Page 1 of Coach's Temptation

Chapter One

Hunter

Swear to God, that asshole Captain of mine is trying to ruin this team.

Myteam.

I slam my office door so hard the trophy shelf rattles. Not the trophies on top, because there aren't fucking any. After twenty years in the game, it's still empty.

My temples throb as I stare at the game footage playing on my laptop screen. Blake's proposal at center ice plays on repeat across every sports network.

Seriously.

Every. Damn. Network.

Every gossip page, every grandma with a Facebook account has been losing their shit over this for the last twenty-four hours. The NHL’s biggest grump just declared himself a changed man, and now the league is eating it up like free wings at Ridgeview Tavern.

The whole fucking world has gone insane.

Don't get me wrong - I'm happy for the guy. Blake deserves this.

But his grand romantic gesture in the middle of our playoff push? The media circus that's surrounded my team for the last few weeks is the last thing we need right now.

Especially now, considering we went against all odds and made play-offs.

We made playoffs.

We made the fucking playoffs.

We’re not supposed to be here. This shouldn’t have happened for the Icehawks. This team has been clawing its way up from rock bottom, fighting against the odds, proving every analyst wrong for years.

And now? We fucking made it.

I lean back in my chair, staring at the ceiling.

Twenty years.

Twenty years of climbing out of the wreckage of my own playing career.

That knee injury should've ended everything. I remember lying in that hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, the doctor's words echoing:"You'll never play professionally."

My entire identity, shattered in one hit. Hell, my knee still aches when it rains. Not that I ever let anyone see.

The rehab was hell. Not the physical part - I could handle the pain.

No… my downfall? The hardest part of that fucking blow to my knee?

It was watching my teammates move on without me. Draft day came and went. My name? Nowhere to be found.

While they were living my dream, I was learning to walk again.

But I guess today, making playoffs, makes it all worth it.

I click off the video of Blake's proposal. I’ve had my fill of that lovesick mug for one day.

My shoulders ache from hunching over strategy notes for hours. The digital clock on my desk blinks 11:47 PM. The building's practically empty, most of the team are out celebrating at Ridgeview Tavern, probably resembling beer-soaked gorillas by now.

Good. They earned it after tonight's win.

---