Page 86 of Tempting the Goalie
Priya is the first to open her eyes and when she does, they practically bulge out of her head. “Holy shit.” She looks at the row of four hockey players standing in front of us.
Yuna is next, but her reaction is even funnier. “I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
I laugh.
“Come on, guys, let’s get out of their way,” Luc says.
Steve and Hugh take that as their cue to leave and head up the stairs. The freshies don’t do anything that will piss off the seniors I’ve learned.
Macklin is still standing in front of us. “Is Ruby home?” he asks.
“I... I’m not sure. She went to visit Briar last night. She either came home late or stayed there.”
He nods. “Thanks.” Then he walks away.
“I’ll go upstairs, Mon coeur.” Luc grins and he walks away to give my friends their privacy.
“I can’t believe we passed out,” Priya says and she starts to gather the empty food containers.
“The last thing I remember is saying that I love Luc, and I just want to be with him,” I relay as I pick up the empty wine bottles.
“Which means you need to sit down with Luc, and not by yourself, and both of you need to decide what programs you’re applying to and what contract he needs to sign,” Yuna advises.
After we clean up, I thank my friends and they both head home. I head upstairs to my man. I want his arms around me. I need to feel like whatever we choose will be okay.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Luc
For the past month, Izzy and I have been going back and forth on what to do about our future together. We know we want to be together. She prefers to stay close to Val -Du-Lys. That is something I never thought about doing. Going back to my decrepit house with my alcoholic father wasn’t on the top of my list. But now Elyna is living on the Thornes’ property, and I find myself missing little Braden. I FaceTime them as much as I can, but the little man is growing fast. For now, Izzy applied to both Canadian and American programs, and I am fending off pressure from multiple teams to sign. I’m in a better position than I ever thought I would be, but I also don’t want to go to a team that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup in multiple decades.
“I wish you were coming with me,” I say to her. I’m leaving on a flight to Punta Cana with my friends for Aaron and Briar’s wedding.
“It makes sense for me to go home for the holidays. If I don’t, I won’t see my family until Easter. It’s too long.”
I get it, she is super close with her family. They are tightknit and loving. They watch out for each other. I get the appeal.
“Okay, I’m going to miss you,” I say to her.
I kiss the hell out of her and hear Macklin clearing his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, bro, but the Uber is outside, and we all have a plane to catch.”
He and Ruby are flying out with me, along with Annie and Cade, and Charlie and Finn.
I give Izzy one last hug and I leave. I sit on my own on the plane ride, which gives me a lot of time to think. It’s funny how distance makes the heart grow fonder. I love Izzy with all my heart but not having her with me makes me ache for her in a completely different way.
We all arrive to the hotel where Briar and Aaron stayed at last year on their trip here. It’s where they connected and conceived Atlas, so they felt like it was the right place to get married.
Aaron is busy with his family and guests, getting ready for the big day, so I can’t really catch him for a talk. He’s the friend I always go to for the deep stuff in life. And right now, I need to decide which team to sign with while Izzy doesn’t know which school she’ll be accepted to. The other option is to enter the draft at number forty and see where I land. It’s like playing Russian roulette.
I head down to the pool and find my friends hanging out and drinking. Macklin and Ruby are here but I live with them, so I see them all the time. Finn, our old captain, is here along with Cade, one of our old enforcers. I haven’t seen Finn since he graduated in the spring. Cade still drops by for visits at the hockey house because Annie is still in town working on a veterinary degree. Finn and Cade are both in the NHL now, so they would be a good source to tell me what to expect.
When the girls head into the water to swim. I stay behind with Cade, Finn, and Macklin. If Aaron isn’t around to give me advice, they are the next best thing.
“So how’s life in the NHL, boys?” I ask with a beer sitting on my stomach, leaning back in a chair.
“Hectic,” Finn answers. “Always traveling. Little downtime.”
“I heard you and the girlfriend are living together,” Cade says.
