Page 29 of Unmasking Love (D.C. Renegades #1)
Aiden
"And in net...
It's game day morning and I awake with Harper curled into my side. Her breathing is even and sweet and I don't want to disrupt her.
I was worried after overtime and a shootout last night she’d be asleep when I finally got to her place. Instead, she opened the door and held it while I brought my bike inside the entry. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck and I felt the chill of the outside air evaporate in her warm embrace.
Upstairs she had a postgame snack for me, orange slices and some mixed nuts. She asked me questions about the game. I asked her about her evening. And then she led me to the bedroom where we didn’t exactly go to sleep.
The sunrise light is trickling in through the window and my spirit rises with it. Gameday, when I know I’m playing, is usually met with anxious energy. Today though, I’m feeling optimistic and the credit goes to Harper.
I’ve added her into my life and everything feels lighter. Practice is easier. My routine doesn’t feel draining. I have something to look forward to.
But, if I've learned anything in my career, it's that sticking to my routine is key. That means I need to go for my bike ride, prepare my meals, and focus on stopping the puck.
With a kiss on her forehead, I gently get out of bed and change into the workout clothes I packed before going to the game last night. I found a bike p ath a few weeks ago near Harper’s house and with the way the sun is peeking through the blinds I know it will be a good route for today.
Usually I ride somewhere between 25 and 30 miles on game day, that’s just over an hour and a half for me. It gets my blood flowing and gives my adrenaline an outlet.
When I step out of the bathroom a few minutes later Harper is awake and leaning against a pile of pillows.
"Morning, Sugar," I say as I cross over and lean in for a kiss. She smiles up at me and I honestly could look at her all day, every day, and never tire of it.
"Where are you off to this early?" She asks with a yawn.
"I'm going to take a ride and then come back to get ready for the game."
"Anything I can do to help?" She asks as she starts to climb out of bed.
"Nope." I gently push her back down to the pillow. "I need you to stay right where you are."
"Aiden," she scolds playfully. "C'mon I can make breakfast or something."
"No, it's fine. I'll be back in like an hour, and we can make breakfast together then."
On my way out the door I place an order for her ridiculous coffee drink, and then head out for my morning ride.
The hills open up as I reach mile nine and the strain of the increased effort feels good as I pedal. Hitting my cadence turns off my brain and all I focus on is the push and pull of my legs against the gears and hitting the famed “runner’s high” without the impact to my joints.
My mind enters a trance like state and my mental prep begins.
Breath in.
Focus.
Follow the puck.
Breathe out.
Foc us.
Stop the puck.
Being a goalie means my body takes a different toll than a typical player. I have to be careful with my spine and my neck since I spend a good portion of each game bent over and craning for the puck.
In practice yesterday, I played behind Crosby and Dunc and we huddled up about game strategy against Denver.
I know how they like to attack from the left and made sure the boys knew to be on the lookout.
If we can clear the puck to the right we'll have a better chance of breaking out of the zone and into our own, converting play to offense.
My mind focuses on my ride stats and I watch the miles tick away as I continue.
When I get back to Harper’s, I open the apartment door and find her dumping ingredients into a blender.
"I thought I told you not to make me breakfast," I tell her as I slide up behind her and give her a hug. She leans into me and then wrinkles her nose.
"Ew, you're sweaty."
"You've never complained before," I tease with a kiss on her neck.
"You've never been dripping with sweat before."
"Wait until you smell me after playing a full game."
"I don't think I want to experience that just yet, thank you!" She chirps and adds a few scoops of protein powder to the mix. She leans over and checks her phone. I see it's pulled up to a recipe.
"Did you look up a recipe to make for me?" I ask, because we haven't had a talk about my vegetarian diet, but I can see from what she's layered into this smoothie that she stuck to plant based ingredients.
"I did," she says bashfully before she turns in my arms and looks up at me. "I wanted something that would replenish you after your ride and also help f uel you for later. It's got chickpeas, frozen berries and greens. I hope that's okay, it’s all I had."
"More than okay," I tell her and then I kiss her forehead again before stepping back.
"I'm going to shower quickly, and then we can enjoy these together while I watch some game footage.
Sound good?" I would do anything to have her join me in the shower but hockey players are superstitious and I refuse to associate Harper’s naked body all lathered up next to me with anything other than victory.
I’ll make sure we shower together soon, but not before a game.
"Sounds great." She smiles and I walk away feeling not alone for the first time in a long time.
***
I told Harper I needed to ride to the rink. It would make more sense to drive together but since I'm in net tonight I didn't want to deviate from my routine.
I got her seats in the front row behind me and she's going to bring Wes. I don't know if she'll arrive in time for warm ups but it would be fun to see her before the game starts.
I'm sitting in my locker with half my gear on running through my eye movement drills.
After these, I'll play a meditation in my headphones and zone out.
Reaching a deep state of relaxation is key to top performance.
Some guys ride the high of tension and adrenaline.
Me? I need to be still and loose for as long as possible before turning it all on at the first whistle.
I time everything so I'm dressed before Felix starts his pre-warm up pep talk. I pull on my goalie sweater and when my head pops through I see him stand and walk to the middle of the locker room.
