Chapter 29 – Cooper
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cooper
“ D id you really think we’d all suddenly become one big, happy family because it’s your birthday?” I shove a change of clothes, my cell, and deodorant into the gym bag sitting on my bed.
Beau is sprawled on the other side, his feet dangling off the edge this time. I hate when that fucker wears shoes on the bed, but since we are leaving in a few minutes, I doubt he’d take them off if I asked.
“No, I thought I wanted to see my baby brother on my birthday since he’s in town. It’s my birthday. I can do what I want.”
Birthday celebrations haven’t changed much from when we were younger. Although now that we have a hockey schedule to work around, Beau tends to get the short end of the stick. The NHL does a good job of blocking out a three-day break for Christmas, but with his birthday being on the twenty-eighth, we can guarantee we’ll have a game or practice that day. This year it’s a game, so instead of trying to go to dinner afterward, we are going out tonight after practice and staying a few days in the city just to hang out and be together as a family.
Most people would expect Beau to want to go party it up in Vegas or something, but he’s always been a homebody. Even when we were younger, Momma and Dad would give us our choice of going anywhere, and Beau always chose a cabin close to home or blanket forts in the living room with his favorite foods. That’s one thing I can say for sure we have in common. Spending time with our families is one of our favorite things to do, so I know that Cole missing from his celebration all these years hurts. I shouldn’t give him such a hard time about wanting to include our baby brother. It’s bad enough that Kyle’s hockey season at college is in full swing, so he couldn’t make it home for the holidays either.
“Why is he here anyway?” I ask, smacking his feet off my bed and taking a seat.
I hurry through my mental checklist to make sure I have everything ready to head to dinner right after practice. Since I’m still on the injured reserve list until the end of the regular season, I don’t have a place to store all my crap. My locker is still there with all my gear, but leaving the extra things isn’t an option for me at the moment. It’s a pain in the damn ass to take a bag back and forth for every practice, but it's a necessary evil I have to pay in order to get back on the ice with my team for the playoffs.
“No idea. He called when I was driving back from Momma’s on Christmas and asked if I was going to be in town for my birthday.” Beau swings his legs off the bed and pushes to his feet. “He said he wanted to take me for a drink and chat about something.”
“And that prompted you to invite him to your birthday dinner? He said he wanted to talk to you, not hang out with the entire family,” I respond, heading out of my bedroom with Beau right on my heels.
When I say the entire family, I mean everyone. Momma, Beauty, Alise, Auntie Peggy, Ms. King, and Darius are all coming to the city tonight to celebrate the birth of the second-best Hendrix. I even convinced Coach to let Darius, Ramona, and Alise sit in on practice. Darius has been itching to get to another game, but it hasn’t worked out with most of their games being away or on the same day as our team practices. I’ve been trying to find an excuse to show Beauty my skills on the ice for a while now. This was the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone.
“Stop complaining. He said no to dinner, but we’re grabbing a drink before he leaves town. Wanna join? It would be the perfect opportunity for you to man up and apologize to him.”
“I’m not the only one who needs to apologize, Beau.”
“No, you aren’t. But you two do need to talk to each other and hash shit out. I know you miss having Cole around. You two will never be best buddies, but I want us all to be brothers again.” Beau slaps me hard on the back before stuffing his feet into his shoes and heading toward the door. “Relax, everything is going to be fine. I’ll meet you at the truck in five.”
“I will leave your ass if you aren’t there. You know how much I hate being late for practice.”
“Being late has nothing to do with it. You are itching to get back on the ice after getting a clean bill of health from Murphy.”
“That, too,” I shout back as the door clicks shut tightly behind him.
The day has finally come. Murphy has given me the go-ahead to play full-time. Well, not completely. The hockey club still has games until March, and I’m not leaving my team without a coach halfway through the season. I won’t be suiting up with the team until we reach the playoffs. As far as I’m concerned, it's a done deal. But with everything so close to being finalized, why the hell is Cole even in town? I guess I need to make a call to our shared agent and find out what’s going on.
I dial the familiar number and wait for him to answer. “He’s there talking to the coaching staff.”
“Hello to you, too, Remy. How was your Christmas?” I chuckle, grabbing my shoes from under the bench and sliding my feet in.
