Page 129 of Play Book

“Well.” I clear my throat. “You will this year. As long as you behave yourself. Otherwise, there’ll be coal in your stocking.”

“Whatever.” She smirks. “Also, you owe me a dollar.”

“For what?” I ask in confusion.

“Eating broccoli. Duh.”

I don’t get back to hockey until the last two games of the season, and while no one says anything about my absence, I know the team felt it. They lost two of the last four games, which isn’t ideal even though we’ve clinched our playoff spot. We want to end on a high note, and I’m already stressed because I had to leave Ally so I could fly to Vegas. It’s just one day, and I’ll be home late, but it’s the first time I’ve left her in nearly two weeks, and she was a little teary-eyed when I dropped her off at school this morning.

Luckily, Colleen is available to pick her up and stay the night since I may not get home until two or three in the morning.

Without Marjorie, I’m heading into the playoffs with a big problem. Stevie and Autumn have both offered to help, which is great, but I’m going to have to figure something out. I can’t count on friends to take care of Ally. Not long-term, anyway. However, for the playoffs, we’re going to have to come up with a plan. I don’t know that any of us are happy about it, but I’m pretty pissed off at the world right now anyway, so it’s par for the course.

“Who pissed in your corn flakes?” Jensen asks me after the morning skate.

“No one. Why?”

“You’re even surlier than usual.”

“Fuck off.”

“See what I mean?”

“I live with a needy pre-teen who’s been waking me up every night because she’s having nightmares. I haven’t gotten a decent night’s sleep in over a week, I’m interviewing nannies again, and my girlfriend dumped me. What the fuck else do you want to know?”

Jensen frowns. “She dumped you? The rumor mill says it was a mutual thing.”

“No, it wasn’t mutual.”

Was it?

It’s not like I argued with her or tried to change her mind.

Hell, I hadn’t even told her what I’d been thinking about. That I needed a little time for me to focus on Ally. That we didn’t have to end things, just take a step back for a few months.

Stepping back was the same thing as breaking up, though.

Isn’t it?

I’m tired and confused and horny.

As fuck.

“It doesn’t matter,” I snap, closing my locker. “I’m not boyfriend material. It was fun for a while, but it ran its course.”

“I thought you were doing pretty good.” He leans against the lockers. “You want to talk about it?”

“No, I don’t fucking want to talk about it!” I snap.

Fuck.

This isn’t Big Bang’s fault.

He’s my friend and I’m being an asshole.

“Sorry,” I say after a second. “I’m just stressed about Ally and the game tonight.”

“Is Stevie with her?”

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