"Bo ys. Men. Tonight, I’ve been inspired by the deep wisdom in the classic film, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles .
When our friend Neal finds himself without a rental car, only to find out Del has secured one he drops a line that I think we all need to remember.
” He clears his throat and pulls a piece of paper from his pocket.
“Well Del, you’re a charmed man. Neal says. ”
Then he pivots to the right, “Nope. Del says.”
Felix pivots left again, “Oh, I know. You just go with the flow. Neal says.”
Finally he squares off to the center of the room. “Then Del drops the line I want us all to hold with us tonight.” He clears his throat like he’s about to deliver a Shakespearean monologue. “Like a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream.”
He pauses to let that sink in.
“We’re cruising right now. We’ve got chemistry coming out of our assholes but we will hit rocky points ahead.
It’s early in the season. We have a long way to go and we’ve been at the top of the division before only for it to end in Round 1 of the playoffs.
This group is destined for The Cup. I can feel it.
Now, when we hit that ice for warm ups you have one job and one job only. "
"Flirt with the bunnies along the glass?" Duncan interrupts and Felix chucks a towel at him while other guys snicker.
"In addition to that, your job is to soak it all in.
We're here on a Sunday afternoon for family day and we need to spread the family love from this locker room to every single person in the stands.
The Renegades are the 23 of us at the core but we're only the first drop in a ripple effect across this entire city.
We are both the twig and the stream and it is a fucking privilege to play alongside you. "
That gets the boys fired up and they clap and head towards the ice. A few hang back and make adjustments to their equipment but I stand and walk methodically down the tunnel.
The Renegades put in a VIP section along this hallway so there is an open area where fans can get autographs and pictures. When I'm not playing I'm the first guy over there. Knowing how important it is to connect with young fans. But on gameday, I'm focused.
Focused on catching a glimpse of Harper.
We hit the ice for warm ups and I see her standing at her seat cheering. She's in another one of her tiny skirts and I almost whimper at the sight. Those long legs begging me to get between them.
Maybe having her behind the net was a bad idea. There’s a chance I’m distracted all night. She smiles when she sees me. I give her a wink before sliding my mask into place and getting in net to take a few shots.
The thud of each puck as it hits my pads helps me focus. The sound and the vibrations from the impact signaling to my body that it's game time.
I skate out and do a lap, stretch, and swing back to say hi to Harper. When I reach her, the kids, and adults, next to her yelp and bang on the glass but I only have eyes for her. I scan down her body and decide I'm going to send her a blanket from the gift shop so she doesn't get cold.
"Have a good game Aiden!" She cheers with a wide smile and I nod and then tap the glass with my mit. She holds her hand up to it and I can see people starting to take pictures or videos, but I don't care.
I squirt water at a few of the kids along the boards and then skate back to the bench. We'll head in for Coach Bradford's pre-game speech and then out again for the anthem and puck drop.
When I'm not playing I'm invested in everything the coach says but I don't carry it with me to the bench.
Gavin is so solid that I never expect for him to get pulled.
Today though, I listen, intently, to Coach's reminders and warnings.
And when he mentions the left side preference I pointed out to Crosby and Dunc yesterday I glance over and Duncan nods at me. I nod back.
Vla d scored the game winner last night in the shootout so he's up to call out the starting line up today.
"At center we've got Cap!"
"Go!" The team yells out with a clap.
"Dunc."
"Go!" Clap.
"E.T."
"Go!" Clap.
"Boder!"
"Go!" Clap.
"Pays!"
"Go!" Clap.
"And in net..." the team drums on their pants together while Vlad rolls out my name like it's a UFC fight. "Number two, Youuuunng Guuunnn!"
The room erupts into claps and cheers. I hear a few "Let's Fucking Go" rally cries and I can feel my brain and body settle into the task ahead of me.
Before I stand to walk down the tunnel to the ice I practice my deep breaths to center myself.
Breath in.
Focus.
Follow the puck.
Breathe out.
Focus.
Stop the puck.
The rink is dark as I skate out for the anthem so I can only see Harper shaded in the teal lights that illuminate the arena during the opening hype video. She looks beautiful as the roaming spotlights fracture across her face.
I tell myself that'll be the last time I look at her until the end of the game because I need to do my job.
I try not to immediately call myself a liar.
The anthem plays. The boys line up. And with one final tap of the pipes on each side of me the puck drops and play begins.
We win the face off so I relax slightly as I watch our team settle into an early offensive zone attack.
There is a turnover in the corner and a line change as Denver brings the puck over the redline and drops it in. I skate out and catch it for Johnny who collects it but I hear Harper yelling, "What are you doing? Get back in the net!"
I smile to myself and stand with one arm on the crossbar as the boys carry it across the redline and into our zone again. I’m tempted to wink at her but decide to keep my eyes on the game.
The period ends with only three shots on goal and I easily blocked them all. Our strategy to focus on the left side attack is working and we've neutralized them almost every time.
I grab my water bottle and skate to the bench. I'll be across the ice for the next period and while I didn't find Harper too distracting, I never forgot she was there.