Page 40 of One More Time

“You’ll get kicked off the team if you don’t show. Then all of this would have been for nothing.”

For the first time ever, I dumped my full plate in the sink and grabbed my bag, wondering why exactly I was doing this.

Then my phone rang. It was Holden. I wondered if something happened to Jamie, who it would be to call me. I closed my eyes, and hesitated. If it was bad news, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“Ty?” I tried not to read into the tired tone of Holden’s voice.

“Found him.”

“And?”

“He’s fine. He’s going to stay with me for a while just to have a break. He isn’t…” There was a deep sigh that followed that told me too much.

“I’m coming home.”

“No, you’re not. I am perfectly capable of this. You need to finish what you started. If any of us is going to go pro, it’s you. He wants that for you, you know? He tells me all the time. He just misses what you had before… you know.”

“How bad is he? Be honest.”

“He isn’t great. He thinks you’re too focused on protecting him to be his big brother anymore. He just wants that back. Give him time, then call him and just be real with him. Tell him about your man, about your life, and he’ll be happy to open up to you. He’ll feel less alone.”

“I don’t know how to be okay when he isn’t, Hold. I can’t lose him.”

“You won’t, I have him. I promise you that. I will always have him. But right now he just needs some time for himself. Your mum’s chemo is really bad so your auntie is moving in to help.”

I checked the time and groaned. “Okay, I have to get to the rink; I’m running late. But please keep me updated, on all of them. I fucking hate this, man.”

“I know you do, but trust me. They’re my family too. You’ve done so much for me—the least I can do is let you have this. Just win that game.”

I’d never been so late to the ice in my life. My head was a mess, and I was just trying to focus on the last words Holden said. I need this win. I didn’t miss the look on my teammates’ eyes as I approached. I was never late, and I could tell I looked less than stellar. When Hunter’s eyes met mine and widened I knew I looked like a train wreck.

He rushed over and grabbed my elbow, dragging me behind the private wall of the showers. “Dude, I’ve been calling you. Where have you been?”

I shoved him away and went to my locker. Ignoring his questioning look, I dropped my bag with a ceremonious thud as I started to strip.

Hunter returned to my side, backed by Mouse and Jarman.

I angrily put on my gear as they waited for an explanation for my tardiness. “Yes?”

“Dude, you’re never late,” Mouse admonished. “Was it the bird you were on the phone with when you left yesterday?”

I should kick his ass for referring to my mum as a bird… I shook away the thought—humor aside that wouldn’t get us anywhere. “I slept in. I was uh, distracted last night and forgot to set my alarm.”

“Bullshit,” Hunter spat. “You don’t sleep in—no matter how distracted you were the night before.” I spun and shot him with a look that I hoped sent daggers into Hunter’s skin. Jarman’s eyebrows lifted in response and if I wasn’t late, I would be taking Hunter somewhere to bash his head in.

Mouse ooh-ed and the very small thread I was holding onto snapped. “I was up late dealing with family shit. Can you please let me get ready? I want to be on the ice for warm-up.”

Jarman and Mouse jostled me affectionately and headed to their stalls to finish taping their sticks. With them gone, my mask began to slip. Those same cries from earlier echoed in my mind. Hunter, as if he could read my thoughts, sidled in as close as he could without drawing the attention of the others.

He was so close that his breath tickled my cheek when he spoke. “I get it baby, you’re homesick. But remember why you’re here, what you’re trying to achieve. You’ve been on top of your game all week, making plays, calling them out. You came here for the big leagues and you’re going to take them by storm. You’ve already got people talking, and today they’ll see you blindsiding UMass with those Aussie moves.”

His words soothed my skin. Washed over me like his lips did when we were in bed together. Each word, each brush of his lips soothed the itch that crawled underneath—the one that made me want to get on the next flight home. It brought me back to the present, where Hunter was close enough to really take my mind off everything.

He cupped the back of my neck, briefly but firmly enough to do what I wished his lips could. “You got this, baby. Head in the game. Think about the ring of that buzzer when you get a goal, the buzz of the crowd, the sound of your pads slamming against your opponent. Everything else will be right where you left it: outside of this locker room.”

Then his hand was gone along with the kiss of his breath. He sat next to me, taping up his stick like the others.

I did exactly as he told me: got my head in the game, forgetting all about the way he brought me back down to Earth with his touch alone.

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