Page 86 of Wicked Truths

I pushmy way through the door to the locker room and make a beeline for my corner with a grin on my face.

“You missed warm-ups, dickhead.” Spencer says from beside me.

“I had other plans.” I say as I start to change.

“Did those plans include a dark-haired mafia princess?”

“I’m not telling you shit. I’m the captain. When you become captain, then I’ll tell you.” I tease, which earns me a punch in the arm.

“Fuck that. I don’t want the C that bad. Besides, I saw the interview on the screen, and I spotted you in the background.”

“I just wanted to make sure she was alright. You know how Raven can be.”

“She’s a vulture, especially since you turned her down last year. You might want to warn Francesca.”

“Chessie held her own and even got in a few insults. After everything we’ve been through since she’s been back, the last thing I want to tell her is that a reporter hit me on. It didn’t matter to me last year, and it sure as hell doesn’t mean anything this year.”

“Sometimes women want to know these things.”

Is he fucking for real? No woman wants to hear that another woman threw herself at him.

Ever.

“Bullshit. That is the sort of thing that can jumpstart an argument.”

“I don’t believe it. You’re not mad that she had a life these past two years. You aren’t going to use it against her.”

“Of course I’m not, but it’s not like I had a life besides hockey and Marino family business.”

“And that was your choice.”

Yeah, he’s right. It was my choice to stay single and celibate, but how could I replace Chessie? Even for one night.

“Why are we even debating this? There’s only one woman for me and when she left two years ago, I knew I’d wait my entire life for her to come back.”

“I’m just fucking with you. I’m happy for you, even if that means you skip warm-ups to be with her.”

“It will be your turn sooner or later. Just wait and see.”

“No way. Between the Sharks and Arturo, I have no time to even try to have a relationship. I’ll stick to the puck bunnies.”

“That will get old. Trust me. Once you find a woman worth keeping, your entire outlook on life will shift.”

“I’ll just leave the settling down to you. When’s your wedding, by the way? Did you two alreadyelope?” He lets out a laugh before grabbing his phone out of his locker.

“I haven’t asked her yet.”

Yet, but I will ask her soon.

“But you want to.”

“Of course I do. Nothing would make me happier, but now isn’t the right time. One day, when life settles down.”

“She’s like a tornado, and her family is the mafia. Life won’t ever settle down. You should just ask tonight.”

“Why tonight?”

“Because there’s no time like the present.”

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