Page 240 of Wrong Pucking Jersey

When my tears stop and I compose myself, she wipes my wet cheeks and kisses me.

“All your emotions are validated, Wolfgang,” she assures me for what has to be the tenth time, yet she doesn’t seem annoyed at the fact she’s repeated herself so much. “It’s okay for you to feel the way you do, but I want you to realize you have us by your sides. We love you. All of us. Damien and Ace may not be romantically, but they care dearly for you and want you in this, just like Maddox and I do. We don’t want you feeling left out, but I understand why you’ve felt that way the last few weeks.” With another kiss, she hugs me again, her arms around my neck as she presses against me.

“So, from now on, I want you to be around us whenever you can. Even if it feels absolutely obnoxious to you,” she urges.

“But—”

“No buts,” she continues, cutting me off. “I know the schedules are hectic, but you’re always around the team since you’re their epic goalie. I may not always be around, but when I am, I want you nearby. I don’t want you drifting away somewhere or faking a smile for me, Wolfgang.” She leans back so she can stare into my eyes.

“You know I read you, Wolfgang. I don’t want you lying for anyone’s sake but your own. You’re allowed to be mad. Allowed to be sad. You’re allowed to express your emotions. I don’t want you to think otherwise. Understood?”

“Understood, Mishka.”

“Now kiss me one more time, so we can go back to the others.”

I chuckle, then the two of us kiss deeply before the buzz of my phone encourages me to break the kiss. Grabbing my phone, I check the screen to see it’s from Maddox.

MADDOX: “I’m going back to the dorms to grab something from Mikayla’s place. Tell her to come over as well.”

I roll my eyes, figuring he wants to have one last go with Mishka in the suite to fulfill some school kink.

“Maddox is going back to your suite to pick up something,” I announce before helping Mishka down.

She gives me an odd look while working on fixing her dress.

“The only thing there is my jewelry box and your jersey.”

Her admission encourages a single eyebrow raise before she elaborates.

“I left your jersey there to dry before the afterparty we went to when you guys won your first game. I didn’t want anyone taking it, so I put it with my jewelry box under my mattress.”

“Under the mattress?” I can’t help but laugh. “What are you? A traditional mom.”

“Hush,” she shushes me with a finger on my lips which only makes me laugh harder. “Anyway, I need to get that stuff. Maddox won’t know where it is.”

“You sure?” I ask because Maddox knows Mikayla from the inside out.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

“He wants you there, anyway.”

“Which means he doesn’t know where it is,” she confirms and kisses my cheek. “I guess we’ll meet you back at the house with the others?”

“Probably.” I’m honestly not sure. “Unless the team wants to go out together afterward.”

“Seems like a possibility,” she agrees. “Alright. Just text us what the plans are, and we’ll be there so we can celebrate together.”

“Okay,” I reply as I slip my phone back into my pocket.

She hugs me again before whispering, “And you’ll get brand deals, sponsorships, and plenty of endorsements soon enough, Wolfgang. Just keep being amazing on the ice, alright?”

“Alright, Mishka,” I whisper and hug her just as tightly. “I love you.”

“Love you even more, Wolfgang.”

Letting her go, I allow her to leave first before I wait a few minutes to leave the washroom.

By the time I return to where everyone else is, twenty minutes have gone by. I needed a moment to simply process everything. To relive everything I had just experienced in my mind one more time.

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