Page 4 of The Winning Hat Trick (The Steel City Knights #1)

Maclan

" B roski, where you at?"

I groan as I hear Carson storm through my house. So much for a relaxing day. Maybe if I stay quiet, he'll go away.

I'm lounging on a chair in my backyard, reading a book after a grueling practice.

Even though I stick to my diet and maintain a regular workout schedule during our offseason, the first few weeks back at work are damn near torturous.

Not to mention, I took a hit today that has my previously injured shoulder screaming.

Professional hockey is not for the weak.

"Bro, are you okay?" Carson looks at the bag of ice on my shoulder as concern floods his face.

Cameron isn't far behind him, but unlike his twin, he's silent as he slides into a chair across from me.

"Yeah, took a hard check into the boards at practice. Just a little sore. Figured I'd ice and get ahead before it really starts to hurt."

"Did you go see your trainer after practice?" Cam, always the practical one, raises a brow in my direction.

"I did. It's too early to be on the IR. He said everything seems fine, but to ice and rest it tonight. No lifting tomorrow until I check in with him. He'll re-evaluate it then, and we'll go from there."

"I thought the last surgery was supposed to make you right as rain." Carson crosses his arms as he leans back in his chair.

"Cars, you're a professional football player. You, more than anyone, know that even if you have surgery and you're fully recovered, shit still happens. I just need to take it easy today, check how it's doing tomorrow, and then we'll go from there."

"Sounds like a good plan. What are you reading?" Cam nods at my book.

I show Cam the cover and smile when he nods approvingly. "This is the series you liked, right?"

"Yep. Wren told me about it."

Carson snatches the book from my hand. "What is it?"

His eyes go wide when he realizes I'm reading an MM book about professional hockey players. Eden Finley and Saxon James really know how to write an awesome hockey romance with a great found family trope.

"Hey, why didn't you tell me about this series? I would've read it. You know I've got your back and support you," Carson whines.

"I know. But you would've asked way more questions than I would ever want to answer, which is why I told Mac about it and not you." Cam smiles at his twin, who pouts beside him.

"Well, sorry for wanting to be supportive and knowledgeable about a major part of your life." Carson huffs.

Cam and I try to cover our laughs, but he really looks like a giant toddler throwing a fit, and it's too hard to hold it in.

"Fuck you, guys. Now I'm going to read it, and I'll just talk to Wren about it since you don't want to include me in your secret book club." Carson is on a roll.

"We don't have a book club, ass. Cam just thought I might enjoy it because it's written well and about pro hockey players. What are you guys doing here anyway? Isn't your season in full swing too?"

"Yeah, but we had the evening off and wanted to see you, maybe get dinner or do something, before our schedules get too wild."

"Sure. I've got stuff for a cookout, or since you already came out here, we could make the quick drive to Sparrow Falls and go bug Brooks."

The twins look at each other and do that weird "communicating without speaking" thing they've done since they were born. I'm used to it now, but it frustrated the hell out of me when we were younger.

"Let's go torture Brooks. He's gonna miss us once our seasons start." Carson smirks as he rubs his hands together, probably plotting all the ways he can annoy our older brother.

"Sounds good. You wanna drive together or separately?"

"We'll drive separately so we can head home after."

"Alright. I need to lock up, and then I'll head out. Meet at the bookstore?"

"Sure." Carson slaps me on the back, then heads towards the side gate.

I bought my house at the end of the season last year when I signed a seven-year, no-trade contract, which left me feeling confident enough to put down roots here.

I don't know if I'll be ready to retire by the end of that contract, but I'm hoping I'll be an integral part of the team so I won't have to worry about being traded.

My house is about twenty minutes outside of the city, which sucks when I'm exhausted after practice or games, but it was the right move for me.

Living in the city was convenient, but it was starting to feel claustrophobic.

I'm about halfway between the city and Sparrow Falls now, which means I'm close to all of my brothers.

