Page 120 of The Recovery Coach
“Where are we going?”she asked.
“On a date.”
“You said three days.”
“Fuck that rule.”
Olivia laughed.
Hazy took her for ice cream.Almost six months later and she finally got to try the house-made, warm waffle cones they were supposed to get the night of his injury.It was worth the wait.When they got home, he pressed her against the front door and showed her how much he’d held back the previous night, leaving her panting for more.
As soon as they stepped inside, Hazy and Olivia disappeared.Connor poured Livy a bowl of cereal.Neither of them was hungry, but the cereal was a ritual they’d never abandon.She tried to coax him into another make-out session, but he held out.Olivia fumed about how her teasing had backfired.
Chapter 39
Hazy
Hazy,Lover,andBeaniestood side-by-side after the Freeze’s official practice the next day.They threw weighted medicine balls at the wall.
“How are things going with Olivia?”Beanie asked.
A smile touched his lips.“Great,” Hazy said.
Lover abandoned his ball and picked up a heavier one.Hazy groaned, but followed suit, refusing to be outdone.
“You know I’m going to take credit for your happiness for the rest of your life, right?”
Hazy grunted with his next throw.“Yep.”
He would gladly give Lover all the credit.Even though Hazy could have used a simple conversation instead of some elaborate scheme.Without him, Hazy might never have recognized what had been staring him straight in the face for decades.
Beanie, the only sane one amongst them, continued with the same medicine ball, not competing with them.He said, “Not everything has to be a pissing contest.”
“Fuck off,” Lover said.
“Yeah, Beanie.Fuck off.Just because you’re old as shit doesn’t mean we have to prematurely age with you,”Hazy said, even as he regretted his choice to match Lover’s energy.
“You guys are fucking assholes.”
“Shut up, you love us,” Lover said.
“Are you excited to get back on the ice?”Beanie asked.
After his training session Coach informed him that the doctor cleared him to skate the first week of March.He was shitting his pants over it.For an injury of this magnitude some players ended their careers.Some took a full season off.He’d been out under six months.Following every single piece of advice his medical team gave him, and having Livy around to coach him through moments he wanted to quit, made the timeline possible.
He could have told his linemates that yes, he was excited to skate, but in a rare moment of seriousness, he said, “I don’t know.”
Both Lover and Beanie dropped their medicine balls and faced him.He abandoned his own workout equipment and put his back to the wall, sliding down to sit and wiping sweat off his forehead with a towel.The Connors joined him on the floor.
“You can take more time if you need it,” Lover said.
“I don’t need it.My leg is fine.”
“Then what’s the matter?”Beanie asked.
“Nothing.I’m worried I’ll do something stupid and re-injure myself.”
“Then don’t do something stupid,” Lover said.
