Page 89 of The Waiting Game

“Exactly,” Jordan said. “Tasha and I get all dressed up, we have a night out, just the two of us … it’s good for the relationship.”

“I get that part when it’s real,” Jonah pointed out, though he wasn’t sure why he was arguing at this point because maybe they were right. And was he imagining this or were they all pushing pretty hard to get them to actually date? “But we’re just faking this.”

“Well, some fake dates might make it look more real,” Dustin said. “To the public.”

“Fine! In between grueling playoff games and worrying myself sick over my grandma’s health, I’ll take Felix out,” Jonah snapped.

“Hey.” Felix rested a hand on his thigh. “Take a deep breath.”

“I don’t want to take a deep breath,” Jonah muttered but he let his eyelids flutter closed and did it anyway.

By the time he opened his eyes, his teammates were staring at him silently, concerned expressions on their faces.

“Hey, are you okay?” Dustin asked, leaning forward with a frown. “You seem stressed.”

No shit, Jonah thought.

“I’m scared shitless about my grandma,” he admitted.

“Do you need to talk to Casey about taking some time away from the team?” Dominic asked.

Jonah scoffed. “During playoffs? No fucking way. We play unless our limbs are falling off!”

“Yeah, but this is your family,” Dustin said softly. “We know how much she means to you.”

“Look, guys, I appreciate it,” Jonah said. “But no. Grandma is stable. She’s going to have a bunch of testing and doctors’ appointments before anything happens anyway. Between her friends and the SAPs, we’ve got her covered. We don’t even know how deep of a run we’re going to be able to make as is.”

Everyone winced.

While Jonah would love to believe they could make a deep run this year and get a real shot at the Cup, they were all realistic. It had been a tough season. They’d barely made it to the playoffs by the skin of their teeth.

Sure, they could go on a heater and surprise everyone, including themselves. Stranger things had happened. But without Nico playing, they were already hurting in the blue zone and Montreal was a strong team offensively.

With Dominic slowing down, they weren’t quite the offensive powerhouse they had been in recent years. Nothing was impossible. But no matter what, it was going to be a slow, tough battle. They’d be hard-fought games and their AHL team was thin in terms of up-and-coming talent who was ready for the playoffs.

They had some exciting prospects who would be ready in a season or two, but not yet.

Toronto had been such a good team for the past few seasons and apart from Colton—who had surpassed everyone’s expectations—their low round draft picks hadn’t amounted to much for a while. The depth just wasn’t there to support any of their major players going out with an injury.

Or for Jonah to ask for some time away from the team.

Besides, for all Jonah knew, they’d be out in the first round and he’d be home before his grandmother even had an appointment with the cardiologist.

“Look,” he said, when no one chimed in. “I wouldn’t feel good about being away from you guys during this. Grandma’s not in dire health or anything. She will be fine without me. And let’s be honest, she would kill me if I even suggested it. And then go after anyone in the organization who let me do it.”

The guys chuckled, nodding their agreement.

Felix squeezed his thigh and Jonah realized they’d been sitting like that for the past few minutes. His fingertips were warm against Jonah’s skin where his shorts had ridden up a little.

Sometimes, Jonah really did understand why the team was convinced that they’d dated in college.

“So, whatever,” Jonah said because he was tired of arguing about it. “You can believe us or not about it being fake. We just wanted to be honest and upfront about what we’re doing.”

Dustin nodded. “Thanks for telling us. And hey, before I forget, is it okay if I tell Charlie the truth or is this the kind of thing you want to stay within the team?”

Felix considered the question. “I think if you can avoid it, maybe don’t offer that information up but if he asks, don’t feel like you need to lie to him. Does that seem okay to you, Jonah?”

Jonah glanced over. “Yeah, makes sense to me. I know Charlie understands discretion.”

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