“Christmas was great. Mom says hello, by the way. She’s rather cross with you for not stopping by more since you’re practically living in Redwood Falls again.”
“I’ve been a little busy.”
“Yeah, with your new girlfriend, Ramona King.”
I freeze in place, fear gripping tightly around my heart. I’ve done my best to keep Beauty’s name out of the press, even though Annamarie was more than willing to tell anyone who would listen what her name was. But things have been quiet for the last few months. If Remy is making a comment about our relationship, there has to be a reason. It's never a good thing when your agent is making statements about your personal life.
“How do you know Ramona or that she’s my girlfriend?”
“Besides the stunt you pulled back in September at the exhibition game?” Remy chuckles softly as my shoulders relax. There’s no way he’d be laughing if we had any issues to handle. “You forget I’m from Redwood Falls, too. Mom has been on my ass since she saw you two together about finding a girl of my own. Apparently, if you can think of something other than hockey, it’s time for me to do the same.”
“Sorry, not sorry, man. Ramona King is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
“Damn, you got it bad. Real bad.”
“I do, but we both know that’s not why I called. Why is Cole in Portland?” I check my watch and notice the time. I need to get out the door, or Beau will be waiting for me to leave. I rush out the door, making sure it clicks shut behind me before heading down the stairs.
“He came to talk to the coaching staff and check out the facility over break.”
“I thought he wasn’t interested in leaving Boise?”
“As far as I know, he isn’t, but the Wolverines are playing hardball and have ceased negotiations on his contract for next year.”
Motherfucker. I had a feeling this might happen after we quashed the rumors about me retiring. A few reporters have been poking around the hockey club games, asking questions about my plans for the future, but I shot them all down quickly. I joined the NHL as a Timberwolf, and I’ll end my career as a Timberwolf. I figured that would get any notion of Cole being able to talk me into moving teams out of their heads, but no go. If they want a Hendrix on their roster, they’re going to have to settle for the one they already have. Cole is an amazing hockey player and deserves so much more than they have given him. They used him up and now that he won’t give them exactly what they want, they’re going to spit him out.
“The sad part is that even coming to tour the facility is a waste of time. There’s no way the Timberwolves are going to offer him a spot on the team.”
“Why? Cole is an amazing player, and we have a few guys talking about retiring after we win the Stanley Cup this year.”
“You mean if you win the Stanley Cup this year.”
“It’s a done deal, Remy. Just accept the inevitable.”
“Nothing is ever set in stone until the final buzzer rings, Cooper. You taught me that lesson.” Remy sighs loudly. I know that sound. That’s the sound he makes when he’s trying to find the right way to phrase something so I don’t blow my top. “But he’ll never get an offer from the team for the same reason the Wolverines are threatening to cut him loose.”
“Me.”
Everyone has been playing Beau, Cole, and me against each other since he entered the league at eighteen. It was a huge scandal that he didn’t sign with the Timberwolves, since Beau and I were already on the team. It never once crossed anyone’s mind that might be the reason he went with our rival in the first place. Couple that with the animosity between Cole and me any time we are on the ice together, and you can imagine some of the headlines. It makes sense the franchise wouldn’t want to piss off one of their star players by signing someone they assume he hates. But I don’t hate my brother, not even close. Not know how to talk to him because we’re so much alike? Yes. But I don’t hate him and would love the chance to play with him again.
“Bingo. The only way they’ll offer Cole a position on the roster is with your blessing.”
Fuck me. I’m damned if I do or damned if I don’t. Cole would never want me to intervene. He’d want to get on the team because of his skills as a hockey player and not because of whatever pull I have with the team. He has the skill to become a real threat with our starting lineup next season—hell, he might even give me a run for my money for the starting center spot.
It would be a lie if I said my three younger brothers weren’t always compared to each other over the years. Beau and I escaped a lot of the comparison because we’re closer in age, not to mention he’s a goalie. Cole and I play the same position and have a similar playing style. It’s almost impossible to not make comparisons between the two of us.
“So we just have to sit and wait; let the chips fall where they may. Unless you want to go have a chat with the GM and tell him how much you’d love to have Cole on the team.”
