Page 199 of Wrong Pucking Jersey

“Yes,” she agrees. “Maybe I’m just afraid of ruining what you guys have. You guys worked so hard the last five years to get to this moment. What if our love ends up fucking it up?”

It’s crazy how she’s more worried about our careers than her own as a team nurse.

Just proves how selfless our girl is.

“Remember what Damien said, Mickey,” I remind her. “Our relationship outside of the rink can’t impact our careers. Sure, there’s gossip, and everyone can go and try to do a hate campaign against us if they wish, but that carries a public trail that can be traced to the culprits. If someone is really bold to hate on another’s lifestyle, let them. Society will determine whether they’re valid to bully another for being in love and confidently knowing what they want. We can’t control what others do, only what we do in our lives.”

I don’t break eye contact with her when I lean down enough to press a kiss to the bridge of her nose.

“It’s scary because we don’t see many people in the field of sports and medicine embark on what we’re doing, and that’s okay,” I assure her. “Sometimes, we have to take the lead down the path to help others follow. I noticed since Felix joined our team and openly announced he’s gay, other team members on different established teams are doing the same.”

“Wait, really?” She looks impressed as she ends up turning in my hold so we’re facing each other.

“Mhmm.” I love staring down at her at this height. Makes me wish I was a bit taller than sitting in my Jeep and admiring her beauty from this suspension.

Or see her on her knees with those plump red lips around my shaft…

“Liam admitted he’s interested in dating a guy.”

“Liam? I thought he had a girl. That’s what Marcus said at the beginning of the season when you guys established your team,” Mickey brings up.

“Yeah. He was. They broke up.”

“Why?”

“Apparently, his girl is a puck bunny,” I sum up with a shrug. “And is dating Jayce.”

I notice the way she stares at me but doesn’t show her true expression hidden beneath.

Intriguing.

“I find that hard to believe,” she confesses finally. “Why would Jayce be hitting on me, then?”

“That’s the golden question of the season, Mickey,” I voice and can’t help but cup her cheeks with my hands. “You don’t like that news, though.”

She doesn’t answer right away, and I don’t rush her.

Jayce is an odd topic for all of us.

“Jayce reminds me of a lost boy who has all these paths to walk on. He knows the path before him will bring him nothing but happiness, yet he decides to try every other path because he wants to figure out whether they will bring him the same satisfaction.”

“That’s a good way of putting it,” I comment.

“But that worries me,” she quietly confesses.

“Why, Mickey?”

She stares at me in return before she sighs.

“There are only so many paths you can walk on before you end up walking off a cliff, Ace.” Her words are heavy, just like the shift in the atmosphere over the truth her analogy portrays.

She’s right.

So damn right.

That was the scary part of when Mikayla was right about things.

She’s the type to observe and warn with hints and riddles, but it’s up to the other person to make the change or face the consequences ahead.

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