Page 111 of Goalie's Obsession

“Thank you,” Ethan mutters under his breath, rubbing his palms together.

Blake lifts a brow. “Still weird that he’s in here, period. What’d you do, invite him in for post-practice juice boxes?”

I shoot Blake a warning look. “He’s here because I asked him to be.”

The room quiets a little—not enough to be awkward, just enough for everyone to take notice.

Because despite being close to the team, Ethan’s not one of them. He's not an Icehawk. He doesn’t have a stall with his name on it, doesn’t belong to the sacred brotherhood that gets forged between four walls of sweat, blood, and tape burns.

But he’s here now.

And I need him to say what he came to say.

Ethan looks at me and straightens like he knows it’s his cue.

I stand up. “Alright. Let’s cut the chirping for a sec.”

Blake leans back, Logan stops mid-tape, and Ryder looks up from where he’s untying his skates.

I nod toward Ethan and slide a warning glance over my teammates.

“Alright. I think it's fair to say this man has been wrapped up in some shady shit lately. But he’s here because he wants to make it right. And I’m asking—no, I’mtelling—you to give him a minute and hear him out.”

My voice doesn’t rise, but it doesn’t have to. There’s grit in it. An edge that gets the locker rooms attention.

Ethan steps up and clears his throat.

“Thanks, man." Ethan says, looking around like a schoolboy on his first day. "Listen guys, I’ve talked to Connor. And I’ve talked to Lucy,” he says, voice tighter than usual. “And it's about time that I take accountability for what I'm putting you all through. No more bullshit."

"I’ve scheduled a meeting with league compliance. I’ll tell them everything I did, every line I crossed. Every bet that's put all of you at risk of losing everything you all worked damn hard for.”

The room quiets. No chirping now.

“I’ve also signed myself into a rehab program. Gambling, substance—everything. I’ve needed help for a long time. And with Connor's help, I’m finally taking it.”

Nobody speaks as they all share glances with each other.

Then Blake, ever the Captain and leader of men, claps. “Well, shit. Guess we’re proud of you, man.”

“Didn’t see that coming,” Ryder adds, genuine under the sarcasm.

Logan just tosses Ethan a towel and mutters, “You mess up again, I’m checking you into rehab myself.”

Ethan huffs a laugh. “Fair.”

The silence lingers after Ethan’s speech. Not awkward. Not cold. Just… heavy.

Then Blake leans forward and breaks it with a mutter. “Shit. That was the most mature thing I’ve heard in this room since Coach told Ryder to stop peeing in the shower.”

“Hey,” Ryder grunts. “I said I washydrating—”

“Enough,” I say, pacing to the middle of the room, adrenaline buzzing in my fingertips. “Alright. He’s owning it. But we all know that’s not gonna fix it. Not for the league. Not for Lucy.”

I scrub a hand through my hair and let my thoughts catch up to my mouth.

“We’ve been reacting to everything. Apologizing. Scrambling. But what if we didn’t just clean up the mess?” My eyes sweep the room. “What if we turned it into something good?”

Ryder squints. “Like a redemption arc?”

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