Page 148 of His Big Bad Stick

“Sorry again,” the mom says.

“Don’t be sorry,” I say. “Cute kids you’ve got.”

“Can you sign a puck for their room?”

I nod and the dad hands me a puck through the gate.

I sign it, hand it back, and then offer fist bumps to the twins.

Others have gathered around, looking for pictures and autographs.

I stay outside long enough that security and a team representative come looking for me because I’m late for my interviews.

Fuck that.

Security blocks me from the gate and I’m escorted into the arena after a quick stop at my truck to get my bag.

Once I’m in the arena, they take me to the locker room.

“He’s back!” Dax calls out.

“Got you something for tonight,” Turner says. “A gift from us.”

He looks at Rhett and nods with a grin.

Rhett tosses me a pair of boxing gloves with a red bow on them.

“Welcome back, asshole,” Ben says.

Faust lets out a laugh from his corner of the locker room as he sits with his giant goalie pads on.

“You part of this too?” I ask him.

“No,” he says. “Jokes are fucking stupid. Just like what you did out on the ice. You’re lucky you’re not in jail. And you fucked the team over. Thanks for that.”

“Faust, as happy as ever,” Dax says.

I put my bag down and start to gear up.

That’s when the doors open and in come a group of reporters.

Fuck.

The guys all take their chance to slip out of the locker room, leaving me high and dry.

Which I completely deserve.

“Let’s get this shit over with,” I call out.

That breaks the ice.

“How about I just talk for a minute, okay? I’ll tell you everything. Things went too far with the fight. I took it too far. I’m not here to apologize and beg for any kind of forgiveness. I was offered a chance at it. I refused.”

“You took a suspension over being with your team?”

“That’s exactly what I did,” I say. “And now I’m back.”

“Are you… calmer?”

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