11. Emmy
ELEVEN
Bane of my Existence
Congrats on third line, Red.
Working your way up!
Me
How do you know these things before they’re announced?
Bane of my Existence
Magic!
Kidding.
Coach told me about the changes in our weekly meeting, and said I was all for it.
Me
Glad to know I have your approval.
Can’t tell you how much it means to me.
Bane of my Existence
Is that sarcasm?
Sure sounds like it.
Red?
Cool. I’ll just go fuck myself then!!!
My entire body hurts.
Muscles I didn’t know existed ache, and I’m embarrassed by the whimper that escapes my chest when I try to prop myself up on an elbow to read my book.
A sharp sting up my thighs triggers a groan after two pages, and I use a wrinkled grocery receipt as a makeshift bookmark. I press my thumbs into my calves and the balls of my feet. My eyes roll to the back of my head when I rub, the pressure so glorious, I might cry in relief.
“Are you okay?” Piper’s voice slides under my door. “You sound like a dying cat.”
“That’s an insult to cats everywhere.” I groan again. “You can come in, but only if you promise to massage my legs.”
“That’s all it takes?” The door swings open, and she shuffles across the carpet. “Gosh, you’re easy.”
“What’s that smell?” I sniff and try to place the scent. “Are you baking?”
“I am.” Piper grins and jumps on my mattress. She wiggles her way up next to me and puts her head on my shoulder. “I made a marble loaf cake. I figured we needed a little something to celebrate your first two weeks with the Stars.”
“Are two weeks worth celebrating?”
“Everything is worth celebrating,” she tells me, sounding like the perfect one-liner for a motivational poster in the locker room. “I even added chocolate chips.”
“Oh, hell.” My mouth waters, and I realize the last thing I ate was my breakfast after practice this morning. The one day off between games slipped away from me, and the setting sun tells me it must be close to dinnertime. “You spoil me.”
“And I do it gladly.” She loops her arm through mine and taps the back of my hand. “How are you feeling? You’ve been a total badass on the ice. Press has been positive, ratings and viewership of Stars games are up, and even people like Simon-freaking-Buttecker are talking about what you bring to the team.”
“I’m…” I shrug, hesitant to use words like good. It feels like a curse to say it. Like I’ll break this rare bubble of happiness I’m in if I give it a name. “Three games in five days. Two were on the road, and I’ve never been so sore or tired in my life. But…”
“But?” Piper waits, knowing I have more to add.
“But things are going well.”
“They are, aren’t they? And I’m so proud of you.” She pinches my cheek, and I smile. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Not moving more than a foot to my left or my right. Wishing I had a little robot that could bring me water and food so I could live in this bed and never leave. Coach is sadistic—what kind of person schedules a full practice between games?”
“A guy who might finally be on the brink of a winning season,” she says matter of factly. “Do you think you could throw on some jeans and a sweater?”
“For what? It’s almost six, Piper. My social window is closing.”
“Dinner with me, Maven and Lexi. We’re going to this restaurant around the corner. Their food is to die for, and I promise we won’t stay long. A drink and a burger, then we can come home so you can get some good sleep before the game tomorrow night.”
I open my mouth to say no like I usually do, but the word doesn’t surface.
It gets stuck somewhere in my throat, and for the first time in months, I want to spend the evening with the people I’m still getting to know. A night out with my new friends sounds like fun.
“Okay,” I say. “I’d like that.”
“Yes!” Piper squeals and throws her body on me. I laugh when she hugs me tight. “Make sure to wear a jacket. It’s chilly tonight. Damn winter is just around the corner.”
“What are the vibes of this place? Heels? Sneakers?”
“Casual for sure. There’s a jukebox in the corner, and we try to go weekly when we don’t have a road game.”
I wonder what it would be like to stick around somewhere long enough to have a routine. To have the guy at the bagel cart recognize you when you come by on Sunday morning and the barista at the coffee shop up the road know your order by heart.
“It sounds perfect,” I say.
The tables at Johnny’s Place are small and cramped together. The four of us barely fit in the tiny leather booths, but after one drink, it matters less. I’m relaxed as my shoulders fall away from my ears and warmth settles in the center of my chest.
“You all are coming to family dinner on Tuesday, right?” Piper asks, her cheeks pink and her hair out of the ponytail it’s been in all day.
“You all go to family dinner?” I ask, surprised.
“Of course we do. It’s the highlight of the week. Every Tuesday at six, and the only time we’ve missed in the last couple of years was for Hudson’s mom’s funeral. The boys all bring food, and it’s fun to hang out with them outside the arena.” Her eyes cut over to me. “Why haven’t you come yet?”
“I don’t know.” I rub the back of my neck and shrug. “I didn’t know if I’d fit in.”
“You’d fit in. Even Liam comes. He sits in the corner and doesn’t talk to anyone, but he’s there,” Piper assures me, and her attention turns to Maven. “You missed last week, Mae.”
“Because this wedding is taking over my life and we had a cake tasting.” Maven’s engagement ring flashes in the dim lighting, and she spins the diamond on her finger. “We should’ve just eloped at the courthouse.”
