Page 9 of Make Your Move

Sometimes a trade fucking sucks. It can happen when you least expect it and completely turn your life upside down. I have a feeling that won’t be the case for me. As much as I enjoyed mytime in Orchid City, it was never really my home. It wasn’t where I wanted to spend my entire career.

Aston is where I’ve always wanted to be.

A puck slides across the ice, hitting the blade of my stick. Looking in the direction of where the puck came from, I find Carson with a grin splitting across his face. Hayes, one of the defensemen, laughs beside him before joining the rest of the guys grabbing pucks from the center of the rink, blasting shots at Rowan. “Welcome home, Slink,” he says with a wink. “Come on. We have a season to get ready for.”

I skate over to him, and we head in center ice with the rest of the guys. They’re all welcoming and it really does feel like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Practice takes up the better part of the morning, and when we’re done, my legs feel like Jell-O. I’m not a rookie player, but I’m the new guy on the team. I came here with a lot riding on me. They didn’t make the trade to acquire a bullshit player. They made it to acquire someone who is going to be an asset to the team. I’ve moved back to Aston with a lot of pressure on my shoulders, but it’s not a weight I can’t carry.

Just like every other player, I still have to work for my spot on the active roster.

I have to prove this is where I belong.

CHAPTER FOUR

NOVA

Posey stirs in her sleep as I lift her from her car seat and tuck her body against mine. Her first day at day care went without any issues, but she’s exhausted from a long day of playing. It was a relief when I heard she didn’t have any trouble adjusting to their schedule. Posey doesn’t usually have any difficulties with adjustments like that, but I still wasn’t completely sure how she would handle being in a new place with new people.

According to the woman who runs the day care, she said Posey did amazingly.

Leaving my belongings in the car, I walk along the driveway to the side door of the house. I want to get her inside so she can be comfortable, and then I’ll worry about my own things. As I push open the door, the smell of garlic instantly smacks me in the face. My stomach growls on command as it reminds me that I barely fed myself today.

My first day at work wasn’t bad. It went exactly as expected, and if I’m being honest, it was nice to have in-person human contact again. Working from home as the director of astronomy at the museum came with its own set of challenges. It felt good to be back in the building, surrounded by all my favorite things.

Except for Posey, that is.

I kick the door shut behind me and walk through the mudroom and kick off my shoes before stepping into the kitchen. Nash isn’t the best cook so I have no idea what kind of a disaster I’m walking into right now. Usually he leaves dinner to me because he’s been known to burn a meal or twelve.

His back is to me as he hovers over the stove with his head dipped down with a backward baseball cap covering his hair. I pause just outside of the door that leads into the living room as I adjust Posey in my arms.

“I hope you don’t plan on burning whatever that is because it smells delicious.”

His head lifts, and my eyes widen slightly as I realize it’s not my brother cooking. His messy dark hair shifts as he turns his head to look at me over his shoulder. A smirk lifts his lips, and his bourbon-colored eyes meet mine from across the room.

“Are you doubting my cooking abilities, Nova?”

He slowly turns around, brushing his hands on the apron that’s covering the front of his body. My eyes drop to the graphics on the black material, and I instantly cover my mouth to shield my laugh.

Certified Meat Rubber.

“What?” Lincoln questions me with a playful grin as he grabs the sides of the apron and pulls them out as he looks down at it. His eyes meet mine again. “You don’t like my apron?”

I stifle a laugh, and Posey stirs in my arms again. “I didn’t know you were into rubbing meat like that.”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know.” Mischief dances in his irises. The air between us grows thick, and my heart pounds erratically in my chest. “Do you like to cook, Nova?”

His question throws me off, catching me by surprise with the abrupt switch. “I do,” I tell him as I nod.

“Why don’t you go put her down and come help me?”

His proposition throws me off kilter even more. Lincoln doesn’t wait for a response as he turns around and moves back to the stove as I stand there like a mute. I stare at his back, my eyes traveling over the visible muscles beneath his white T-shirt. My brain feels like it’s short circuiting, but I get my shit together and head into the living room.

I lay Posey down on the sectional couch and push the ottoman against it, to block her from falling. Just for good measure, I grab some pillows and stack them around her before I cover her with a blanket. I give her one last look and head back into the kitchen to where Lincoln is.

He glances over at me as I step up to the stove, and he pulls open a drawer and hands me an apron. My fingers brush against his as I take it from him. Electricity travels along the nerves in my hand and up my arm from the contact. I inhale sharply and quickly move my hand from his. Lincoln raises an eyebrow at me as the corners of his mouth twitch, but he doesn’t say anything.

I open the apron and see this one has graphic writing on it too. A soft laugh escapes me, and I pull it over my head before tying the back.

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