Page 34 of Pucking Only

“Is everything ok, Mom?” Grace asks. “You don’t usually call this late.”

“Oh, yes,” Mrs. Monroe agrees. “Sorry about that, sweetheart, but I just wanted to make sure you’ve got your father’s and my thirtieth anniversary party on your calendar for nextmonth. I was just talking to Carson earlier today to remind him to do the same. And you too, Skyler! Your father will be there and we want you there as well!”

“Of course I’ll be there, Mrs. Monroe,” I assure her. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Wonderful!” she exclaims. “It’s going to be so good to have all my children with me again. I’ve been missing you all so, so much!”

It doesn’t escape my notice that she's included me as one of her children. That makes me smile and tear up a bit. As Grace and her mom continue chatting about the party, I sit back and simply enjoy the feeling of love and acceptance that the Monroes have always given me. Growing up without my mom was hard, but Mrs. Monroe stepped in whenever she could and became that maternal figure I’d always craved.

I owe so much to the Monroes, especially Grace and her mom. They’ve been so good to me throughout my life. That’s just more reason for me to put my kiss with Carson out of my head entirely, as if it never happened. I could never risk ostracizing myself from his family. They are too important to me.

Far more important than that heat that sizzled between me and Carson…the same heat I seem to be missing with Zander.

One kiss doesn’t change anything between us. It was a momentary lapse in judgment and doesn’t mean I’m opening my heart to him in any way whatsoever. I’ll never let him hurt me again.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: ASK HER OUT

CARSON

“Monroe!Where’s your head at? Focus!”

I wince and grit my teeth as Coach’s sharp words hit me like a slap. He’s pissed, and I can’t blame him. I’ve let way to many pucks past me this practice and I’m looking like a fucking rookie. Jensen’s looking at me with concern but I wave him off when he starts to skate toward me. The last thing I want right now is him probing me to figure out what’s wrong.

I’m painfully aware of what’s wrong with me. It’s Skyler. She’s sitting up in the stands next to Grace, again, her laptop perched on her knees. It’s the same scene that’s been playing out at our practices ever since she arrived, but today is different.

I know what she tastes like now. How she feels in my arms.

It’s also not helping my focus knowing that Zander is looking at her too. I’ve caught him glancing up at her multiple times. Each time, irritation burns through me. There’s no reason I should be reacting like this. Zander isn’t doing anything wrong. I have no claim on Skyler, but I can’t help myself. I don’t like knowing another man’s eyes are on her.

Sucking in a deep breath, I try to focus onblocking the goal as my teammates pelt me with puck after puck after puck. I manage to keep my shit together enough that I can get through the rest of practice, but it’s a struggle. When Coach finally blows the whistle to call it for the day, I let out a breath of relief.

Following the rest of the team as they skate off the ice, I steal another glance up at Skyler. She and Grace are chatting, seemingly oblivious to the tension among the team. Why do I so badly just want her to look at me? It doesn’t help that she’s absolutely stunning. The way she smiles during the conversation instantly makes me hard. Do I even exist to her right now?

Shaking my head in frustration, I make my way out of the rink and down the tunnel toward the locker room. I get to my locker and start shedding my pads. My muscles seem to sigh in relief as I remove the weight from them.

“Hey, Carson, can I talk to you man?”

I freeze at the sound of Zander’s voice. I’ve been kind of avoiding him for the past couple of days, which yeah, makes me a pussy, but I’m not sure how to handle this situation.

All I can think of when I’m around Zander is Skyler walking out of that bar with him. I don’t know what they did after that, and I don’t want to know. Still, I can’t really ignore him when he’s talking directly to me, especially when I’m in the middle of the locker room wearing nothing but a towel around my waist.

Slowly, I turn from my open locker to face him. He’s dressed in a tank top and basketball shorts, his hair still wet from his shower. He’s gazing at me with a furrowed brow and I can tell he’s concerned.

“Hey,” I reply, my voice cracking. “What’s up?”

He hesitates a moment before saying, “I, uh, wanted toapologize for getting so close to Skyler. I didn’t realize you were into her.”

“What?” I exclaim, startled. My face flushes and I quickly shake my head. “No, no, I’m not into her. You’ve got it all wrong!”

He frowns and I can read the confusion in his expression.

“Uh…but the other night at the bar, you seemed pretty upset that we were leaving together.”

I flinch. Shit…did he see me as they were leaving? I hadn’t exactly been hiding how pissed off I was in the moment.

Clearing my throat, I quickly say, “It’s just that Skyler is Grace’s best friend and is like a sister to me. You know, we all grew up together. I’m just…protective of her, that’s it.”

The words are hard to say and they don’t feel right falling from my lips. I can’t figure out what’s going on with me. Why am I having these conflicting feelings about Skyler? I knew her being here in Denver would cause me nothing but trouble.

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