Page 26 of Dreams on the Ice

Skating into the practice arena, I look around. The rest of the guys are still in the locker room, but I need a few moments alone with the ice. This is where I’ve always felt at peace. This has always been my home. No matter where I am, as long as I’m on the ice, I’m home.

Closing my eyes, I let out a heavy sigh and open them slowly. Except something is different now. I’m different. This is no longer the only place where I feel at home. Brooklynn has been added to the mix, and I feel at peace with being at her side in a way that I didn’t think was possible, especially in the short time we’ve been officially together.

The stands are empty, but I can hear the phantom cheers around me. They fuel me in a way that nothing else has. This is my life. My world. This is everything to me. At least it was. Until I met a woman… well,thiswoman.

Until I met Brooklynn.

Now, I feel this pull toward her. I didn’t even know I had that inside of me. But I understand how and why people turn their lives upside down for another person. I’m not saying I would consider ever giving up hockey, but if anything, it would make me pause and think about considering it if it was something that needed to happen for her.

Brooklynn would never make me, though. She knows how much it means to me. I know she would be encouraging me to just give in to my parents if she didn’t. I’m completely lost in my thoughts, my mind in a whole other place, as I stare blankly at the empty arena.

The sound of blades on the ice causes my spine to straighten and takes me out of my thoughts. I don’t turn around. I can tell by the way he moves that it’s Reid. I’ve known him and played beside him for so long that I know what his movements sound like on the ice. His hand claps down on my shoulder before he gently shakes me.

“You good?” he asks.

Turning my head, I look over to him. “Yeah,” I lie.

Well, it’s partially a lie. I am good when it comes to Brooklynn and hockey. I’m not good when it comes to my parents and my future. As much as I know that Brooklynn wouldn’t dare ask me to, I can’t deny that it’s tempting. Money is always tempting. But I know I would be miserable.

Everything is in complete fucking limbo, and it’s unsettling. I don’t like anything about it. My life was all planned out until my parents’ bullshit threw a wrench in it, and now I’ve realized that I pissed everything I had away.

“Brooklynn?” he asks.

My eyes widen as I gaze at him. His eyes search mine as he waits for me to respond. “How did you know?”

Reid snorts. “Forrest, I’ve known. Everybody knows. You don’t look at a woman the way you look at her and not end up in bed together. Although, I have to admit it took a lot longer than I thought it would. We almost started taking bets.”

Shaking my head once, I don’t say anything immediately. I’m not surprised they all noticed I was attracted to Brooklynn. I didn’t do a great job hiding it. Before I can respond, the rest of the guys start to skate out of the locker rooms.

One by one, and then I watch as Coach Burns appears. He looks as if he’s ready to punish first and ask questions later. And that look finds me immediately.

Fuck.

It seems like every single time one of the guys finds a woman, Coach figures it out and threatens to end their career during the whole ordeal. I’m not sure how he knows, but it’s clear that he doesn’t like his players going through the ups and downs of finding a woman and keeping her.

“Westwood,” he barks from across the rink.

Straightening my shoulders, I skate over to him. I can tell he’s seconds away from blowing his top, so I don’t try to stop him. I’ve learned that when he’s pissed, just let him rant. Rant all over the fucking place until he’s done.

I watch as he tilts his head to the side, his eyes finding mine before he speaks. “Your father called me,” he grunts, but he doesn’t sound pissed at me. Instead, he just sounds irritated in general. “I usually don’t say anything about players’ families, but I have to tell you that Ido notlike that guy.”

At least this has nothing to do with Brooklynn. Maybe the coach doesn’t even know that we’re together, which would be surprising the way these fucks talk. Biting the inside of my cheek, I nod a couple of times.

“I don’t care for him much, either,” I confess the truth.

Coach Burns chuckles, and then he clears his throat. “Just tell me if you’re going to break your contract and leave. Don’t leave me scrambling midseason.”

I almost laugh, but I can tell this is a serious conversation for him. “I won’t be canceling or terminating anything. This is my home, and it’s been my home. I don’t have the desire to be anywhere but right here, with this team.”

“Thank fuck,” he exhales. “Get your ass to work.”

I do what the coach says, and by the end of practice, I am exhausted, hot, and sweaty. It’s exactly what I needed. In the locker rooms, I stay away from everyone until it's time for me to get dressed.

Then I don’t have a choice but to interact. Reid jerks his chin at me as he approaches. He’s got a smile plastered on his face, and I can’t help but grin as well. This man is a complete badass.

“Where’s the girl?” he asks.

“The girl?”

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