Chapter 17 Tate
“Hope you all had a good break and enjoyed time with your families. Now, it's time to get back to work.” Coach Randall calls out over the ice. He’s on the ice with us today. “We have a gruelling schedule in the upcoming weeks. A home game tomorrow and then we pack right up for an away series.”
My legs burn on each push as Coach pushes us with the warmup. Jordan is right there next to me.
It was only two days off from workouts and practice, but my body is howling from the lack of use.
Jordan speeds up. I push myself to keep up. He glances at me with a smirk and pushes harder. It turns into a competition until we are skating full speed on a warmup.
He doesn’t know I live for the burn though. I pass him and lap him.
“Holy shit, old man. You’ve got speed.” He huffs as we slide to a stop by the bench.
“Nah, you’re just hungover.” I look him over noting the dark eyes and slumped shoulders. He’s looked like that since the team party. The same one his girlfriend, Alexis, seemed to be absent from. “How’s Rosie?”
Something flashes across his face but it’s gone just as fast. Like maybe there’s something there. I recognize the pain and worry reflected in his eyes. I saw it in the mirror too many times when Matty was first born.
“She’s good. My whole heart, man.” He smiles a little sadly. I don’t push. Though I can tell there’s something there. I let out a breath, before deciding to share a bit of my past with him.
“You know, when Matty was born, I was just a kid myself. Scared shitless.” I say, twiddling with the tape on my stick. “Shay, his mom, didn’t want him. Didn’t even care what happened to him. I was lucky to get the call that he existed- was born.”
“Damn.” Jordan shakes his head at his skates.
“Yeah. I drove all night to get there after a game. I took one look at him and decided there was no way I would let him go into the system.” I hold back the tears of the memory I don’t let myself visit often.
“I was the only person standing between a very different life for Matty. No matter that I was a kid myself.”
Jordan nods his head.
“Do you ever feel… I don’t know, like you’re not enough for Matty on your own?” Jordan asks, scrubbing a hand across his jaw.
“Every day. I fuck up all the time. Kids are forgiving though.” I shrug. “I’ll work my ass off to be the dad he deserves. Maybe someday, someone will come along who adds to that. I’m not holding my breath.”
Even as I say that my heart knows I'm lying. That someone very specific comes to mind when I think of sharing my life. She’s not ready for that though.
Ronan skates up in his goalie gear, interrupting our conversation.
“You ladies just gonna chat all day or what?”
“We were just talking about that goal Alli scored on him the other day.” Ripley grins mischievously.
“Yea that was brutal.” Ronan sighs, messing with his gear. “Speaking of Alli, she was asking about you.”
My heart skips a beat, but I try to act casual. I shift my weight on my skates, twiddling the tape on my stick—again.
“Uh… Really?” My voice cracks a bit, and I fail to keep the hopeful note from my voice.
“No.” Ronan deadpans.
Jordan’s snort turns to a full out laugh.
“Oh, you fucker.” I throw my glove at the back of his head as he skates off cackling.
As I’m skating the speed laps I earned for that, I see Alli at the edge of the rink speaking with Coach.
Her hand comes up to fiddle with the little butterfly pendant hanging delicately.
My chest puffs up with pride seeing something of mine around her neck.
I glide for a moment, appreciating the slit in the back of her skirt.
When she shifts her weight back on her little fuck me heels, it showcases a bit more of her leg.
I unknowingly skate right into the middle of the drill, my head still turned. Quade, the rookie, barrels right into me, knocking me down onto the ice. My head bounces off the ice. Just once, enough to make me see stars. Not the good kind either.
Thankfully, my helmet stayed intact.
“Fuck, Bridges. What are you doing?” Quade shouts.
“My bad.” I wheeze as he and Fitz pull me to stand.
“I think I know what distracted him.” Fitz nods his head to where I know Alli is behind me.
My cheeks heat.
She probably saw me making an absolute fool of myself.
“Fuck off Fitzgerald.” I grumble as I move past him to continue my laps.
His gloved hand on my shoulder stops me.
“Allison’s a gorgeous woman.” Fitz says slowly.
I narrow my eyes not sure where this is going but daring it to be in the wrong direction.
“Just so you know… TJ was possessive as hell. Even when he was being a scumbag on our away travels. Ronan told her as soon as he suspected something was going on, of course. Keep in mind, she left him. Not the other way around. From where I’m standing, it doesn’t seem like he’s ready to let go. Be careful.”
I give a nod. He taps my shin lightly with this stick and returns to the drill.
I go back to my laps.
Later, Coach has us setting up in a scrimmage. Thankfully, Fitz is my pair. He’s been on fire lately. I need to ask him if he tweaked his routine or diet. Whatever he’s doing is working for him, that’s for sure.
He’s fast and focused on the ice. I, on the other hand, have to deal with TJ chirping me every possible second. He’s trying to sneak in dirty hits and tricks.
I’m relentless though. It pisses him off he can’t get the puck from me, and he’s doing a piss poor job of guarding me.
“And that’s why you’re on second line.” I finally give in to the shit talk.
“Yea, well seems backwards since you’re the one enjoying my sloppy seconds.” TJ tries to goad me.
“Come on, man. You can do better than that. Even your trash talk needs tuning up.” I shake my head like I'm disappointed in him.
Ronan chuckles from the net.
“What’s wrong, Bridges? You don’t like that I had her first? You’re welcome, by the way.” He smiles.
