Page 25 of Pucked Up and Married (Las Vegas Angels 4)

“Due to recent events, I’ll be off-site the rest of the afternoon. I’ll see you at the rink tonight—early, and ready to play. I’d rather not discuss anything other than hockey at this time. See you all later.”

Then I sent the message, shut down my phone—and ran out the door.

I’d made it to my car and breathed a sigh of relief. I opened the door, threw my bag inside—then heard a voice shout my name.

I turned my head to see Jillian standing at the iron gate. A bunch of our teammates stood behind her.

“Come back, Lex. Let’s talk,” she yelled, her hands cupped around her mouth.

I waved and shook my head.

If I didn’t get into the car this second, I’d for sure burst into tears.

So, I jumped into the car and sped off.

I’d meditated before.

But never for this long.

Surprisingly, after I ate what room service delivered, I fell right to sleep.

For hours.

When I woke up, I was more than confused about where I was.

Until the reality of my crappy life came crashing back in.

That was when I had to put the brakes on it.

If I was going to go out on the ice tonight—and be the best I could be—I had to change my current mindset.

No matter how much I wanted to check my phone and dwell in all the negativity—I stayed away.

I needed to do what was best for me.

I had to look out for myself.

Which was exactly what I did.

First, I used the hotel phone to call the doggie daycare and arrange for a sleepover. Yes, I felt like the worst dog mom in the history of dog moms.

At least I knew she was safe and well taken care of. I’d deal with her tomorrow.

The next thing I did was order a smoothie and some healthy snacks I normally ate before a game.

Then I meditated.

And worked really, really hard to clear the noise from my brain.

When it was time to leave, I made sure I was stretched and warmed up enough.

And then—I left.

I kept my music in my ears the entire time. I didn’t want to hear so much as a honk.

I’d worked hard to get my brain where I needed it. And I was going to keep it there.

I parked and walked across the lot to the building.

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