Page 19 of Arresting the Hockey Player
"Late night?" Kyler asks, glancing at me. "You look like shit."
"Thanks, man. Appreciate it." I head out of the locker room, doing my best not to pound the shit out of my team before we get on the ice. However, fighting with them is traditionally frowned upon. We don't need an injury before the game.
Kyler is probably the one person on the team whom I could talk to about the situation, at least regarding Zayn. He's got a kid of his own, a daughter he's raised as a single father until Emerson came around. They're engaged now.
That's not going to happen with Jasmine.
The thought of her name on my lips sours my stomach.
And thinking about Charlotte feels wrong and dirty. She even said it herself that she didn't want kids. Suddenly, me maybe having a kid throws us in a tandem. I won't do that to her. She's still in college. She has her entire life ahead of her.
Me?
I can afford a nanny if it turns out Zayn is, in fact, my son. One step at a time. Jasmine still needs to do the paternity test on the kid, and don't they need a sample from me to compare the DNA?
* * *
I don't hear from Jasmine all day. Not that I expect a phone call or text, but it's silent. Which I find more troubling because what if she went back to Grant and forgave him?
After I get dressed, I grab my phone from my locker and text Jasmine. It's been a while, but I assume her number hasn't changed. If it has, then I have no easy way to reach her.
Don't you need my DNA for the test?
Three dots appear as she types and then disappear. She's slow to answer, and then, finally, she responds.
Yes. I will send you the address of the lab.
"Everything good?" Kyler asks, glancing at me as I'm seated on the wooden bench, bent over my phone, giving it my undivided attention. Not exactly my standard, since there aren't too many people I care enough to text that aren't in the room with me.
"Yeah, just girl trouble," I mutter.
"Not a great night with Charlotte?" Jasper quips, overhearing my conversation with his older brother.
"Charlotte was great—" The words hang in the air because I'd nearly forgotten all about our fun little romp last night. I exhale a sigh. She doesn't need my baggage. From what I'd heard, she was a bit of a free spirit, which is even more reason to shut that door and let her live her life.
"But?" Kyler asks, waiting for me to continue. "Not your type?"
"She's got great legs and a nice ass, of course, he's her type," Jasper says and laughs.
I glare at him. Yes, I have a reputation for banging a lot of chicks, but that doesn't mean that I don't have standards. "She's more than just her looks," I say, glaring at Jasper. I grab the sweaty jersey that I just wore and toss it at his face.
Jasper catches it before it lands in his face. He drops it to the floor, grimacing in disgust. "What's the problem? Too clingy?" Jasper asks, trying to figure out why I wouldn't want to see her again.
"No, I don't think so," I say. She didn't seem distraught when I left last night. I probably should have stayed, we had a great time, and it would have saved me from running into Jasmine when I got home.
"Does she hate hockey?" Kyler quips. "Because, believe it or not, that can be fixed. Unless, of course, she's a huge fan of another team. Then you can't see her again. Write her off and tell her that unless she converts to the Church of Ice Dragons, she's a sinner."
I snort at his joke. "She does tend to wear Island Bruisers jerseys to our games," I say, glaring at Jasper.
"Hey! Don't look at me. Your girlfriend is the one who convinced Amber to wear that monstrosity," Jasper quips.
"She's not my girlfriend," I correct him a little too quickly.
He holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. Your lady friend. Whatever. Same difference. I've never even known you to have friends who are girls you're not hooking up with."
I'm silent, hating the fact that he is right. I make it a habit of sleeping with the girls I hang out with, but only because they're beautiful and they hit on me. I don't even have to make the first move because they typically throw themselves at me.
Kyler clears his throat. Maybe he can sense the tension between us. Jasper and I have been friends since we were both drafted into the NHL. It happened to be the same year, so we had something in common, not knowing anyone and being the rookies on the team.
