Page 175 of Wrong Pucking Jersey

“You wouldn’t say shit if Jayce was trying to hit on her,” Knox grunts.

“Wait, that’s the new way of hitting on a girl?” Clayton asks.

“Sometimes I question your game, Clay,” Ethan quietly mutters, and a few of the guys laugh.

“Nurse Johnson can do whatever she wants,” Coach Johnson calls out. “Last time I checked, she’s a Viper, Mitchel. Now, I’ll see all of you outside in three minutes on the track, or else you’re benched.”

“Shit,” Mitchel curses and runs over to hug his brother. “You guys better kill it tonight at your game! Good luck, and invite me to celebrate!” He hooks an arm around Mack and Wyatt.

“Wait. Where are we going?” Mack questions.

“You guys are Pincers, remember?” Mitchel reminds them and is already pulling them forward.

“I’m the Equipment Manager,” Wyatt points out as if we’ve all forgotten.

“Yeah, but deep down, you’re a Pincer because Nurse Mack is a Pincer, and you’ll just find something to do outside so you can keep an eye on her.”

“I-I do not!” Wyatt argues.

“Yeah, right,” Mitchel laughs. “Remember the time when Nurse Mack was on the ice, so you purposely—“

“Shut up and walk faster,” Wyatt exclaims.

We watch them bicker as the other Pincers begin to gather their bottles and towels to head outside. It’s obvious the news of the Vipers’ deals has them slumping like they lost a game. A few of them do come over to congratulate the guys on their success which is really mature of them. Jayce, Oscar, Diesel, and Kane can’t even look our way.

Guess they don’t want us to see how disappointed they really are.

While Vipers and the few Pincers are having their exchange, Maddox slips his hand into mine and tugs me out of the room without anyone noticing.

“Maddox?” I ask when he’s leading me away, but he doesn’t say anything.

Once we’re at my temporary nurse’s office and inside the room I share with Dimitri, he let out a sigh as I close the door.

“Wait. Are you actually hurt or something?” I ask, already moving to retrieve my stethoscope and a new clipboard. Placing the clipboard on the examination bed, I watch as Maddox leans against it while observing me quietly.

“Maddox,” I ask again as I face him. “Are you not feeling well?” I reach out to place my hand on his forehead, but his muscled arms are around my waist and pulling me into a tight hug.

“Mad…dox?”

“Fuck,” he curses. “That was scary.”

I’m surprised by his admission, his voice as shaky as his hands that are trembling against my back.

“I didn’t think we could do it,” he quietly admits and hugs me even tighter as he rests his chin on the top of my head. “We’ve been prepping since four in the morning, and Damien said I had to be super confident in my element and what we can bring to the table. We changed into suits for the meeting. Some of those board members were so intimidating. I really didn’t think they would take our deal, but then Mr. Champion brought up what we bring to the table and used me as leverage, saying he has a tower of requests asking for me to be traded to their team. We haven’t even played yet.”

“Maddox,” I whisper and hug him right back, doing my best to rub his back. “But you managed to convince them, and look at the magic you achieved. You made all your teammates happy and shed tears. Their lives are going to be less stressful with these deals, especially with financial security. You guys did that, even though you didn’t have to. Maybe these executive members saw what a team player you are and how you were willing to give up being captain unless everyone benefited from this contract deal.”

“Jayce didn’t do that?” Maddox questions as he leans back to look into my eyes.

I shake my head.

“He negotiated a deal for himself. 750k with a three-year contract that secures him solely,” I reveal. “Everyone else got the low end of the stick of 100k with a few 300-500k deals. They were pretty happy about it until you revealed the truth.”

“Shit…” Maddox whispers before he quietly states, “I didn’t know Felix’s Dad was dying.”

“Or that Ethan’s mom is getting chemotherapy,” I admit. “You really don’t know what people are going through until they share it.”

Maddox smiles, but it’s filled with so much sadness. I can’t help but reach up and press my hands against his cheeks.

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