Page 61 of The Trophy

I tell myself not to be ridiculous, but deep down, a swarm of butterflies flutters their wings in the pit of my stomach at just the idea of being Luca’s wife. I wouldn’t care about becoming a princess. It’s the idea of having Luca by my side for the rest of my life that causes my pulse to quicken.

Fire doesn’t always burn in a bad way.

That’s even more crazy and it shouldn’t make any sense.

But my other boyfriend is called Blaze and his nickname on the ice is Fire.

Could the “burn” refer to the passion between us?

It sounds plausible because our passion flares hot but at the same time burns constant like a flame that’s tended to. We have an incredible physical chemistry and attraction, but that isn’t all that makes us work together. We have a lot in common and to my surprise, Blaze is nothing like I imagined he would be when you look at his role of enforcer in the team and of master of ceremonies in his fraternity.

And finally, Sharing is caring.

All three of my guys shared me on our first real night together. More than that, Luca and Blaze are thinking about making that a long term thing. They understand that having feelings for all of them, doesn’t mean that their intensity is lessened. The fact that I don’t have a favorite, doesn’t mean that I don’t really care about any of them, just the opposite.

If they cared for me, they would never ask me to choose and lose an important part of my heart.

I know it’s a lot to ask, because this wouldn’t be an open relationship; I would be completely faithful to the three of them, and I would expect the same in return.

But my three men are as competitive as humanly possible. Would it realistically work in the long term to have to share my time? Even if I can see myself loving each of them with my whole heart, would that be enough?

The oven timer pings to signal that dinner is ready, just as the doorbell rings.

I change into the clothes I selected at lightning speed and run to open the door to Cash with those predictions running through my head in a continuous loop. My heart is full of hope that against all odds, things might indeed work out.

CHAPTER 12

KEEPING SECRETS

CASH

I’m excited and nervous about tonight’s date with Lakyn.

Memories of our night in LA keep running through my head the entire time the grueling practice Coach has put us through as a punishment for not being a team.

We skated carrying those bags full of pucks on our backs until several of us threw up in the trash cans that have been used to create two separate skating lanes.

Despite being the goalie, I’m always put through a rigorous conditioning program and that includes cardio even though I’m not expected to use my speed on the ice.

This should be a piece of cake, right?

Especially since my part time job at a local gym means more workouts after practice.

Yet, I ingloriously lose my breakfast in one of those damn trash cans.

We skate for hours, Coach obviously wants to drive home a very clear message and I got it, for fuck’s sake.

The words “Topher is the only motherfucker who needs this,” are on the tip of my tongue the entire time. However I keep my mouth shut because I know this is one of those life lessons that Coach is really trying to teach us.

If we weren’t a hockey team but we practiced karate, I suspect Coach Harrison would give Mr. Miyagi a run for his money. Not that I’d be surprised at this point, if we ended up washing Coach’s cars and cleaning his house one of these days. You know, a wax on, wax off kind of situation.

When we finally file into the locker room, my legs feel like Jell-O and I’m physically broken.

My head is all a different matter.

I have to summon every ounce of my self-control not to grab Topher and shove a couple of hockey sticks where the sun don’t shine.

I have time to go home before I have to be at Lakyn’s and God knows I should study; instead, I use those precious hours to catch up on some much needed sleep.

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