Page 8 of Game On

I sat up and wiped my face with a towel. “Maybe it’s different because you’re married.”

He didn’t look convinced.

Riley had gotten a wedding ring tattoo because we couldn’t wear rings while we played. He was hardcore in love with his wife, and I didn’t blame him since Fi was a smoking hot redhead. He wasn’t the type of guy who cheated. TJ told me even when Riley was doing the bunny circuit, he never cheated if he was in a relationship. That wasn’t always the case in our line of work. Some guys were douchebags who cheated on their wives, but I tended to stay away from those guys.

“You’ll find someone soon,” Benny reassured me.

I wanted to believe him, but so far, I had little luck. Liam was with my neighbor, who was a sweet girl, but she worked nights and so she wasn’t a good option. I wished she was because Liam liked her.

After spending time in the weight room, we had some much-needed time in the media room. We were already on the ice earlier, running through drills, but I needed to focus.

Coach paired Blaise and me together, but he was switching up the lines a lot. I thought Blaise and I were better together because he was good at being a stay-at-home defenseman while I was good at the two-way system. Also why Coach kept putting Blaise and Riley together because Riley was a stronger defenseman than I was. I had been doing a lot of drills with him lately. I hoped it meant I had earned my place on the team for good.

Back in the locker room, Coach asked us to stay for a few minutes before we left. Cally and I shared a look of concern. We both thought that meant one of us was getting put on waivers. I needed to stay in Philly. I needed stability for Liam.

Coach cleared his throat. “Boys, no easy way to say this…”

We waited with bated breath for whatever shitstorm Coach LaVoie was about to drop on us.

“G’s not coming back.”

I released a breath, and then my brain processed his words. G was only out for knee surgery; him not coming back didn’t make sense. Yeah, he was in his thirties and that was old for a hockey player, but he still had a few years left in the tank.

“What does that mean?” Riley asked the question on all our minds.

Coach gave him a tight smile. “G decided to retire. He spent a lot of time thinking about it, but he wants to spend time with his kids, and the injury was a wake-up call.”

“So who's the captain?” Noah asked.

“Glad you asked, Kennedy,” Coach said with a grin. One of the equipment managers walked over to Riley and handed him a white letter ‘C.’ “Congrats, Riley. You earned it. Now keep these assholes in line!”

With that, Coach breezed back into his office.

Riley stared down at the ‘C’ in his hand, at a loss for words. Benny clapped him on the shoulder and congratulated him.

That wasn’t a shock to me. Riley was the alternate, and he had leadership qualities on the team. He and Mac had taken me under their wings when I got called up—Mac by helping me with my living arrangements and Riley with improving my game. Only shock was G deciding to retire.

“Whoa. G, retired,” Blaise said.

“Whoa is right, dude,” I agreed as I shrugged on my jacket.

“He’s played here a long time. My sister’s gonna lose it.”

That shouldn’t have made me smile, but it did. Blaise’s little sister was probably the most hardcore Philadelphia Bulldogs fan I’d ever met. She wasn’t afraid to tell you when you played like absolute shit. The first time I met her, she asked me if I forgot how to block a shot. Blaise said she might not be faster than him on the ice, but she had a shot that would make any player jealous. It made sense considering who their dad was.

“You want to grab lunch?” Blaise asked.

I shook my head. “Nah, my neighbor has Liam. I want to get back as soon as I can.”

Blaise nodded. “Right. Let us know if you need help. Seriously, V and I are here for you.”

With Veronica being pregnant, I didn’t want to stress her out any more than necessary. Blaise was ecstatic, but I could tell V was nervous about their first baby.

“Nah. I don’t want to put you out. I gotta jet.”

I took off so he couldn’t convince me further and headed back to my condo. Once I got to my condo and onto my floor, I knocked on my neighbor Cynthia’s door. She answered with a sleepy Liam clinging to her leg.

“Hey,” she said, untangling Liam’s hands from around her body.