The worst part about being a professional athlete is missing my family.

Even though we're all different and have different interests, we're still pretty close.

Our jobs pull us away from each other, but at least this way, I'm as close as I can be and can see them as much as physically possible when I'm home.

Cam and Carson have an apartment in the city, and our parents live in a house in the suburbs, so my drive time to them all is under half an hour and very manageable.

On the drive to Sparrow Falls, I think about the team and our upcoming season.

Last year, we got knocked out of our chance at winning the cup in the first round of the playoffs, which was a shock to everyone.

Like in any sport, injuries happen, and our team was hit hard with them at the end of the season.

We all were feeling pretty rough by the playoffs. We fought hard, but it wasn't enough.

My shoulder injury happened early in the season, but our schedule is demanding.

Even though it was fully healed, I was feeling the injury and wasn't playing to my top potential by the time playoffs rolled around.

I did a ton of rehab over the summer, to feel ready for this season, so the hit I took today was not only a blow to my physical health but also my mental health.

They don't talk about that during your recovery.

The anxiety and fear that my injury will hold me back is something I struggle with every day.

I've talked about it a little bit with Cameron, but I just shove it down most days.

His suggestion was to get out of my head—as a professional athlete, that is the last place you need to be—which is why I'm reading an MM hockey romance.

It's nice getting lost in a book for a little bit.

I didn't think I'd like reading a hockey book since the sport is already such a big part of my life, but I actually enjoyed seeing how the characters struggle with some of the same issues that I do daily.

I hate that there's such a stigma, that being a male professional athlete means you can't talk about your feelings.

Sure, it's a job that is solely for others' entertainment, but there is so much riding on our shoulders.

Maybe I should suggest a team therapist. Not only for the mental toll that playing a sport at this level takes, but for the strain it can put on you outside of the sport.

Our season has the potential to be stupidly long.

Our regular season runs from early October through early April, but preseason starts in September and playoffs go through June.

That's a ton of travel and puts a lot of strain on relationships.

I've had a few girlfriends over the years, but nothing serious.

It's hard finding someone who wants me for me and not the money and fame I can bring them.

Like any young guy in the league, I was caught under the spell of a puck bunny once or twice in my early days, but I learned early on that those women were out for one thing and one thing only.

My other girlfriends seemed to be in the relationship for the right reasons, but they were insecure in their belief that I would be faithful while on the road.

I'd like to say their fears were bullshit, but even though most of my teammates are great guys, there are a few who have no problem cheating on their significant others.

I am not and would never be one of those guys, but it's known to happen, and it's hard to convince someone that you're faithful when you're away more than you're home.

It's another reason why I moved out of the city. I'm tired of the night life. I'm ready to find a woman and settle down.

I've always known I want to have a family, but the desire has been growing as my buddies started to settle down. Watching them greet their wives and partners after a tough loss has me longing for that connection every time I see it.

I'm so lost in my head about my job, my future with the team, and the longing to find the perfect woman for me that the drive to Sparrow Falls flies by in a flash.

I pull up beside Cam's pickup in front of Brooks's bookstore, Lost in the Pages .

I don't remember it much from when our grandpa owned it when we were little, but the work Brooks has done to turn it into the shop it is today is impressive.

Brooks spent a lot more time in Sparrow Falls than any of us when we were younger.

The twins and I spent most of our summers away at sports camps, but Brooks has always been an intellectual.

He was close with our gramps and loved spending his summers here at the bookstore.

When Brooks found out that our grandpa had left him the store, he was surprised, but none of us were.

What we were surprised about was him leaving his job as a professor to run the bookstore full time.

Seeing him in the store and watching him fall in love with the badass tattoo shop owner next door made more sense when it came to why he’d chosen to stay in Sparrow Falls.

I get out of my SUV and head into the store. I'm almost done with my current book, so this trip is the perfect timing. Hopefully, Brooks has the next one in the series.