Chapter 55
Travis
“Oh my god.”
I walk into the living room from the kitchen and see Anna gawking at her phone.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
She stands up and shows me her phone. “Have you seen the reaction your post is getting?”
It’s been one day since I posted on Instagram, and I haven’t had the guts to look.
I’ve been too busy fucking and cuddling Anna to pay attention to anything else.
It’s been her way of distracting me from everything that’s going on.
Kind of like how I did the same to distract her when she was stressed out waiting for her MCAT scores.
“Travis, it’s all positive comments,” she says. “Look.”
I scan the comments on the screen.
I didn’t know that happened to you and your mom. Your reaction to your dad makes perfect sense now.
Thank you for sharing this. You’re so strong for going through all that.
Sorry you had to even post about this. People really need to stop posting personal stuff about other people online. It’s an invasion of privacy and just plain gross.
WTF is up with men leaving their wives when they get sick? What a jerk his dad sounds like.
My dad did the same thing to my mom when she got sick. Totally understand how you feel and why you reacted the way you did @TravisMaxton1
We love a man who stands up for his mom!
Your mom is so lucky to have a son like you
I feel the burn of unshed tears in my eyes.
“I can’t believe it,” I say.
Anna grabs my hand. “Everyone’s in your corner, Travis,” she says softly.
I shake my head as I process it all. I’ve spent so much of my life quietly dealing with things on my own. I’m not used to so many people supporting and understanding me. It’s overwhelming in the best way.
I hand Anna her phone back and kiss her. She moves to set it aside, but then she freezes when she glances at the screen. Her eyes widen.
“The San Francisco Seagulls just liked your Instagram post.”
I grab her phone, my heart racing as I look at the screen.
“Holy shit,” I say, stunned.
Anna smiles and hugs her arms around me. “That means they support you, Travis. They’re not kicking you off the team.”
A hopeful feeling sparks through me.
A minute later, my phone rings. I grab it from the coffee table and look at the screen. I recognize the number instantly.
“Someone from the team is calling me,” I say.
“Wait, really?”
I nod. I hesitate for a second before I answer it.
“Hey there, Travis. This is Coach Brandon Barclay from the Seagulls.”
I don’t say anything. I’m too caught off guard. The head coach of the Seagulls is calling me. I haven’t spoken to him since dev camp.
“Oh. Hi, Coach.” What could he want to talk to me about?
“I just wanted to reach out and say that we saw your post on Instagram about the incident outside of our training facility involving you and your dad a few days ago.”
I clear my throat, nervous. “I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t know he would show up and cause a scene. And I’m sorry for all of the trouble this has caused for the team on social media.”
“Travis, you don’t have to apologize for any of that,” he says, his tone understanding. “I’m sorry for what you’ve been through with your dad. And I’m sorry to hear about your mother’s illness. I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”
My nerves ease. “Thank you for saying that.”
“All of us from the team just wanted to extend our support for you,” Coach Barclay says. “We want you to know that we’re here for you. You’re part of the Seagulls family now, and if there’s anything we can do to help you through this, don’t hesitate to ask.”
I stammer for a few seconds, surprised and heartened at how supportive he’s being. “That means a lot. Thanks, Coach.”
“Of course. And listen, I know how stressful navigating media stuff like this can be. When you join the team after you graduate, we’ll have media training for you and the rest of the new players to go through. It makes stuff like this a lot easier to deal with.”
“Yeah, that would be really helpful.”
“But in my opinion, you handled this really well. You were honest and thoughtful. And mature. That counts for a lot in a world where everyone seems to be posting salacious reactions on social media. You’re definitely the kind of player we want on our team.”
Relief washes through me.
“You have no idea how much that means, Coach. Thank you.”
“You have a good rest of your day. And hey, good luck in your final season as a Hollis U Rebel. Everyone on the Seagulls, me included, will be cheering for you.”
“Thank you.”
When I end the call, I look at Anna. She’s smiling even though she only heard my part of the conversation.
“That was the head coach of the Seagulls. He said he and the rest of the team support me. I’m still on the team.”
She jumps into my lap and squeals. I fall back against the couch as she kisses me.
“Yes! Travis, this is amazing!” she says between kisses.
