Page 144 of Play the Game

We play hard and fast.

Malaki is up for MVP of the year, and he’s slicing and dicing on the icy floor like his life depends on it. But our guys are tired, and we’re tied 1-1.

Kane has been in the penalty box three times, and Matthew twice, which isn’t the norm for him. But when we play a team this good, there’s bound to be some mistakes.

Scottie pops into my head.

So many mistakes were made.

I should have told her that I love her much sooner than I did. Or expressed just how much I love her.

Maybe then, she would have stayed, and we could have figured this out together.

Instead, she fled and tried to fix it on her own because that’s what she’s used to.

Being alone.

I focus on the black puck whizzing directly for the top left corner of the net. I block it with my shoulder, but the relief is gone when I’m flung backward, cracking my helmet off the ice.

Fucking shit.

“You mother fuckers!” Kane shouts, jumping on top of several other players with me at the bottom of the pile.

Jesus fucking Christ.

The refs and teammates intervene and try to pull everyone off of each other. Fists are flying, and I’m stuck lying underneath them. Number seven smiles slyly at me.

“I’d let that girl blackmail me too.”

I know he’s trying to get me riled up.

The old Emory would throw his gloves off to the side, and the smug fuck would be on his ass with a broken jaw in seconds.

But I’m not ruining the work Scottie just put in to make me seem like I’m a good man.

She makes me want to be the guy she painted me out to be in the media. I want to show her how good of a husband I can be, without the threat of our stupid marriage contract hanging over our heads.

Fuck.

I have to fix it.

Nothing seems to matter to me, unless I have her.

“Kane!” I shout. “He’s baiting you.”

“He’s baiting you!” he shouts back, flinging the ref's hand off his pad.

“And I’m not takin’ it. Get your fucking head in the game.”

I should take my own advice, but there’s another game that my head is in, and right after we win this one, I’m going to go win that one too.

“Olson.”Coach Jacobs seems irritated. “They want you for the press conference tonight.”

I knew they’d want me, so I’m not surprised.

“You can refuse it. You’ll be fined, but I don’t think anyone will blame you.”

I’m still in my uniform, minus my helmet. I walk past Coach and pat some of my teammates on the back because we won, and it’s all because they worked together as a team.

---