Page 31 of Gamechanger

The moment should have been perfect. I'd shared a kiss with a wonderful man who promised a new beginning in my life. It was all that I wanted, but after the initial excitement faded, it became overwhelming. The new year stretched out before me, and all I could think about was how the chubby kid had to make everybody happy for them to want him around.

What if I failed at my new job? What if my best wasn't good enough for Finn? What if the media found out about our relationship, and it ruined his career? Quinn and Axel survived that, but they were much tougher than me.

"Hey," Finn's voice cut through the spiraling thoughts. "Are you still with me?"

I blinked and focused on his handsome face. "Sorry, I was just thinking about everything to come in the new year."

Finn's brow furrowed. "You know, about what you said earlier. You don't have to prove anything to me. There's no reason I'm with you other than I want to be. You've already earned it. Just be yourself. That's what I want."

He was trying hard to reassure me, and maybe it helped a little bit, but it wasn't just Finn. It was everything at once, all coming together like I could finally keep all the balls in the air while juggling. What if I dropped one?

"I know. I get it, and I just want this year to be great for both of us."

Finn took my hand again and looked me in the eye. "It will be. We'll make sure it is."

Chapter ten

Finn

When I stepped onto the ice for our latest practice session, I tried to focus on the sound of my skates. It was better than listening to the hum of despondent voices from my teammates. Our last three games had been disasters, and the impact of the losses hung over us like a storm cloud waiting to send damaging lightning strikes.

Sergei glided up beside me. His usual stoic expression was broken up by worry lines creasing his forehead. "Rookie, you, me, that one," he nodded toward Blaise, "we need to talk."

"Okay, sure." I skated over to where Blaise absentmindedly picked at his stick tape. When the three of us formed an unexpected huddle, several of our teammates watched closely.I wanted to think it was curiosity, but due to the current circumstances, I suspected there was suspicion, too.

"Alright, big man, what's this about?" Blaise tapped his stick on the ice. "If you're going to lecture me on team spirit, count me out. I've heard enough of that from Coach."

Sergie glared at him. "No lecture. I want to fix our problem."

I cleared my throat, suddenly realize how physically small I felt next to them. "We're in a bad slump. I hope you have some ideas, Sergei, because if we don't turn things around, any possibilities of reaching the playoffs are gone like a puff of smoke."

"Like you're the genius here, short stack."

I bristled at the ridiculous nickname, but it didn't stop me from speaking my mind. "My point is that we need to do something different. We're banging our heads against the boards and expecting a different outcome."

Sergei nodded. "Finn is right. We've been playing like… how do you Americans put it… strangers in the night?"

Blaise corrected him. "That would be ships passing in the night."

"Ships, strangers, what's the difference?" Sergei waved a hand. "Either way means we're not playing like a team, and we lose the game."

I jumped in. "What if we try some new line combinations and shake things up. Would that help be a little kick in the ass?"

Blaise smiled. "So does that mean you're going to suggest putting me on the first line where I belong?"

I rolled my eyes. Typical Blaise, always focused on what was in it for him, but I didn't want to offend him. Sergei thought he was important. "I'm not suggesting that, but what if we tried you on the wing instead of center? You've got a wicked shot, but sometimes your passing…" I trailed off, aware that my judgments might offend him.

Surprisingly,. he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, okay. I can see that, but if we do it, who takes over at center?"

Sergei spoke up. "I could move to forward. I played center in KHL before moving to the USA. I could try that again."

It sounded like an exciting change to me. "Maybe it could work. With Sergei's bulk and intimidation in the center, Blaise's shot, and my speed out on the other wing…"

Blaise completed my thought. "We'd be fucking unstoppable."

"Language," muttered Sergei.

"Okay, so that's one idea," I said, feeling more energized than I had in weeks. "What about our forechecking? I was thinking..."

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