I roll my eyes.
“For?” I don’t care but I play along because the guy obviously needs a little help.
“Getting her nice and loose for you.” TJ sounds like a scumbag as he gets a faraway look in his eye and bites his lip. Like he’s reminiscing.
Playing back memories.
Of my Alli.
I clench my fists but work hard to play it cool. I have to get a long-term contract with this team. Getting goaded into fights and losing my position isn’t going to provide for my kid. She isn’t mine… not yet anyway.
So instead, I slide that easy mask back into place.
“Loose? Are we talking about the same woman? Cause my Alli?” I bite my fist and groan. “Her pussy grips like a vice.”
“Shut the fuck up.” TJ growls with jealousy, shoving me against the boards as the puck is in play.
“No, no, no. You brought it up. Let’s talk about how your dick must be smaller than my pinky if you think that’s loose.
” I grin and wiggle my pinky at him. I’m talking low enough that our teammates can’t hear me spouting this shit.
I just want TJ to throw the first punch so we can be done with it.
“I mean for fucks sake, I could barely get two fingers in. You must really regret losing her. Don’t worry, little guy. I’ll take good care of her.”
“You motherfu—“We get separated by Fitz and Ripley before TJ can make a move. I wink at him.
“Watch your fucking back, Bridges.” He hollers as they drag him backwards.
“Jesus, Texas. Why the hell are you chirping him so hard?” Ripley asks me with a side eye.
“He’s the one that’s got a problem, I’m just trying to draw it out somewhere appropriate.” I say dropping into the bench next to him. I squirt water in my mouth.
Quade drops onto the bench next to me. He picks up a water bottle and does the same.
“Okay, that was definitely mine that time.” Ripley says and snatches it out of his hands.
“What’s wrong with me borrowing some water? I’m waterfalling!” Quade whines. He probably left his again. Poor kid would lose his head if it wasn’t attached to him.
“Because I know where your nasty ass mouth has been.” Jordan quips back, making a show of wiping his water bottle.
“Oh my God. You’re so dramatic.” Quade rolls his eyes.
A tap on my shoulder comes from behind.
My heart palpitates when I turn to see those angelic green eyes.
“Hey. I was just gonna ask if you wanted me to bring Matty to the game with Hudson and I tonight. That way you can let your Nanny have the night off.” She asks, leaning down from the stands so she doesn’t interrupt practice. “And earning some cool mom points with Hudson wouldn’t hurt.”
“Sounds great, Darlin.” I grin. Her eyes flick down to my mouth and her smile matches mine. “I’ll let Gloria know.”
I want to kiss her in front of everyone. Claim her mouth in front of her shitty ex, who can’t be bothered to provide even though he’s on a million-dollar contract.
There’s gotta be laws on that.
“Okay. See you later, then.” She says and pulls out her tablet. I watch her walk until she disappears through the doors.
Coach Randall gives me a disapproving look that makes me -a grown ass man- blush.
I wait until he looks away and pull my phone out of the bag I kept under the bench today. We aren’t allowed our phones at practice or games usually. Still, I risk it.
Tate
You look beautiful today.
Alli
Thank you. Aren’t you still at practice?
Tate
Yeah, it’s a light one today though. Wanna come home and take my pregame nap with me?
Alli
Tempting. But I wouldn’t want to steal all your stamina before the big game. ??
Tate
I have plenty of stamina. I’m a professional, Allison.
Alli
It sure seemed like it.
I chuckle and shake my head at her sass. I tuck my phone back in the bag before I can get caught with it.
Quade, who apparently was reading over my shoulder, grins at me.
“You and Alli huh?”
My face falls in a flat line.
“No.”
“What? I’m just— “
“Just no, Quade.” I shake my head. I know he heard me fucking with TJ, but I genuinely don’t gossip about women.
Mostly because there haven’t been women for me. Not a relationship or anything meaningful anyways. Not that she wants a relationship.
But Alli is different. I don’t want her cheapened by locker room talk. I already regret the chirping I did, even if it was just to get TJs fight out of him.
The guy is cagey though.
Sometimes he’s aggressive as hell, and other times like today he’s flighty.
Is it the fact that I heard their conversation airing all his dirty laundry? The guy's probably embarrassed.
I don’t know how Alli would feel about me making it my business.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about each other. Truthfully, I don’t think there’s a single thing I could learn about her that would dissuade my interest in her.
She’s soft spoken and kind to everyone. Matty has taken to her. That simultaneously makes me happier than ever and scared beyond belief. My son is my reason for breathing. I can’t do anything to put his heart at risk.
Allison has had her heart broken and been humiliated publicly by her ex-husband's infidelity. The last thing I want to do is embarrass her further.
Right now, she dances around me. Keeps her heart at arm's length. I understand. Still, there’s nothing I want more than to break through those walls like a fucking wrecking ball and give us both everything I know she wants. I just have to play my cards right.
“Fucks sake, Bridges. Don’t just stand there, put your hands in your pockets.” Fitz rolls his eyes at my daydreaming.
“My bad.” I say sheepishly and get to work. There’s still tension between TJ and I. I don’t miss the glares he throws my way. I blow a kiss with my lips when I steal the puck from him and pass it off to Ripley. Ripley sets up for a slap shot, winning us the scrimmage.
TJ just turns to his buddies. He lets it go for now. That feeling in my gut still sits heavy. I know it’s not over yet.
Fitz's words echo around in my head.