Page 149 of Unmasking Love
"Love you too, Harp."
I lean my head back against the seat and glance over at Bryson who is tracking the ball across the field.
"You know they're coming to D.C. this summer for an exhibition game?" I ask him with a nod towards his phone.
"Yeah, they were talking about moving the training facilities to the area, too.” Bryson reports with his eyes glued to the screen. “They're trying to figure out which time zone will give them the best advantage for overseas play."
"Huh, that's interesting."
"Yeah, I think it's a good idea, right now, based in Colorado, they have the altitude but they have longer travel days and can't catch up on jet lag as easily so the team is testing out Maryland for the summer."
"Oh, so will there be more games than just the one against Venezuela in July?"
"Maybe, a lot of the girls also play on professional teams so it depends on their schedules," then he drops the phone down and looks up to the sky. "Damnit Jo, that one was yours."
He closes the game and pops in his headphones. I decide to do the same and get lost in my thoughts.
This series has beenamazing. I've only played in one other playoff game and it was when the first string had gotten a flat tire on his way to the arena so he wasn't fully warmed up before game time.
It doesn't feel real that I played in two of these five games. I struggled after the loss in game four, especially being on the road. But the boys had words of encouragement. Harper listened the next morning when she was hungover but sober.
My first call wasn't to my dad for the first time in my career. When I did call he asked what Harper had to say and that made me smile.
I told him how at first she just listened. She let me say my piece and didn't react or try to challenge me.
That she understood how I needed to vent the worst thoughts to get them out of my head.
Then she started to tell me about the house a client is trying to sell and I remembered that hockey is only a part of my life.
And as I shared that with my dad he just hummed his agreement and I could sense him nodding along. It really feels like life is coming together.
The bus finally leaves the arena and even though my headphones are in I can hear the music being blasted. If this is how we celebrate after a first round win I'm nervous for how big the party will be for later series wins.
Chapter 45
Harper
"That goal just got me pregnant."
"Doesthisgetanyeasier?" I ask as I pick at my nail. I cracked the corner of it in the first period when Dallas was firing shot after shot at the net. Then I ripped it completely across the top in the second when Aiden was down in our end. I could feel the nerves rolling off of him from here.
The family suite is quiet. Like the rest of the arena. The boys are down three goals with half a period left in the second game of the third round.
It's not impossible they come back but they look gassed.
The other team only had to play five games last series while we had to play all seven and came back from being down three games early. Aiden thought the momentum of winning the last four games in round two was going to carry them forward but they just look tired.
"No, it doesn't." Danielle says as she spins her wedding ring around her finger. "I was a nervous wreck even when Mike was coaching juniors. You know how hard they've worked for it, how bad they want it, how much they deserve it, and to see them lose, hurts."
"I think I feel it as much as Johnny does." Caroline says as she chews her popcorn quickly. "They at least get to physically exercise some of their adrenaline out."
"Mike is switching up the lines," Danielle says as she leans forward in her seat. "That could be good."
"Oh wow, they put Johnny up a line." Caroline takes a deep breath. "GO JOHNNY! GO! SHOOT IT!"
Thepuck flies, as if on Caroline's command, and time stops as everyone watches it sail up and over the goalie's shoulder.
"HOLY SHIT!" Caroline jumps and throws her popcorn everywhere. "Yeah baby!" She yells towards the ice.
