Page 6 of Bad Pucking Roommate

“How can you say that when we’re down two games since Noah went out?”

“I didn’t say those changes happen instantly. We’re all doing what we can to give Gauthier the best chance of success, and when we have our starting goalie back that’ll just be…icing on the cake.”

Luca, head still tilted sideways, narrows his eyes. “You really do always see the good in everything, don’t you?”

Shrugging bashfully, I offer a weak smile. “I try to.”

“Where does that come from?”

“My grandpa. He’s a glass half-full kind of guy. He sees challenges as a new opportunity instead of something to freak out about. It sort of rubbed off on me.”

Luca holds still as he seems to absorb my words, then rights his head abruptly with a firm shake. “Yeah, well. I’ve gotta head out. I’m meeting a friend. See you tomorrow.”

I nod my head goodbye, feeling a little disheartened that a veteran like Luca is so rattled about our season when it’s barely gotten underway.

Chapter three

Luca

Charlie hands me a crystal tumbler of whiskey and takes a seat in the chair adjacent to mine. “So, what’d you want to talk about?”

I take a sip, savoring the bite of the smoky liquid as it slides down my throat. It’s exactly what I needed to collect my thoughts. Despite the relationship I have with Charlie and his wife Jessie, my request will still be a lot, and I’m not sure where to begin. “You know Noah’s out with an injury?”

The way Charlie’s shoulders slump makes my stomach go from merely unsettled to downright queasy.

“He’s the guy who helps you on the road.” He sighs heavily.

Just as I’ve never told Noah about my arrangement with Charlie and Jessie, I’ve never told them how I manage on the road. I may be showy on the ice, but what I do to get ready, with their help, deserves my discretion.

“Yeah.”

“What’s the prognosis?” Charlie asks.

I swirl the amber liquid in my glass. “He’ll be back in roughly a month, but he won’t be available to help me out anymore. He’s met someone, and… Neither of us wants my shit to come between them.”

“And you’re here to what…? See if we can help you with road games too?”

I lift my shoulder as if to say,‘what else can I do?’

“Fuck,” Charlie groans.

“It’d be temporary. Just until I figure out if any of the other guys can fill in.”

“It’s not that.” Charlie shakes his head, his resigned expression way too dire for the topic at hand, and my stomach lurches again. “Jessie and I want to start a family, and… Well, that’s something that has to stay between me and her. No more cuckolding.”

The unease in my stomach shoots to my head, making the room sort of fuzzy. “You can’t wait until the end of the season?”

“We aren’t going to plan our family around your hockey schedule, Luca,” Charlie snaps, and it’s not until his glare comes into focus that I grasp the magnitude of what I said.

“Shit. Sorry.” I drag a hand over my face. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just panicking because Noah bailed on me too, and—”

“Bailed on you?”

“Fuck, that came out wrong.”

“You can’t expect people to take you into their relationships.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, as if that could block out the panic that looms around me. “I know.”

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