Page 71 of Just My Puck
After our pre-game prep, I sit on the bench, watching the last guys skate across the ice for practice. It’s a moment I always enjoy, watching Coach give his last-minute advice, enjoying the calm of the arena compared to the buzz of the gym and the locker rooms.
Wally comes and sits next to me,and I give him a fist bump.
“You okay?” I ask, knowing how bizarre it feels having your fiancée rooting for you in the audience for the first time.
He just nods. As always, a man of few words.
We sit in silence, watching Adler doing some stickhandling exercises. When he spots us, he skates toward us.
“Dude, I still can’t believe you have afiancée.”
“Hey. What about him?” Wally says, nodding at me. “I come back after a few days, and he’s dating a girl I’ve never heard of.”
“Haha, very funny.” I give him a pointed look. “She’s still the same woman, but yeah, I guess that was pretty fast too.”
“Now I’m concerned.” Adler frowns, placing a hand on Wally’s shoulder. “You’re crackingjokes. What happened, dude?”
“He has a point,” I say with a frown. “A week ago, you barely even talked to women. This is definitely a surprise.”
“Did someone cast a spell on you?” Adler asks.
I chuckle, but judging by Adler’s expression, he’s dead serious.
“Are you being threatened?” he continues. “Blink twice if you are. I still have a contact in the CPD.”
“Come on, now,” Wally grumbles, shaking his head. “We just reconnected, that’s all.”
“Yeah, I’d say so.” I chuckle. “Well, in any case, I’m happy for you, man.”
“Me too,” Wally says, and I catch a glimmer of something in his eye. Something I’ve never seen before. Grace is good for him, I can feel it.
“Aww. This is adorable,” Adler says, his hands cupped around his chin. “Truly adorable.”
Wally smacks him on the head with his glove. “Shut up.”
“What are you all chit-chatting about?” Miles calls out, coming from the tunnel with Beaumont. “Let me guess: girls?”
Crossing my arms, I just roll my eyes in response. At this point, I’m just eager for the game to start. Eager to see how we all perform tonight, with our friends, girlfriends, and wives in the audience. Wally has always been one of the fiercest goalies in the NHL. I can’t wait to see him unleash his skills at full force.
As if reading my thoughts, he says, “We’d better win tonight, lads.”
Adler stands up straight, a hand on his hip. “Let’s win the last game of the year so we can get back to our girls.”
We frown, and I blow out a laugh.
“Yeah, that came out a lot less manly thanI intended,” he says. “Let’s crush them.”
We all laugh, high-fiving and pumping ourselves up to win.
Aria
The Raptors were on fire tonight. After a heated fight, they won the game 6–2 against the Chicago Cavaliers. We’re now milling around a large event space at the hotel, which was specially rented out by the Raptors staff so we could ring in the new year together. Most of the team and staff have their family and friends here tonight, and the space is packed with people.
“So,” Elio begins, turning to me as Caleb, Lucy, and I are having a drink. “Have you ever been to Italy? You two should visit sometime soon.”
“Never left the US, but I’d love to go.”
“Oh, I’m definitely taking you,” Caleb says, resting a hand on my back. “And to France too, to visit Gaby.”