My chest is tight as I hold her. I can’t believe this.
So much of these last few years has felt like a struggle. Like a fight I was quietly battling on my own.
But now so much about me is out in the open, and instead of the judgment I feared I’d get from everyone, I have support.
My head spins. I can’t believe everything worked out.
I get to play pro hockey. And I get to be with the most amazing woman. This woman who supports me and stands by me no matter what
I gaze up at Anna, in awe of her. My heartbeat speeds up at just how much I love her.
I am so damn lucky.
Anna gazes down at me. “You should text Nick and the rest of the guys to tell them the good news.”
“Later.” I stand up and carry her to the stairs.
She squeals. “Travis! What are you doing?”
“Taking you back to bed.”
“Why? We’ve been awake for not even two hours.”
I lift my eyebrow at her. “We’re not gonna be sleeping, sweet thing.”
She bites back a sexy smile. She’s wearing my jersey for the second day in a row. I can’t get enough. I want her to wear it all the time.
“I’m in the mood to fuck you while you wear my jersey again.”
She giggles. “Wow. I probably shouldn’t wear it in public, since it makes you feral,” she teases.
“You’re wearing my jersey,” I growl.
Her smile is giddy. “So bossy.”
I carry her into my bedroom and set her down. For the rest of the day, I boss her around in bed, and she loves every minute of it.
* * *
I keep my eyes trained on the Wisconsin player who has possession of the puck.
It’s the first game of the season, and there are just two minutes left in the final period. We’re leading them two to nothing.
I track the puck as their defenseman heads straight for the net. My muscles tense as I get into position, trying to anticipate where the puck will go.
I’ve managed to block every shot they’ve aimed at me this entire time. I want to end this game with a shutout. That would be a kickass start to this season.
My head bobs as I follow the puck as he handles it with his stick. Back and forth, back and forth.
My eyes burn as sweat drips down my forehead, but I don’t blink. My gaze is glued to that puck, and I’m gonna try like hell to keep it out of my net.
He goes with a wrist shot. A really damn fast one.
I dive and raise my glove, hoping I’m quick enough. The puck bounces off the edge of my glove, ricochets off the crossbar, and goes flying into the boards. The home crowd cheers at my save.
I let out a breath, relieved that I managed that. It was close, but that doesn’t matter. I kept the puck out of the net.
Blake takes off with the puck, and for the final minute of the game, my teammates keep it on the other side of the ice.
The clock winds down and the buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the game. The guys crowd around each other and cheer.
“Hell yeah, boys! First win of the season!” Nick hollers.
I stay in the net while they all make their way over to me. They line up to pat my helmet, which is something they do whenever I manage a shutout.
Nick taps my helmet. “Fuck yeah, Travvie. You were a beast.”
“Thanks, man. So were you.”
Once they finish, they head off the ice. Before I follow them, I turn around to look at Anna, who’s sitting in the stands, behind the net. She beams at me.
I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s wearing my jersey, and fuck, she looks good.
I wink at her, then nod toward the tunnel, where I’m headed. She smiles before turning around and walking off.
I linger for a few seconds so I can see the back of the jersey she’s wearing. Raw want surges through me. Seeing the woman I’m crazy about wearing my name and my number on her body will never, ever get old.
I head over to the edge of the ice toward the tunnel. Anna’s standing there waiting for me.
“Hey, sweet thing.”
She bites back a giddy smile. “Hey. You were amazing tonight. Way to go on that shutout.”
“It was all because of you. You wearing my jersey is a big boost to my performance in the net.”
She blushes, and her eyes sparkle. “Is that so?”
I nod, unable to hold back the grin splitting my face.
“I think this is the most I’ve ever seen you smile during a game.”
“Can’t help it. Knowing that you’re in the stands wearing my name and my number, cheering me on, puts me in a good mood.”
Her smile widens, and I lose all the breath in my lungs. My girl is so damn beautiful. How did I get this lucky?
“And I used to think you were such a grump,” she teases.
I lean down and kiss her. “I still am.”
“Yeah, but at the core, you’re sweet. That’s my favorite: grumpy on the outside and sweet on the inside.”
“As long as I’m your favorite, I’ll be whatever you want me to be, sweet thing.”