Page 47 of Taylor

“Taylor?”

He shook his head. “Sorry, I’m a little distracted. Thank you for letting me use your cabin.”

“Good, if you need anything, you know where to find me,” Coach said before clapping him on the shoulder and heading out of the locker room.

“What was that about?” Cash said before gulping down water.

“My family decided Christmas at Disney sounded good,” Taylor said.

“Have they met you before?” Cash asked with his easy grin.

“Right... I’m not sure if they have considered that. My mom thought I would actually go. I ran into Coach when we were both snowed in at the airport, and he offered me his cabin.”

“Nice. You seemed pretty rested and relaxed out there today. I’m glad you got some down time.”

“Hey, Conner,” Sven called across the locker room. “I think I might miss morning skate tomorrow.”

“What the fuck? You are on the power play. You will be there,” Conner said.

Conner was their captain, and he was laser focused on the cup. Last year, they had been so close but then Wes got injured, and shit went down with Sasha, and they didn’t make it to the finals. This year, though, Conner was more determined than ever.

Taylor quickly finished taking off his gear and got in the shower, grateful not to have to answer any more questions about the cabin. Uncomfortable questions that involved the coach’s daughter he was not looking forward to answering.

He made it home to his condo and let himself in. There, on the coffee table, was a brown-paper-wrapped package. He had dropped this off to the front desk. Perks like this were one of the reasons he loved living in a condo.

He pulled the paper away and smiled. He’d gotten the sketch Alice had made for him framed. There he was, in a swirl of colors, surrounded by the creatures from Monsters of the Realm.

Being a creature of habit, he made sure he had everything ready to go for game day, but on game days, that was in full force. He had been doing everything the exact same way for years. After making sure he had all the food and all the laundry put away, he ordered dinner. He would eat, shower, go to bed, and get ready for morning skate.

For the first time, a break had actually relaxed him and left him feeling ready to conquer the world—on the ice, at least. He thought of Alice and smiled. She really was remarkable.

22

Alice

It was New Year’s Eve, and Alice was home in her townhouse. She was still supposed to be in the cabin, but she had flown home the day after Taylor left because she just couldn’t be there without him. That was silly, as they’d spent a few days together. Nothing should have been life changing, but it was.

But since he left, she hadn’t heard anything from him. The way he had seemed just as upset about leaving as she was made her think he wanted to try something, but all she got was the “I’m home” text.

When she got back, she texted him... still nothing.

This was familiar. This felt like ghosting, but she had been so sure of their connection. She would try one last time. It was two in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve. Her dad had mentioned a New Year’s Eve party the Magic was giving. Some players would be there, but it was not mandatory. She was hoping maybe he would be there.

She pulled out her phone and decided this was it. She had thought something was there, but she’d gotten it wrong before. One more day in this year, before her new self would not pine after any man.

But at this moment... there was definitely pining.

Alice: I was thinking about going to the New Year’s Eve party at the center tonight.

She set her phone down and pushed it away. How was she so nervous to text someone who had just made her feel incredible for three days? She got out the sketch pad and decided to draw while she waited.

About fifteen minutes later, her phone dinged.

Taylor: Have Fun

That was it... Anxiety was pulsing in her veins. Maybe she made it all up? But how was that possible? It felt so real.

Alice: Are you going?

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