Page 52 of Your Pucking Mom

“They fueled my hockey addiction. My dad worked at a plant that manufactured parts for cars, and my mom was a middle school English teacher. They worked overtime, summer school, and extra babysitting jobs just to make sure I was able to go to all the hockey camps I could, even sent me to Scotland to play when I was a kid.”

“Do you have siblings?”

“Nope, it’s just me.”

“Your parents seem…wonderful,” she muttered, but there was a bite in her tone I couldn’t quite make out.

“They are. They’re retired in Indiana now, but will come to my home games sometimes. They said that this season, since it’ll be my last, they’re going to make an effort to come to more.”

Auburn shifted in her seat. “It’s your last season?”

Shit. I didn’t realize she didn’t know that. Girls usually Googled my stats, and the entire community had been talking about this being my retirement year, so it was all over the internet if anyone searched my name. Sheepishly, I tugged at the beard on my face.

“I assumed since I was mentoring Austin, you would’ve Googled me and knew.”

She cocked her head to the side, giving me an unimpressed smile. “I don’t Google his teammates. I’m not that nosy.”

I threw my hands up in defense. “I’m not saying you are. I just figured you’d get curious.”

She relaxed, then her baby blues pierced me through the dimly lit cabin. “Curious about you? No way.”

I shook my head. “I’m getting old, and I tore my MCL last season pretty fucking badly. Took me out for months.”

Auburn’s eyes bulged. “I had no idea.”

Her voice was laced with so much concern it was adorable.

“How can I help you?” She scanned my knees as if she’d become a doctor in the last few moments and could give me some miraculous recovery to cure my knee.

I leaned over and ran my thumb across her lips, forcing her to look up in my eyes. “I appreciate the concern, Sunshine. I don’t need anything.”

From you? I need nothing from you—right now.That was what I should have said, but instead, I pulled back before I could scare her off more. “My knee is okay right now. Sometimes when I lean to the right, I can feel the strain, but for the most part, it healed up okay. I just think it’s made me not as quick as I once was. I feel it in my body.”

“Isn’t growing up a bitch?” she asked, getting comfortable again.

“Yeah, old lady. Tell me what it’s like in your ripe old age.” She laughed hysterically. I was committing this sound to memory along with her snorts.

The plane hummed a bit loudly and we were headed into some clouds, which usually happened when we had to go through the Rockies, so instead of letting her get worked up, I tried to continue our conversation.

“Tell me about your family. Any siblings?” I asked just as we hit a bump. She swallowed.

“Eyes on me, Sunshine. Focus on the question I asked you.” Auburn nodded, closing her eyes for a moment too long before opening them up again and taking a deep inhale.

“No siblings. Just my mom.”

“Your dad?” She shook her head.

“He left us when I was a baby. To be honest, I’m not sure I remember his name, only that my mom’s called him a sperm donor my entire life.”

“That…” The right words were difficult to form. “That’s fucking hard. I’m sorry you went through that.” Auburn’s lips pulled into a tight, too polite smile.

“My mother was difficult to grow up with,” she admitted.

Just as I was about to ask her more, the plane started rocking. The pilot came on, letting us know we were going to descend into Denver and that it’d be bumpy.

Auburn’s panic was palpable. Her hands trembled, and soft whimpers escaped her lips as the pilot announced the twenty minutes of turbulence ahead.

“I can’t handle this,” she voiced, her eyes brimming with tears as she turned to me.

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