Page 23 of Beautifully Broken
“Not going to cause me any problems this season, right?” He chuckles as we shake.
“Not that I know of.” I try to shake off the feeling that everyone seems to think I am a troublemaker—sure, I have been in the past, but I’m trying to change that going forward.
“Good. You know where you’re headed?” He asks me as we continue towards the locker room.
“Yep, thanks for checking in.”
“See you at the press conference.” Tatum turns on his heels, heading in the opposite direction, while I continue my stride towards the locker room.
Pushing the door open to the room, I’m greeted by boisterous noise and the typical smells of a hockey team. Sweat, feet, deodorant, and the faintest smell of soap. The first person to notice my entrance is Coach Watkins.
“Hoyer, welcome to your new home. Locker is next to McKee’s, get changed and we will all head on the ice in about ten minutes.” Coach Watkins smiles genuinely at me, easing a little of my anxiety. He blows his whistle, getting the attention of the rest of the guys. “Hoyer’s here. Don’t be dickheads. Get to know him, make him feel welcome, or you’ll be skating sprints until you pass out.”
I like this guy.
Multiple heads turn towards me, nods, greetings, and surprisingly, a few smiles are directed at me as I head towards the locker holding McKee's jersey.
“Hoyer, buddy, good to see you.” Montez’s strong hand comes down on my shoulder as I begin unloading my stuff into my locker.
“Dom, always a displeasure.” I joke, finding myself falling back into our old college banter.
“You wound me.” He chuckles, “It’ll be nice to play together again. I mean it.”
“Let’s see if you’re still saying that after practice.” He leaves me to finish getting prepped, and I follow the team out of the tunnel and onto the ice for the most brutal practice I’ve ever experienced.
***
After Coach ran us into the ground during practice, the guys invited me out to their local bar, Wild Fred’s, for a few beers. I wanted to go home, but theonly thing that would greet me there is silence and darkness that threatens to pull me under each day.
The bar is small and homey, with pool tables and darts lining one wall while the bar lines the other. It’s got wooden tables and booths spread throughout the space, and dad rock plays overhead. It isn’t a place I would typically hang out, but it makes sense considering the team wanted to stay out of the public eye for the night.
“First rounds on me tonight.” Nik, our captain, slaps the table before heading over to the bar to order our beers—a round of applause and shouts of “thanks, Cap” thunder behind him.
“So, how’s Florida been treating you?” McKee asks from his seat beside Hart, who hasn’t said much to me, reasonably so. Small wins, at least notallof my new team hates me.
“Pretty good, I’ve been staying by the beach. Found a turtle rescue that’s pretty cool if you have kids who like animals or anything like that.” I shrug, conveniently leaving out the part about Enid.
“Mav, you heard that? Bella loves sea creatures.” Dominic elbows Maverick from his other side, trying to get him involved in the conversation.
“What’s the place called?” Maverick says gruffly.
“Shell Shock’d over on Anna Maria Island.” I answer then blurt out, “Hey Hart, could we go talk for a sec?”
He nods, standing and leading me over to the bar, passing Cap and his tray full of beers. I want to squash whatever hard feelings are between us and I’m sure the team knows what a dickhead I was to him that night in Carolina.
“Listen, I know that I fucked up in Carolina. I just want to apologize, I’d like for Florida to be a fresh start—for me and my reputation.” I say it before he’s even fully seated at the bar.
“Alright, cool.” He shrugs.
“That’s it?”
“Yeah, man. All I wanted was an apology. I respect that you want to change, and I’d love to get to know this version of you. The version that doesn’t insinuate thatmy wifeis a puck bunny.” He says coolly.
“Wife, huh? Look at you.” I volley back.
“Yep, wife. Let’s go tell the team that we kissed and made up so they can stop forcing us to talk to each other.” He grins at me, and the fresh start does feel new. I just wish my brain would stop telling me that he only accepted my apology because he has to be a team leader.
Dom is vibrating with joy when he sees us approaching with smiles on our faces.
