Page 55 of Unmasking Love (D.C. Renegades #1)

Aiden

That's One Down

The seconds tick down on the jumbotron. I watch as Pittsburg throws everything they can at Gavin. He's been incredible this series.

I have too.

A week ago Coach pulled both of us into the office and asked how we'd like to decide the playing order and I simply looked at Gavin and said it was his net for game one.

Which is why he's out there tonight for Game 5 and we are about to win by three.

Ten.

We're on the road which stinks.

Nine.

I smile because D.C. is undeniably home.

Eight.

Does he see the extra man moving at the top of the zone?

Seven.

Yep. Blocked that shot easily.

Six.

Is Harper watching with the girls?

Five.

Two nights ago she was hammered when I talked to her from my hotel bed.

Four.

She said she took a s ip every time she felt nervous.

Three.

And that she could hardly watch anytime they had the puck.

Two.

Like they do now.

One.

Felix intercepts a pass and sails it towards the empty net.

The last millisecond goal gets rolled onto the scoreboard as the clock turns to zeros. The game horn sounds and it is only our cheers and our few fan's whistles filling the arena.

I'm the last one off the bench to congratulate Gavin on a job well done and then we line up as a team to shake hands.

We leave the ice to let Pittsburg salute their fans. And by the time I reach the locker room the music is already playing and the commemorative t-shirts are being tossed around.

This one has Melvin's face on it and he's howling at the moon that is actually a hockey puck.

I chuckle as I slide it over my under armour.

"Boys, boys, listen up." Coach Bradford calls out above the noise.

"Good win. The game puck goes to Bober who scored our first goal of the game and got the momentum swinging in our favor.

" He tosses the puck at Bryson and we all clap.

"I'm going to hand it over to Vlad for tonight's Melvin recipient. "

"This one goes to Bingo,” Vlad says, fitting Melvin on top of Crosby’s head. “For giving everything on every shift and snagging an apple on all three goals tonight. We get a couple extra days off because of you!"

The room erupts in laughter and claps.

"Correction!" Coach Bradford yells, we immediately silence ourselves. "A couple extra days before your next game, no days off during the playoffs. Wheels up in two."

"No take a moment to enjoy this win or I'm proud of you boys huh?" Gavin says to me as he continues to take off his gear.

"You really think Coach Bradford has it in him?"

Gavin smiles, "He does, he's just been stung bad by late series losses. We're all still carrying around the disappointment of last year."

"I guess that's a bonus for switching teams so often, I don't carry that collective memory."

He nods in understanding. "I'm glad to have someone to share the load with this year. This time of year is a grind but knowing you're here, not as a backup but as a partner is making it easier."

I nod as my throat burns.

Have I really done it?

Have I found a team to be a part of?

Who wants me to be a part of it?

Who is ready to rely on me consistently?

Sixteen year old me who had this game ripped from his ice burned fingers is flossing like a little dweeb in my head.

But, yeah buddy, we did it.

***

"Hey babe," I smile when Harper picks up the call. I'm on the bus and Bryson slams down into the seat next to me watching a replay of the USWNT game from earlier today.

"Hi! Congrats Aiden, I'm so excited for you!"

"Thanks, did you watch with the girls tonight?"

"No, Tilly had a little fever so Danielle stayed home and Caroline said she was still hungover from the last game so I watched from home and texted them."

Home.

My sofa i n her living room. Her throw pillows in the corners. My blender next to her mixer on the counter in the kitchen.

Our home.

"I can't wait to get to you." I tell her and her smile has me checking the bus to see how many guys are still in the locker room.

"I don't know if I can stay up another three hours." She says with a yawn.

"Get into bed and take a nap while you wait for me."

"Okay, love you." She says around another yawn.

"Love you too, Harp."

I lean my head back against the seat and glance over at Bryson who is tracking the ball across the field.

"You know they're coming to D.C. this summer for an exhibition game?" I ask him with a nod towards his phone.

"Yeah, they were talking about moving the training facilities to the area, too.” Bryson reports with his eyes glued to the screen. “They're trying to figure out which time zone will give them the best advantage for overseas play."

"Huh, that's interesting."

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea, right now, based in Colorado, they have the altitude but they have longer travel days and can't catch up on jet lag as easily so the team is testing out Maryland for the summer."

"Oh, so will there be more games than just the one against Venezuela in July?"

"Maybe, a lot of the girls also play on professional teams so it depends on their schedules," then he drops the phone down and looks up to the sky. "Damnit Jo, that one was yours."

He closes the game and pops in his headphones. I decide to do the same and get lost in my thoughts.

This series has been amazing. I've only played in one other playoff game and it was when the first string had gotten a flat tire on his way to the arena so he wasn't fully warmed up before game time.

It doesn't feel real that I played in two of these five games. I struggled after the loss in game four, especially being on the road. But the boys had words of encouragement. Harper listened the next morning when she was hungover but sober.

My first call wasn't to my dad for the first time in my career. When I did call he asked what Harper had to say and that made me smile.

I told him how at first she just listened. She let me say my piece and didn't react or try to challenge me.

That she understood how I needed to vent the worst thoughts to get them out of my head.

Then she started to tell me about the house a client is trying to sell and I remembered that hockey is only a part of my life.

And as I shared that with my dad he just hummed his agreement and I could sense him nodding along. It really feels like life is coming together.

The bus finally leaves the arena and even though my headphones are in I can hear the music being blasted. If this is how we celebrate after a first round win I'm nervous for how big the party will be for later series wins.