Page 132 of The Alternate Captain
“Ah-ha!” Darren chimes, grinning at me.
“Darren, please.”
But then Patrick bursts back into the room and nods his head in my direction.
“Kelly, a word?”
The team group chat is fired up. Texts flying back and forth all day, but I only check my phone after Kelly’s show once I’m back in the hotel.
Bettsy
What the hell just happened?
Twinnies, where did you go?
Danny
Jenna just called me. No fucking way @Ryan Preston.
Hutch
What the hellis going on?
Danny
*wedding bells emoji*
Bettsy
Wait. Did someone get married?
Prez
My heart skips in my chest. Married? Ryan got married? I don’t even think I can believe it until I tap on the photo and pinch the screen to zoom in. Yeah, it’s him and Jen, alright. Donned in casual dress, standing outside the registry office.
Well, shit.
Without thinking, I call Ryan and he answers after the third ring, his voice a buzz of excitement on the line.
“You got married?” I ask. “Well, congratulations are in order.”
“Yeah, bud. I mean, it was just for the paperwork stuff for the house. Last-minute cancellation. We’re going to have a formal wedding soon. But I’m sorry you weren’t there.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’m happy for you guys.”
An unsettling feeling swims in my stomach, but since I’m so goddamn out of tune with my feelings, I have no clue what to think.
“Look, I know you’re in a bit of a place right now, John. But I’ve got you, you know that, right?”
I’m just relieved he doesn’t ask me about why I’ve been coming and going in the early hours of the morning.
“Yeah, of course. I just needed to take a few days,” I say.
I had to. I needed the space from hockey. I think I’m coming to terms with the fact that I may be able to feel something. Because I’ve been thinking about Kelly’s words non-stop. She told me she loved me for one. And I came. Shit, I came, and we didn’t use a—
“Johnny?”
