Page 115 of Edging Coach
Still think I was a good player and person? Sure. That.
Still believe in me, even if I had a moment of doubt? Sure. That.
Still love me? Yeah. That.
Even as I laced my skates, tires screeched in my mind. Jack didn’t love me. He’d never come close to saying anything like that. Just because I loved him didn’t mean he reciprocated the feelings. His unwillingness to join me at the kink club—even wearing masks—told me a lot. The argument we’d had on thedeck of the ferry really had been our last interaction as two men in a relationship. Or, more accurately, ending a relationship.
“You nervous?”
I finished tying my laces and gave Wheels a huge smile. “No.”
He cocked an eyebrow.
“Yes.”
“Come and meet everyone. They’ve given you some time, but man, they’re going to love you.”
I had no idea what he meant until I got on the ice and, as predicted, everyone welcomed me.
Practice went well.
Napping in a luxurious hotel room by myself was easier than I thought.
Dressing for the game while knowing the arena was filling overwhelmed me.
Jack won’t be here tonight. Which is just as well. He’s coaching the team against Brampton. A team you really wanted the chance to kick their asses. He won’t have time to watch the game. He won’t?—
My phone pinged.
Jack
Breathe. You’re going to do great.
My heart leapt even as my heart caught in my throat. My big-league debut, and Jack wasn’t here. That felt…wrong.You don’t need him here to hold your hand. You don’t?—
“It’s time to go.” Wheels held my gaze with intense dark-brown eyes. “You’ll be fine.”
When I skated out onto the ice for my rookie lap in a Vancouver IceHawks jersey, to raucous cheers from the crowd, I almost believed him.
When I joined the IceHawks for warmups, I almost believed him.
When I scored my first ever point in the big leagues—an assist in the third period—I really did believe him.
I wasn’t going to downplay it. I’d had little ice time, so wow. We were up four nothing, and so giving me a chance wasn’t risking anything. I was in the right place at the right time to steal the puck and then, in a moment of grace, was there to get the puck from my D partner and whip it on goal where it was tipped in by the captain himself. Nope, I was going to take that point and savor it for the rest of my life.
As I settled into my hotel, however, without receiving a congratulatory text from Jack, my heart ached more for that than my head celebrated the victory and point.
I’m well and truly in love with him.
Which means I’m well and truly fucked.
And I have no idea what to do.
CHAPTER 33
JACK
I must’ve watched the replay fifty times. I didn’t usually pay attention to the analysts, but I loved listening to them this time.
