Page 58 of Breaking the Pucking Rules
My chest tightens as I play it again.
Fuck, I love that kid.
“I’m going to go see her and then go to bed,” I say, my voice rough with emotion.
“You got it. Sleep well.”
“You too.”
As silently as I can, I climb the stairs and slip into Sutton’s room.
Her star nightlight illuminates the ceiling, allowing me to get to her without tripping over the million stuffies that have already been kicked from the bed.
Coming to a stop beside her, I spend a moment taking her in. Her lips are parted, her eyelashes resting on her rosy cheeks, and her hair is a mess across the pillow. She’s still wearing her jersey—standard for a game night—and she’s hugging her matching LA Vipers bear.
The store manager had it specially made for her when I was traded. It hasn’t left her side since.
“Sweet dreams, Peanut,” I whisper before kissing her forehead.
“Daddy,” she rasps, her arm reaching for me. “You won.”
“We did.”
“Proud of you,” she whispers, her voice getting quieter with each word as she slips back to sleep.
I stand there for a few more moments, focusing on what’s really important in my life.
As she begins snoring softly, I back out of her room and walk into mine.
I strip down to my boxers and climb under the covers.
But despite needing to, I’m not ready to sleep. My body is still too amped up from the game.
Back in the day, I’d have gone out with the team to decompress. Win or lose, we’d always go out to let off some steam.
But those days are behind me now. Even when we’re away, I don’t join them.
I’m not that guy anymore.
I’m a father, and I have to put that before anything else.
Hockey might be my calling in life, my career, but Sutton is my entire world.
15
CASEY
“Stop looking at the door like he’s about to walk through it. You know he’s not,” Parker says after the game.
“I’m not,” I mutter, although we both know I’m lying.
Dad sent Kodie to do post-game press, so he’d be late even if he was planning on attending.Which he never does.
“Come on, let’s get a drink,” Parker says, threading her arm through mine and dragging me to the bar.
She orders for both of us, and I force myself to keep my back to the door as we discuss tonight’s game.
Parker might have no interest in bedding a hockey player, but that doesn’t mean she’s not as obsessed as I am.
