Page 50 of Forecasting the Forward

“Yeah, why?” I ask.

She looks embarrassed as she explains very quietly, “I don’t want people to see where my brother hit me.”

Fuck. No wonder she’s apprehensive about meeting the team. I reach up, cupping her cheek softly. “You look absolutely breathtaking, darlin’.”

Becca leans into my touch, her eyes softening almost imperceptibly. “Really?”

“Really.”

“You wouldn’t lie about that, right?”

I step closer to her, letting my hand slide down to bracket her neck. “I will never lie to you, Becca. I promise.”

“Okay,” she replies, giving me a cute smile. Satisfied, I walk away.

“Sup, Jax.” Tim, a physical therapist who often travels with the team, greets me. “Coach said you’d be getting here at some point.”

“Yeah, our flight was delayed.”

“That the new missus?” Tim gestures toward Becca.

“That’s her.”

“You’re all everyone talked about during warm ups. Team seems pretty stoked to be welcoming a new WAG.”

I roll my eyes. “I haven’t even explained the WAG mentality to her. Not too many are worthy of meeting.”

“I know. Dunner’s girlfriend had the audacity to ask me to get her a drink at the last event. She couldn’t grasp the concept of me being an employee andnothired help.” Gavin Dunn’s girlfriend, Avery, became social media famous a few years ago, and nabbing a hockey boyfriend made her think even more highly of herself. After one interaction with her, I knew immediately she wasn’t someone I wanted to be around. Fortunately, I think her boyfriend is a piece of trash too.

“She’s the first person I’ll be warning my wife to steer clear of,” I tell Tim. God, I fuckinglovecalling Becca my wife. “I’m not sure where we should go. Does Coach want me on the bench? Back here? In the stands? What period are we in?”

“Just about to finish the first period,” Tim replies.

“Seriously? That’s a long-ass first period.”

“Way too many penalties, and a lengthy delay because of an injury to a defenseman for Cleveland.”

“Oh, shit,” I say. I never want to hear about injuries, no matter what team the player is on. Most injuries are simple things like bloody noses or minor cuts. We get stitched up, and we’re back on the ice. Rarely, there are injuries that involve a lot more care.

“Yeah. He got slammed into the boards pretty hard. Completely knocked out. Took a while to get him secured and off the ice. At the same time there was a fight, and all those penalties took time to sort out as well. Honestly, it was a mess.”

A buzzer sounds, alerting us to the end of the period. Knowing how my team exits the ice, I nod at Tim before going back to Becca’s side. My teammates are likely to bum-rush her in their haste to get back to the locker room, and I don’t want her to get frightened or hurt.

Levi is the first through the doorway, and he immediately throws both arms around us. “Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell!”

“Oh, wow, that smell,” Becca blurts out, making both Levi and me laugh. He pounds me lightly on the back as he continues toward the locker room. Each of my teammates walks past with a nod to me, and most acknowledge Becca as well. Gabe Dawson stops to introduce himself, telling Becca he can’t wait for her to meet his wife, Cassie. Becca will love Cassie, as well as their daughter, Mackenzie.

“Jaxy boy! Thanks for bringing me a present,” Grant says loudly, whipping off his gloves as he takes Becca’s hand in his. “Hello, beautiful.”

“Uh, hi?” Becca says, confusion laced in her tone. As Grant brings her hand to his lips, my immediate frown turns to an amused smile when Becca yanks her hand away from Grant. “I don’t think so.”

“What?” Grant asks innocently. “I figured you’d want to upgrade from Mitchell here.”

Becca burrows into my side. “No, thank you.”

Grant cocks his head to the side, glancing at me as I proudly slide my arm around Becca. “Huh. Found yourself a keeper, I think.”

“Nally, move it along!” Coach Davenport barks from behind him. Grant winks at me as he strides past us. “Jax. Fashionably late.”

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