“You’re engaged?” I ask. “I mean, obviously you’re engaged. That ring is huge. Sorry. I should know this, but I?—”
“You’ve been a little busy too, Emmy.” Maven’s smile is kind. “Do you watch football?”
“Here and there. More so when I was on the west coast.”
“My fiancé, Dallas, is the kicker for the DC Titans.”
“She was his nanny,” Lexi whispers loudly, and she punctuates it with a tipsy giggle. “She used to work for the Titans, and fraternizing isn’t allowed between players and other members of the team. Then she got a job with the Stars, and now she and Dallas are going to live happily ever after.”
“Oh, Dallas is a dad? How old is his—your—daughter?”
“Almost seven now. Maverick is her uncle.”
“Wait.” I push my drink away and rest my elbows on the table. “Miller has a brother, and he’s also a professional athlete? What are the odds?”
“Not blood related. He and Dallas are best friends, and when June came into his life unexpectedly, Maverick jumped in to help. They—and their other friend Reid—raised her together. The three of them are so precious with her.” Maven laughs and grabs her phone. “A couple Halloweens ago, we dressed up like the characters from Frozen because June was obsessed. Maverick walked around town in a carrot costume for hours and didn’t complain once. I think he’s the only person on earth who can wear bright orange clothes and still get a woman’s number.”
“Oh.” I rub my hand over my heart. A dull ache forms behind my ribs when she shows me a photo of their outfits. Beaming faces. A little girl in Maverick’s arms, and so much joy there. “That’s—I had no idea.”
“He’ll drop everything to be Uncle Mav. I think of all his accolades, that’s the one he’s most proud of.”
There’s a beat of silence before Lexi breaks it with, “We’re going to talk about how he’s hot as hell too, right?”
Piper bursts out laughing. “So hot. I’m so glad I’m not the only female in the organization anymore. It’s cruel to be around these men and not have anyone to talk to about them.”
“All the sports team-adjacent men in this city are hot,” Maven says. “What the hell is in the water?”
“Yeah. Like your godfather,” Lexi adds. “A silver fox. Aging like fine wine.”
“I’m missing some context,” I say.
Piper scoots closer to me. “Maven’s godfather, Shawn, is the head coach for the Titans. He’s ridiculously attractive.”
“Okay, can we stop talking about my family and instead figure out who’s the hottest guy on the Stars?” Maven asks. “You can only pick one.”
Lexi taps her cheek, deep in drunken thought. “This is tough. Ethan is hot, but he’s not my type. He’s loud and messy and owns three motorcycles. That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“What about Grant? That man is always trying to get your attention,” Piper says, and Lexi rolls her eyes.
“He can try all he wants. I’d never go for him. He’s ten years younger than me and barely knows how to be an adult.”
“Riley is cute,” Maven adds. “And he’s one of the quiet ones.”
“You know what they say about quiet ones,” Piper giggles. “Hudson is attractive, but he’s a relationship guy. After my divorce, I want to experiment and figure out what I like. Mess around with a few different people at the same time and just have fun. I’ve only ever been with my ex-husband, and everything was so vanilla between us. After reading some of the books on my shelf, I have these… I don’t want to call them cravings, but there are so many things I want to try.”
“Oh, honey.” Maven reaches across the table and squeezes her hand. “There are so many better men out there.”
“Hear, hear.” Lexi lifts her drink. “What about Liam? You know what they say about goalies.”
“What do they say about goalies?” I ask.
“Something about being flexible and passionate and neurotic. I feel like he’d be dedicated to the point of obsession. He’d lay you out naked and mark your body with a Sharpie so he knows where you like to be touched.”
“Okay, but that sounds hot as hell.” Maven giggles. “A road map to orgasms.”
“No one’s ever been obsessed with me,” Piper says.
“It’s worth the wait,” Maven says. “Trust me.”
“Who would you pick, Emmy? Hottest guy on the team?”
“I’d like to be exempt from this question. I’ve seen these dudes when they have bloody noses and smell like roadkill.”
“Maverick, though.” Lexi sighs. “You have to think Maverick is hot.”
“The tattoos?” Piper asks.
“His height?” Maven adds.
“I’ve heard he’s a real ladies’ man in bed. Totally selfless. I ran into a woman in the elevator leaving our hotel at an away game last year, and she said he made her come five times in one night,” Lexi says.
My face burns. I wish my glass wasn’t empty, because I’m going to need something sinfully strong to get through this conversation.
“Is five times even humanly possible?” I ask. “That sounds like an exaggeration. Are you sure he didn’t start that rumor himself?”
“When you’re with the right guy, anything is possible,” Maven says. “Five times. Six times. I’m not sure there’s a limit.”
“Miller is…” I hum and trace the rim of my glass with my fingers.
I’m stalling, because I don’t know what the hell he is.
He is hot.
Gorgeous and strong and an incredible athlete. An absolute pest who won’t go away, but I can’t help but be curious who he is behind closed doors.
Large hands that could rest on my thighs and nudge them open. A firm chest to lean against as he slipped a long finger inside me and a boyish laugh when I shuddered against him. Gentle encouragement and praise.
“You gonna finish that sentence, Red, or just leave me hanging?” a deep voice asks.
I whip my head to the right.
There’s Maverick Miller, holding three beers in one of his hands and grinning at me.