a brow.

“I’m looking for Kelly,” I say.

The girl’s eyes widen slightly as she studies me before she turns her head and shouts down the hallway.

Kelly’s bedroom door swings open a moment later, and she pads out, wearing her hair up in a messy bun, and my damn hoodie .

Fuck, she’s cute.

“Johnny?” she says. “I wasn’t expecting you tonight.”

“I, uh...”

“I was just heading to the shop,” her roommate says. “Do you need anything picking up, Kel?”

“I’m fine, thanks, Sally.”

Sally squeezes past us, leaving Kelly and me alone.

“What happened to your window?”

“I got home from uni earlier and the glass had literally fallen inside. I’m not sure if it was deliberate damage, or if it had lost the will to go on. But anyway, I called my landlady, and she sent someone over, but they covered it until they can get a replacement pane.”

“The whole damn window needs replacing,” I say, raising my tone.

“Well, I agree, but it’s not my call to make.”

“You can’t sleep in there like that,” I say.

“It’s fine, Johnny.”

“It’s not. It’s too damn cold in there as it is. You’ll freeze,” I say.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Get your stuff. You’re coming back to mine.”

She widens her eyes, then bites her bottom lip.

“We’ll be careful. I promise,” I say, trying to reassure her.

“Are you sure? I mean, I could ask Mike, I guess. Or stay in Tom’s room.”

“Kelly—”

“Okay, fine. Just give me a minute.”

By the time we get to my place, we’ve come up with a plan.

Kelly will use the elevator to come and go since most of the guys use the stairs.

That’s been the case ever since a few of us got stuck in the elevator last season.

I tell Kelly that it’s the best idea we have, and if she sees anyone when the doors open to the eighth floor, she can say she was looking for Mike’s apartment and she pressed the wrong button.

The whole thing is a bit of an effort since she’s got her cello and a bag of her essentials. I offered to carry them both, but she assured me she’s done it enough times to manage herself, and she pointed out that if someone sees me with both items, more questions will be asked.

When we make it safely into my apartment, we put all her things in my bedroom, just in case.

“Do you still have your key?” I ask.

“My key?”

“Well, yeah. The key I gave you. You can stay here until the glass is replaced.”

“Johnny—”

“Well, the offer is there.”

She hugs me, and it’s something I realised I’ve been wanting all day—at least since the shit with my sister earlier.

“Are you okay?” she asks, studying my face.

“I guess. Another rough day for me.”

I lead Kelly into the living room and we relax on the sofa, sitting close so her legs can lay over my lap.

“Wanna talk about it?” she asks.

“No,” I say.

But ten minutes later, I’ve told her all about the photoshoot at the rink this morning, and how my sister’s still pissed at me because she thinks I’m like our dad.

“That pissed me off,” I say. “It made me really fucking angry, actually, because there’s no way in hell I’d put my son’s career prospects ahead of his welfare.”

“Do you think he knew?” Kelly asks.

“Of course he fucking knew.”

I finish venting about my dad, and then I make Kelly and me some dinner .

After we eat, she offers to wash up while I work for a little while on my thesis.

I don’t get much done, because my phone pings in my pocket and I consider if I should bother reading it or not, until I see it’s from Vicky, telling me about a side gig she has lined up.

Vicky

If you want to come along, you can.

Johnny

I’m good, thanks.

I show Kelly the message.

“You have to go,” she says. “This is a great opportunity to reconcile.”

“At a rugby match?” I ask.

“It doesn’t matter what it is. It’s time with your sister while she has a primary task to focus on. Maybe you should consider it.”

“I’m oblivious to rugby,” I explain as I hover my thumbs over the keyboard on my phone, readying myself to text Vicky again.

“You don’t need to, but you could always Google it to find out.”

Which is what I do. Abandoning my uni work, I learn what a scrum and a line-up is; getting myself mildly clued up enough to go with her, so I don’t appear like a complete ass. Moments later, I text her back and tell her I’ll go.

And because I’ve mentally checked out of my thesis, I put on an old hockey game to study instead.

“You can turn it off if you like,” I say, passing Kelly the remote control once the second period ends.

She’s sitting next to me on the sofa with her music book in front of her, cycling through a few of the pages and tapping a beat out on her leg .

“Nah, it’s fine,” she says, and I notice her eyes drifting to the screen as the game plays on. She moves her book to the floor, putting all her attention on the TV. “That number eleven always goes for the right side in the D-zone. Have you noticed?”

“Yeah. I have actually. And the way the play changes to match his position is always the same,” I say. “I thought you hated hockey?”

“I do. But that doesn’t mean I’m clueless about it.” She chuckles and I stare at her. “What?” she asks.

“You. I just—I’m waiting to figure out what your red flag is. I mean, you know mine, but there’s got to be something that isn’t—”

“Hey,” she says, nudging me playfully on the arm, but I pull her right on top of me, wrapping my arms around her waist as I kiss her.

“I’m feeling stuff for you, Kelly,” I admit.

“Oh.”

And I lift her up and carry her right into my bedroom, putting her down in the centre of my bed.

All I can think about is how fucking fantastic she made me feel when she—fuck. I can’t even think straight.

I want her to come as hard as she made me.