Page 109 of When Alec Met Evie
Nobody says anything. They just sit and look down at the ice, just like I’ve been for the last two hours.
A surge of emotion makes my chest tight.
My team.My brothers.I didn’t know how much I wanted them to be here until they showed up.
I lean forward and prop my elbows on my knees. The rink lights are on, thanks to Javi, the facilities manager who let meinto the Summit earlier, and the ice is pristine and smooth. I don’t often see it from this angle, and it’s a beautiful sight.
Nathan drops a hand onto my back. “It looks good from up here.”
“Yeah, it does,” I agree.
Another few moments pass before Eli clears his throat. “So, my mom just had a really bad flare up and we aren’t sure why. The past few days have included a lot of doctor’s appointments, but no real answers. It’s wearing on all of us.”
“Sorry, man,” Camden says, and a few guys nod their support.
Nathan leans forward. “Uh, Blake just busted up his shoulder playing flag football,” he says, talking about his little brother, who is a top draft prospect for the NHL. “He’ll be out for six weeks, and he’s beating himself up for it, worried it’s going to impact his prospects. It sucks, because it actually might.”
“Nah, he’ll be all right,” Logan says, reaching over to give Nathan a good-natured punch in the arm. “His stats are too good.”
“My father-in-law still hates me,” Van says, and we all chuckle.
“Coach does not hate you,” Eli says.
“Then why do his eyes frown every time he looks at me?” Van asks.
“His eyes frown?” I ask, and Van sits up, mimicking Coach Davis’s favorite expression, brows furrowed, lips pursed. I roll my eyes. “He looks at all of us like that,” I say. Except, Coach won’t look atmelike that anymore. Van must sense my thoughts, because he reaches behind Nathan and gives my shoulder a squeeze.
Nathan lifts a thumb and points it at Camden. “Pretty sure this guy is still heartbroken.”
“I’m not heartbroken,” Camden says.
“Yeah, you are,” the rest of us all say in unison.
Camden mumbles something under his breath, then a few beats of silence pass before Felix clears his throat.
“Gracie and I have been trying for a baby,” he says. “It’s only been a few months, which, I realize isn’t that long, but we keep striking out, and Gracie is really focused, and it’s making sex feel weird and a little like work.”
“That’s rough, man,” Eli says.
A few other guys echo Eli’s comment, and Camden reaches over and claps Felix on the back.
“Okay, if I say this out loud,” Logan says, “you have to swear you’ll never say anything to Parker.”
We all sit up a little taller and look toward Logan.
His jaw tenses before he finally admits, “Please don’t tell Parker, but I really,reallyhate the color pink.”
We all laugh, and a little more of the tension in my shoulders drains away.
“Dude, why do you keep buying her so much pink stuff?” Van asks.
“Becausesheloves it,” Logan says. “That’s all the reason I need.”
I know what my teammates are doing. Normalizing the struggle. Being vulnerable with me so that if I need to, I can do the same thing with them.
Nathan nudges my knee with his. “Come on, man. You’re up.”
I take a long, slow breath, then finally say, “Evie’s ex showed up at her house tonight, and I made him sit outside in the cold for half an hour while we waited for Evie to get home.”