I come barrelling out of the stairwell door to find Beau leaning against my truck, tapping his watch to hit home the time. Damn, he’s never going to let me live this one down.
“That’s not happening. Maybe I can talk to him. He called Beau about grabbing drinks before he leaves town.”
“Good luck with that. I’ll make sure I have bail money available for one of you.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I grumble, clicking the unlock button for my truck and climbing in.
Coach blows the whistle, and we all skate toward center ice, my eyes drifting to Beauty sitting a few rows up from the ice. I wink at her as she ducks her head, but not before I catch sight of the rose pink color covering her cheeks.
“Some of us are here to play hockey, not flirt with the puck bunnies,” someone grumbles as I come to a stop in the huddle.
“If you were more focused on what was going on on the ice, you’d have made at least one of your shots since we started practice,” Beau growls, quickly losing his patience.
“Shut the fuck up, Hendrix.”
“That’s enough!” Coach bellows as we all snap to attention. “Four laps. Maybe then you guys can focus on practice.”
The whistle sounds twice as we all take off around the ice. Beau quickly catches up to me, and I slow my pace. “Maybe this wasn’t the best idea to have them come to watch practice.”
The three of them have been perfect angels since practice started. Other than Darius coming to the ice to say hello to the two of us, and my occasional wink at Beauty when I can catch her attention, they haven’t moved from their spots.
“We have open practices all the time. This is nothing different from the usual. Besides, their being here is specifically to support us. It’s not our fault the guys can’t focus on shit today. Besides, Coach hasn’t said anything either. If he thought it was a problem, he’d already have had them escorted out of the arena.”
We round the corner and pick up the pace, trying to get around a large pack of guys taking their sweet-ass time on these laps. “Pick it up, ladies, or we’ll be practicing all night. Some of us have places to be tonight.”
“I’d be in a hurry, too, if I had a fine piece of ass waiting for me after practice.” Bower chuckles, bumping his shoulder with Crosby.
“What the fuck did you just say?” Beau growls, quickly coming to a stop, but I push him forward, not wanting a fight to break out right here on the rink.
“Keep your shit together, Beau. We can’t afford to lose our goalie because he couldn’t keep his shit together during practice.”
“Tell me you’re okay with him saying shit about Ramona.”
“Of course not. But there are better ways to handle Bower running his mouth than to start a fight during practice.”
We make it around the rink three more times without any more snide comments from the guys, and Coach calls for a five-on-five scrimmage. We split into two teams. The starting lineup is in green, and the second line is in black. I go right to the center, ready to face off against Bower. Not only did he take my spot as center on the team this year, but now I have the perfect opportunity to lay into his ass for talking out of turn about my Beauty.
As soon as the puck hits the ice, I charge forward, not even bothering to go for the puck. Instead, I plow full force into Bower, knocking the wind out of him. He crumbles to the ground, falling flat on his back, his eyes wide as he stares up at me. “Stop running your goddamn mouth about my girl before I put my skate up your ass. Your place in the starting lineup is only temporary. You better remember that.”
I don’t offer him a hand-up before hopping back into the game. Wayne grabs the puck from behind the net and moves quickly to the left side, passing the puck to George on the right side. George uses the boards to get the puck to me in the corner, and I slide it to the center in front of the goal to Crosby, who fires off. The puck slides right between Beau’s legs, giving my team an early lead.
“Maybe that will get one of the puck bunnies’ attention,” Crosby jokes, nudging Beau in the chest. “I don’t mind your sloppy seconds, especially when they look like that.”
Beau’s gloves and stick hit the ice before he reels his arm back, clocking Crosby tight in the jaw. Crosby’s head snaps back, sweat flying off his face, but he remains on his feet. Everyone moves back, not wanting to get caught in Beau’s crosshairs.
“What the fuck!” Crosby screams as Beau pulls his arm back and hits him again with a right hook.
He stumbles, but Beau doesn’t give him a chance to recover, hitting him with three jabs to the ribs. Crosby finally regains his balance enough to swing, but Beau ducks underneath his arm, catching him in the chin with a beautiful uppercut.
“Break it the fuck up!” Coach shouts as I grab Beau and pull him off Crosby.
