Page 123 of Play to Win

“Yeah.I told him too that I knew nothing was going on that day.But I wanted to know why he was there.”

“Emma.”She spits the word out.“He’s done with her.Thank God.”

“So I hear.We talked things out.We’re good now.Mostly.Just don’t let me ever find you alone with him again.”

I glare at him.

He laughs and teases the sides of my neck with his thumbs.“Kidding.Anyway, he told me something that kind of stabbed me right in the heart.I told him I didn’t call you that weekend because I was so busy at the draft, but that was bullshit.I didn’t call because I was scared.But he also told me Emma said she ended things with me because I was never there.Always working.She felt she came second.”

“Ohhhh.”I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and eye him.“I mean, she didn’t end things with you, but ...I can sort of understand that.”

“Yeah.”He screws up his face briefly.“My work is important to me.I work hard.I’ve been trying to prove myself again, like I did when I was a kid.But by making my work the most important thing in my life, I’ve lost other important things ...and people.And the most important thing is ...you.I don’t want to ever make that mistake again.”He meets my eyes.“Really.I promise to put you first ...always.”

My bottom lip quivers.“Thank you.But I know how important your career is to you.I want to support you in that.”

He closes his eyes for a second.“Thank you.”

“I think a relationship is give and take.There’ll be times where your career is demanding and I’ll support you on that.Time when your family needs your attention.And there’ll be times whenmyfamily or…or…well, I don’t feel like I have much of a career at the moment, but I’m working on it.And you’ll supportme.”I pause and meet his eyes.“Right?”

“Right.”His agreement is swift and heartfelt.

I lean up to kiss him.“Butyouare the most important thing to me.Always.”

“And you are to me.Always.”

And he rolls me under him and proceeds to show me how he really feels.

27

THÉO

“There’sno way we can stay under the salary cap and keep Bertelson, Belmont, and Bell, with the money they’re looking for.”

I look around the table, taking in the frustration on the faces of my grandfather; Scott; Dave; our new assistant coach, Stanislav Pretrov; and Barry Betlach, our director of hockey operations.“I have a solution.”

Barry shakes his head.“We have to lose one of them.”

“No.We can do this.We can change how we do business in this cap era.”

“How?”

“By carrying twenty-two players instead of twenty-three.”

The room falls silent, every face pulling tight.Except Scott’s, because he and I have already talked this through.

“What?”Grandpa finally says.“What the hell are you talking about?”

I expected this reaction, so it doesn’t faze me.“Teams typically carry either fourteen forwards and seven defensemen, or thirteen forwards and eight defensemen.But we could go with thirteen and seven.”

They’re shaking their heads already.Except Scott.

“Think about it.It’s the perfect model.”

“With eight healthy D-men, practicesareslower,” Dave says thoughtfully.“You don’t get enough reps in.”

“But you don’tknowyou’re going to have eight healthy D-men,” Grandpa points out.“Guys are always getting injured.”

“True.But we’re in a good position because our farm team is nearby,” I point out.“If someone gets hurt, we can get a guy from Pasadena here in an hour, if we need to.”

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