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next to me. “We’ve got a game Thursday.”

Nodding, I walked away from the machine and

drank some much-needed water. Normally, I was solely focused in practice, but I just couldn’t get my mind right. It couldn’t just be my newfound emotion for Aife; my mind just felt foggy.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.

“You seem off, Walker.” Chris drank from his

Gatorade bottle. “It’s been this way since you came back from your wrist injury.”

I sighed and looked at my captain. Every guy on my

team had faced some kind of injury. In some cases, we wound up like Davis—unable to return to the rink. Chris had come back from a bad injury and lead us to the finals the year he returned. He had worked his ass off to be at a pro level again. Chris was a bit of a hero to me.

“My hand feels strong.” I flexed said hand. “Body can be fine but not your mind,” Chris said,

“Ninety percent of my comeback was mental, TJ. You afraid to get hurt again?”

“Partly, sure. I’m not new to injuries, but this was

the first to take me out of games.”

We walked to the squat rack, Chris loading on

plates. He motioned for me to spot for him. “You should talk to someone about this mental block you’ve got going on. We need our enforcer back.”

“Hockey feels like work lately.” The words were

out in the open now. “I love this game and this team. Lately

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though, it feels like I’m driving through mud to motivate myself. The first game back was electric but practices— being off the ice—I felt nothing.”

“James…” Chris trailed off as he put the bar back

on the rack. “You have had a weird fucking year. It’s alright to not feel one hundred yet. However, you have got to get your mind back. You aren’t centered, and there is a serious disconnect from your brain to your body. Even with a win under your belt.”

I didn’t know how to respond. My brain and body

felt connected. Maybe Chris saw something I just couldn’t see.

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CHAPTER 19: THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE

TALON

“Can I ask you a question?” I asked as soon as Aife

answered the phone.

“Hi Talon, how was your day?” The sarcasm