Page 57 of Hat Trick Daddies

She plants herself next to the table, ignoring the obvious disinterest on both our faces. “What’s up? What’s up is you two ghosting me. Who’s replaced me, huh?”

Nick snorts, shaking his head. “Nobody replaced you. We weren’t dating, Tiff. You know that.”

“Yeah,” I add, swirling the whiskey in my glass. “Plenty of guys out there, Tiff. You’ll find someone else.”

Her eyes narrow, and she opens her mouth to retort, but before she can, she bumps into someone behind her.

Bruno Varga, the Slovak goalie, glances down at her, his towering frame making her look tiny in comparison. He’s sitting at the bar with another man, but his sharp features twist into a frown as he watches her stomp away in a huff.

“I don’t want to hurt her feelings, but…” Nick mutters as Tiffany storms off. Bruno’s gaze lingers on us for a moment before he shakes his head and turns back to his drink.

The moment Tiffany leaves, I glance over at Bruno again, noting how quiet the bar feels now. He’s not someone I’d want to cross, and the last thing I need is him overhearing anything about Ally.

I lower my voice, leaning closer to Nick. “So…do you think there’s any chance we could actually have something real with Ally? Like, not just the fun we’ve been having?”

Nick furrows his brow, his fingers drumming lightly against his glass. “I’ve been thinking about that too,” he admits. “She’s not like the other girls. I mean, she’s got a career, goals, a good head on her shoulders. She’s not just here for a good time.”

“Exactly,” I say, nodding. “She’s the kind of girl you don’t just mess around with. She’s…special.”

Nick tilts his head, studying me. “You really believe that?”

I pause, swirling the last of my whiskey. “Yeah,” I say finally. “I do.”

Nick leans back, his expression thoughtful. “So, let me ask you this, could you actually settle down, Ty? Like, give up the clubbing, the puck bunnies, all of it?”

I shrug, trying to play it cool, but the weight of the question hits me harder than I expected. “I don’t know,” I admit, my voice quieter now. “I’ve never really thought about it before.”

Nick raises an eyebrow. “And now?”

I glance at him, then down at my empty glass. “Now? A girl like Ally…she makes you think about it. For the first time, I’m actually considering it. Like, what it’d be like to have someone like her, not just for a night, but…longer.”

Nick nods slowly, his gaze steady. “Yeah. Me too.”

The thought lingers between us, unspoken but heavy.

I swirl the ice in my glass, staring into the amber remnants of my drink. The idea of settling down has always felt foreign, but now? Now it feels like a possibility, one I’m not entirely sure how to handle.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Brooks

The bladeof my skate carves a clean arc into the ice as I pivot, my stick poised to block a pass.

The puck ricochets off the boards, and my teammate, Reggie, comes barreling toward me, trying to thread it past.

My legs burn with the effort of keeping pace, but I hold my ground, angling my body just right to intercept him.

“Not today, Reggie!” I bark, knocking the puck away with a sharp flick of my stick.

Nick, back on the ice for light drills, swoops in from behind me, snagging the puck and sending it across the rink to Tyler. They sprint down the stretch in perfect sync, but I’m already closing the gap, my breath coming in sharp bursts.

“Switch to two-on-one!” Coach Walker shouts from the sidelines.

Reggie and another forward, Bruno, circle back toward me. My muscles tighten as I shift into defense mode, keeping my stick low and my eyes locked on the puck. They zigzag with practiced precision, trying to pull me off balance, but I dig in, my edges biting into the ice.

Reggie feints left, Bruno takes the shot, and I throw myself sideways, my stick clashing against the puck. The satisfying crack reverberates through the rink as I send it flying.

Practice winds down, the drills leaving me drenched in sweat but feeling good. It’s been an intense few days as we prepare for the season opener, and the team’s energy is electric.

---