16. Bryce
Bryce
We work through warm-ups, making sure we’re nice and loose before Coach has us move through some passing sequences.
“Twiles,” Coach calls out. “Where are you this morning?”
“Here, Coach,” Jake says, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“He’s been distracted all week. I think he’s got a girlfriend he doesn’t want anyone to know about,” Xavier says, skating up beside me.
“Some things are too good to share,” I say, grinning.
Xavier’s head whips around in my direction. “Hey, fellas… looks like someone else is hiding something.”
At that, nearly everyone spins in my direction.
“Yeah,” Colt calls, smiling from ear to ear. “What are you hiding, Bryce? Care to share with the team?”
I briefly consider ‘accidentally’ body-checking him into the boards later.
“Nah, you know me… I’m an open book.” I wink at Colt when he finally gets the joke and starts laughing.
“Back to drills,” Coach calls, shaking his head. “We’re here for the tournament, not love.”
“Aww,” Sean Abercorn says. “Why not both?”
“Drills,” Coach says again.
After putting us through our paces, we’re finally dismissed. On the way to the locker room, I spot Lucy, the equipment manager, and an idea takes root in my mind.
“Hey, Lucy. Have a minute?” I call out, getting her attention before she slips away.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Do you think I could get a game-worn jersey for someone?” I can feel my cheeks heating, but if anyone asks, I’m blaming the cold air.
She grins. “I can make that happen,” she says. “For tonight?”
I nod. “That would be awesome.”
“Just tell me who it’s for, and I’ll make sure it’s at the main gate before game time.”
I give her the details. Hadley will probably swim in it, but hopefully she’ll appreciate the gesture.
“Thanks!”
“You’re welcome, Bryce. Go, eat and get some rest before the game.”
When I finally make it into the locker room, it’s like walking into a surprise party without the cake. Everyone is standing, arms crossed, stupid grins on their stupid faces.
“Didn’t know it was my birthday,” I say, sitting on a bench and unlacing my skates.
“Who’s the girl?” Dante says.
My eyes dart to Colt who holds both hands up in front of him. “I didn’t say anything.”
Xavier laughs. “He didn’t have to. The look on your face was enough.”
“What look?” I ask, deflecting. “The one all the photographers were trying to get a picture of during practice?”
A ripple of chuckles loosen the tension in the room.
“This one,” Stone says, holding his hands under his chin and making a weird face.
I snort. “I can guarantee that I’ve never made that face in my life.”
“Maybe not,” Micah says, “but you definitely looked down bad.”
“Down bad?” I ask, chuckling. “Where’d you hear that term? TikTok?”
He shrugs. “Gotta keep up with the lingo.”
“You’re deflecting,” Kingston says. My own Denver teammate, throwing me shade. “We’ll find out, eventually. May as well tell us now.”
I think back to the conversation with Lucy. If Hadley wears my jersey tonight, one of the wives or girlfriends might notice, and word will spread faster than a wildfire. If I tell everyone now, and she doesn’t wear the jersey… That would be so much worse.
“Guess we’ll see about that,” I say, secretly hoping the whole world knows she’s mine by the end of the night. “What about Jake’s mystery woman?”
Kingston chuckles. “That’s old drama. You’re fresh drama.”
“This isn’t a soap opera,” Coach says, walking through the locker room. “Get cleaned up and go get some rest. I don’t want to endure two more days of chirping from Sully.”
“Yes, Coach,” Tyson says. “You heard him. Clear out and don’t give the Stripes Coach any more reasons to trash talk him.” He turns around and gives me the classic ‘I’m watching you,’ gesture with his index and middle fingers.
Tyson doesn’t scare me.
If Hadley wears my jersey tonight, these idiots will never let me live it down.
Worth it.
The bus to the arena feels too loud. Everyone suddenly thinks they’re a relationship expert or a private investigator. I put my earbuds in and start my pre-game playlist. Time to get in the right headspace.
We’re nearly there when a text from an unknown number pops up. I swipe over and open it.
Unknown: Jersey is waiting for Hadley at the main gate!
My palms start to sweat and my heart is off to the races. I don’t know if I’m more nervous about seeing her in my jersey or winning tonight's game.
Bryce: Thank you. I’ll let her know.
Unknown: You’re welcome! *smiley face emoji*
Me too, Lucy. Me too.
I open the text thread with Hadley and type out a quick message.
Bryce: See you tonight, girlfriend. I left something for you at the main gate.
Bryce: Wait for me after the game?
“Who’s Hadley?” Dash asks loudly from behind me. I look up and see his head inches from mine. “Is she the girl?”
