Page 120 of Trade Deadline

I’ve achieved my dreams of playing in the NHL on the same team as my brother, and just like that, it’s all gonna be taken away from me.

Alex won’t leave his brother to follow me to Buffalo.

Elliot’s tied to a four-year contract.

I’ve been on such a high these last couple of months that the impact of hitting the bottom is going to be catastrophic.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Alex’s sleepy voice breaks me from my spiraling thoughts.

He sits up and rests his hand on the side of my face, his thumb wiping away a tear I didn’t realize had fallen.

“Blaine, talk to me, what happened?”

My words get stuck in my throat. I feel like a hollow shell. Trades are inevitable; they happen to almost every hockey player. You’re always at risk of being traded unless you have a clause in your contract.

And while I see this team as my family, it’s still a business at the end of the day. The head honchos don’t care that I have found family here. They don’t care that I’ve fallen in love and met my soulmate.

I’m just a chess piece that’s no longer needed on their board.

Alex moves to kneel in front of me between my legs. His soft, warm hands cup my face, tilting my head up.

I open my mouth, but the words get stuck in my throat. I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to find the strength to say what I know will break his heart.

“It’s happened… I’ve been traded,” I croak.

My heart cracks in two as his eyes fill with tears.

He takes a shaky breath and asks, “Where?”

“Buffalo,” I manage.

“Buffalo…” He repeats, confusion lining his forehead. “New York?”

I nod.

He frowns, dropping his hands from my face to pick up my phone that’s still lit up with that fucking tweet. He reads it, and when he looks up, his expression is full of determination.

“We can make this work.”

I shake my head, letting out a small laugh. “I couldn’t expect you to move for me, and it’s over five hundred miles…”

“Yeah, I might not be able to move right away, but now that Jacob and I are able to hire some staff, I’ll be able to visit.” He types away on my phone, then holds up a list of flights. “It’s only a four-hour flight… and why wouldn’t I move to be with you? You’re not alone in this, Blaine. I love you, and if this is what I need to do to be with you, then I’ll follow you wherever you go, every single time.”

A choked sob gets lodged in my throat. How did I get so lucky to find the most incredible man, willing to up his life and follow me to another state? I’m about to open my mouth when my phone begins to ring in his hands. He holds it up, and Hayden’s name flashes on the screen. With a shaky finger, I swipe to accept and put the phone on loudspeaker.

“Hey.” I clear my throat.

“I’m so sorry, Blaine.” He begins, causing my heart to plummet once again. “I have no idea where that person got their information from, but it’s incorrect. You’re not being traded; you’re staying exactly where you are.”

“What?”

“It’s Petford who’s been traded, not you.”

I feel like a prized asshole for thinking this, but thank fuck it’s Petford.

“Between you and me, Petford’s been a naughty boy. It was a very last-minute trade that’s come about within the last couple of hours, and nobody knows yet, but I’m guessing it’s someone in Petford’s inner circle that’s shared the info to try to give him some time.”

“So I’m staying in Chicago?”

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