Crosby’s face is fucked-up, with a nasty cut over his right eye, blood pouring down his jersey and dripping onto the ice. His lip is also cut in two places, and he’ll definitely be black and blue tomorrow.
“What the fuck happened? I turned my back for two seconds, and now you're acting like a bunch of high school punks.”
“He started it, Coach.” Crosby points at Beau, who lunges right for him. I barely manage to hold him back. The last thing we need is for him to make matters worse.
“I told you to stop running your fucking mouth. You didn’t listen, so I fucking shut it for you,” Beau growls, wrestling from my grasp and skating off toward the locker room.
“I’m sorry, Coach. Things have been a little tense recently. Let me go talk to him and calm him down, and we’ll be back on the ice.”
Coach stands there for a moment, his eyes roaming Crosby’s face before he sighs. “Don’t bother. You two can call it a day. Crosby, get your ass to the trainer and get checked out. We need to know if you’ll be ready to play Saturday.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be good to go with some painkillers and ice.” Crosby grabs his ribs as he skates in the opposite direction of Beau, toward the trainer's office.
Coach blows the whistle, effectively dismissing me, and resumes practice. I grab Beau’s gloves and stick from in front of the net before speeding after him. Luckily, I catch him just before he enters the locker room. “What in the actual fuck is your problem, Beau?”
“Are you fucking shitting me right now? I know you heard what the fuck he said about Alise and Ramona.”
“I did, but—” I begin, but he cuts me off.
“No fucking buts, Coop. Sometimes you need to use your fist to get the point across. Crosby and Bower wouldn’t have stopped talking shit until one of us did something about it. I knew it wasn’t going to fucking be you, so I handled it.”
I flinch as if he slapped me right in the face. I may not have socked Bower in the jaw like I wanted to, but I got my message across loud and clear. Keep Ramona’s name out of your mouth. I’m one of the team captains and just got the okay to play again. I can’t go getting into a fight and risking my entire career because some guy can’t stop running his mouth.
“You can’t solve all your problems with your fist, Beau. You could get fucking suspended for this. You didn’t think about that, did you? The team needs you to lead them to the playoffs.”
“The team. The playoffs. Is that all you can think about right now? Are you so desperate to get back on the ice that you’re willing to smile and say thank you to anyone who wants to talk shit?”
“No. I never said you had to take it, but there are better ways to handle it than beating the shit out of your teammate at practice. Crosby is on the way to the trainer, by the way. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t have a few bruised ribs.”
“I don’t give a fuck, Cooper. I wasn’t about to let him talk about Alise like that. Not on my watch. I can guarantee that he and everyone else on the team will think twice before running their mouths again.” Beau pushes me away from him, turning to head into the locker room, but I grab his arm.
“Alise, huh? Is that what this is about?”
“No, it's about protecting the people I care about. Period. End of story.” Beau wrenches free from my grasp, crossing his arms over his chest. “No one talks shit about my family and gets away with it.”
“You’re the team captain. What kind of example are you setting by starting fights at practice? Come on, Beau. You fucking know better.”
“Know better? Know better than what? Keeping all your emotions bottled up and hidden from the world has been working out really well, hasn’t it, Cooper?” Beau shoves me hard, and I stumble into the wall behind me. Beau comes charging toward me as I shrink back, his words hitting their intended target.
“That’s not fucking fair.”
“Life isn’t fucking fair, asshole. You demand perfection in everyone and everything at all times. That’s why Cole left. We aren’t all a spitting image of control like you. We’re messy hotheads who don’t know our heads from our assholes. That’s fucking life. It’s messy and full of twists and turns. We’ll never be a family again until you can get that shit through your thick skull.”
“Beau, I-I…” I stammer, trying to find the right words to make him understand I don’t expect perfection from anyone, let alone my brothers. I’ve spent my life trying to make sure they have the space to make all the mistakes they want. Giving them a safe place to land when they fall, but it seems I’ve failed more than one brother when trying to get this point across.
“Fucking save it, Cooper. Just leave me the fuck alone for a little while.” Beau spins around and storms into the locker room. Both doors swing back and forth before closing. I don’t move to follow him because deep down, I know he’s right. Instead, I turn on my heels and head toward the training room to check on Crosby.