Next to me, Colt snorts. I’m definitely tripping him later.
“Guys, he left something at the gate for her.” He’s cackling now, and loud enough for half the bus to hear.
“Don’t let them get to you,” Kingston says from across the aisle. “Having someone to love is awesome. Makes every hard game worth it when you get to go back to the one you love after.”
Xavier nods his head. “Totally.” He waves his hand in the air. “They’re just jealous they can’t get a girl to look in their direction for longer than five minutes.”
“Hey!” Jake says. “That’s not true.”
And just like that, Jake’s now on the receiving end of the teasing.
“Worse than middle school girls,” I mumble under my breath.
The bus pulls up to the player drop-off area, and we file out and inside.
“So, the girl,” Micah asks, raising an eyebrow as he falls into step with me. “Seems like that’s working out okay.”
I grin. “Yeah. She’s awesome.”
Micah nods. “Good. Kingston was right, you know. Relationships in this business are hard work, but they’re worth it.”
Hadley’s worth the teasing, the distance… She's worth it all.
I just hope she still thinks I’m worth it after it goes public that we’re together.
I’m pulling my pads on when Coach comes into the room and whistles. “I’m changing some things up for tonight.” Everyone stops, giving him their full attention. “Chambers and Schwann, you two need to be ready for anything.”
Xavier’s eyes connect with mine across the room, and his eyebrows rise slightly. I nod in his direction. “Got it,” I say in reply.
He finishes his pep talk, and before long, we're skating onto the ice for warmups. During our initial laps, I scan the already-filling arena for my girl. My girl. The thought doesn’t scare me half as much as it would’ve a few weeks ago.
“Are you going to be able to focus on the ice tonight?” Stone asks, skating past me. “Or are you going to spend all night looking at the fans?”
“Shut it,” I say, pulling my focus back onto the ice. He’s right. I need to get my head in the game. That doesn’t stop me from checking the area of the lower bowl where Hadley sits again when we head back to the benches before game time.
I nearly trip and fall when I spot her. In my jersey, grinning and mouthing ‘thank you’ when she sees me notice her.
I grin and blow her a kiss. Even from here, I can see her cheeks turn a sweet shade of pink.
“That’s her?” Micah asks, skating up beside me.
“That’s her,” I confirm.
“Congratulations.”
I can’t stop thinking about how good she looks in my jersey, so I nearly miss it when the puck drops and the game officially starts. I recover quickly, and by the first intermission, we’re up 2–0.
“Great work,” Coach says while we catch our breath and hydrate. “We need to keep this momentum. Don’t let up now.”
The second period doesn’t go as smoothly. Brady gets a lucky shot and scores for the Stripes in the first thirty-six seconds. Tensions are high on the ice, and in the chaos, I get a penalty for high-sticking him.
On my way to the penalty box, my eyes find Hadley in the crowd. She’s on her feet, her arms thrown in the air, yelling. My heart soars. My girlfriend is riled up on my behalf. Warmth spreads through my chest like melted chocolate—thick and sweet.
Yeah, I’m a goner.
Somehow, between the bookstore, our text exchanges, and her wearing my jersey, Hadley has stolen my heart.
And I hope she never wants to give it back.
The energy in the locker room is tense. To say we’re disappointed is an understatement. Two losses in a row hurts.
There’s no playful banter tonight. Just somber faces as we cool down and prepare to leave for the night.
“Want to grab some food?” Colt asks, as we slip out of the dressing room, skirting around the reporters and into the hall.
“I think Hadley’s waiting for me,” I say. “But I could definitely eat.”
“Do you think Paige is with her?” Colt asks, grinning.
“Don’t,” I say, pointing a finger at him. “She’s Hadley’s best friend.”
Colt just laughs as we push through a side door and into the swampy summer night, heading toward the meeting spot I’d suggested away from the crowds.
I have no idea how people choose to live in this kind of heat. It’s miserable.
“She is with her,” Colt says before jogging over to where Paige and Hadley are standing and talking. “Hey, ladies.”
“Hi, Colt,” Hadley says, elbowing Paige who is giggling. “What is wrong with you?” she whisper-yells.
Colt laughs. “We were hoping you might be interested in grabbing some food.”
“Bryce Chambers!” a voice calls, and I nearly groan. I thought we escaped the press.
I paste on a professional smile and turn in the direction of the voice. “Can we get a picture?”
“Sure,” I say, moving to the side.
“With your girlfriend?” The photographer asks, his voice hopeful.
I glance at Hadley. “Is that okay? I can tell him no.”
