Page 179 of Power Play

“No, I’m not okay.” I stand and dive into my locker. I throw my practice jersey out of the way and move my sticks around. “Where the fuck is my ring?”

“Ring? You never wear rings,” Riley says.

“My wedding ring,” I seethe, crouching down and rifling through my gym bag. “FUCK.”

“I’m going to need someone to fill me in here, because for a second I thought GK just told us he got married,” Grant says. “When the fuck did that happen?”

“I knew. I knew and I didn’t say shit to any of you fuckers,” Maverick announces. “I’ve known for weeks andholy shit. It’s so nice to have this out in the open and not a huge fucking secret.”

“I was the witness,” Hudson draws out, and Maverick groans.

“Dammit! Can’t I have anything?”

I ignore them, too busy ripping apart all of my belongings to care about who knows what. I don’t stop until there’s a mess at my feet. Until my chest heaves and I still come up empty-handed.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I will myself to take a deep breath. To calm down and try to think rationally. I made a diving save in the second period. The ring probably came loose and ended in the back of the goal with a pile of ice chips.

“Piper and I got married in Vegas,” I tell my team. Someone gasps. Another drops their stick, and the entire locker room stares at me. “It was an accident. Some drunken thing neither one of us remembers, but we decided to stay married until at least the end of the season. I’ve worn the ring she gave me at every game, but now I’velostthe fucking band, and I want it back.”

“Whoa,” Ethan whispers. “Goalie Daddy is inlove.”

“Boys,” Maverick announces, and I lift my chin to look at him. Everyone does. “There comes a time when your personal choices far outweigh the greater good for the team. I had my moment when we played against Emmy’s ex and I got to land some punches on him. Hudson had his moment when he left mid-game to be by his mom’s side during her last hours. Seymour had his when he got pulled last season when his wifewent to the hospital to give birth. We’re paid to be professional athletes, but we’re humans first. And humans have emotions. Goddamn feelings we’re allowed to express, no matter what the media says.” He scans the men in the room, stopping at me to make sure I heard those last few words. “So. Here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to go out there. We’re going to sacrifice our warm-up, and we’re going to find Liam’s ring even if it means crawling on our hands and knees.”

“Miller,” I start to say. “You don’t have to?—”

Maverick holds up a hand, stopping me. “You have my back. I have yours. End of discussion. Captain’s orders are to find that damn ring.”

Our eyes lock. I give him a single nod, and I hope I can convey the gratitude I have for him. “Winner gets a thousand bucks,” I add. “And a night at the bar with me.”

“Oh, shit.” Grant practically runs out of the locker room with Ethan hot on his heels. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he yells as he disappears.

The room clears out until it’s only Maverick, Hudson and me. I put my skates back on and look at my teammates.

“That was a hell of a speech you gave,” I say to Maverick.

“Liked it?” He grins. “I’ve turned all soft now that I’m married. Guess I can say the same about you.”

I shove his shoulder and he laughs. “Fuck you.”

“Ah. There he is. My grumpy guy.”

“Word of advice, Sully,” Hudson says, and I glance his way. “Take it from someone who always wished he had more time. Telling someone how you feel about them is the most important thing in the world. Because one day you won’t be able to tell them anymore, and you’ll regret all the times you kept your mouth shut.”

I put my hand on Hudson’s shoulders. “Your mom would be proud of you, man.”

“Yeah.” He smiles, ever the optimist even when he’s in the depths of hell. “She would be.”

**

“Why couldn’t you have gotten a yellow band?” Riley calls out as he circles the crease for the fourth time. “Would be a lot easier to spot than a piece of fucking silver metal.”

“I’ll make sure to tell the gift shop where I bought it to stock up on different colors. I’m sure they’ll be happy for the feedback,” I draw out. “Goddammit. Where the fuck did it go?”

“Any luck?” Hudson asks.

“I’m not finding a damn thing.”

“Don’t lose faith, GK,” Riley says, moving his stick over the ice. “You have to have hope.”

---