Hadley looks at the young man who’s holding up his camera, a nervous smile on his face. “It’s okay.”
Paige raises an eyebrow and her mouth drops open slightly. Obviously, Hadley’s not one for the spotlight. When she steps into my side and rests her hand on my chest, the smile on my face goes from forced to genuine.
This is my world, and she’s not running. I could kiss her. I want to kiss her.
Not now, though. Not with an audience. Kissing her feels important.
Like something I want to save for myself.
“So, about that dinner?” Colt says after the photographer shakes my hand and thanks Hadley before walking away, a skip in his step.
“That sounds good,” Hadley says, smiling. “We had Chinese for an early dinner, but that was a long time ago.”
“What about you, Paige?” Colt asks, rocking back on his heels.
“Sure!
“Great.” He grins at me like the cat that ate the canary. “That’s settled, then.”
“Where should we go?” I ask Hadley. “Ladies' choice.”
Hadley purses her lips while she thinks. “What about Luna Roja?”
“Mexican?” Paige asks. “I could go for some chips and salsa.”
“Sounds great,” I say. “Lead the way.” I offer Hadley my arm, and she slides hers through, resting her hand on my forearm. “Nice jersey,” I say, grinning.
“Thanks, my boyfriend got it for me.” She winks at me, and my chest is suddenly warm again.
“He must think you’re pretty special.”
She shrugs. “Maybe.”
“Oh, he does,” Colt says from behind us, causing Paige to snicker. “He’s… What did Jake say? Oh yeah, down bad. He’s down bad for you Hadley.”
Hadley looks at me, her eyes dancing with laughter. “What does that even mean?”
I shake my head. “No idea.”
Paige groans. “It means he likes you a lot.”
“Oh,” Hadley says.
“Don’t worry, Bryce. Hadley’s just as gone for you.”
Hadley looks over her shoulder at Paige and mouths something I can’t make out causing Paige and Colt to burst into a fit of laughter.
The walk to Luna Roja is short, and when we step inside, I’m surprised it isn’t crowded.
Booths covered in dark blue fabric line the side wall.
Tables covered with bright yellow tablecloths are set through the middle of the restaurant.
Multicolored glass chandeliers hang above the bar to the right.
The atmosphere is welcoming, and the smell of frying tortillas makes my mouth water.
“It smells delicious in here,” Colt says echoing my thoughts.
Thankfully, they aren’t too busy at this time of night, so we’re shown to a booth pretty quickly.
“What do you suggest?” Colt asks, scanning the menu while we wait for the drinks we ordered.
“Honestly, it’s all good,” Paige says. “How hungry are you?”
Colt laughs. “I’m an athlete. I can eat.”
Paige grins. “Then you’d probably like the ‘El Jefe Platter.’”
“Perfect,” Colt says, dropping the menu.
“You don’t even know what it comes with,” Paige says.
Colt shrugs. “I’m sure it’s great.”
“What do you like?” I ask Hadley.
“Want to share some fajitas?” she asks.
Colt snorts. “You must not know how much this guy can eat.”
“I’d love to share some fajitas with you,” I say. “And I’ll probably get an enchilada plate. I’m pretty hungry.”
“Is that all?” Colt asks, laughing. “Don’t think I don’t know about your snack stash in your room.”
“You never know when you might get hungry,” I argue. “It’s called being prepared.”
After dropping off our drinks and getting our order, the waiter leaves a basket of fresh chips and two dishes of salsa on the table.
“Why does it seem excessive to eat four tacos, but eating a basket of chips is easy?” Paige asks, dipping a chip in the salsa.
“Four tacos is not excessive,” Colt says. “That’s a snack.”
Hadley chuckles. “For you, maybe.”
He looks at me. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
I laugh. “I can’t. I could easily eat four tacos.”
Paige and Hadley make eye contact. “Men,” they say at the same time.
Colt dominates the conversation, asking Paige about herself and sharing funny stories. I sit back and watch them interact, laughing when Paige delivers a well-timed insult, causing Colt to grab his chest and mutter, “Ouch.”
Paige just takes a slow sip of her drink like she didn’t just verbally body-check my friend.
“Do you think they have chemistry?” Hadley whispers, her breath tickling my neck.
“Maybe,” I say. “But I’m too focused on you to care about them right now.”
She blushes again. I love how easy it is to make her cheeks flush.
Hadley laughs at something Paige says, her hand going to rest on my arm like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Like it belongs there.
And I’m suddenly wondering how I’m supposed to go back to Colorado without her when the tournament ends.