33. Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Three
Kevin
My phone buzzes on the nightstand, waking me up. Sarah's still asleep, curled against my chest, breathing slow and steady.
I reach for it carefully, trying not to wake her.
The team group chat is blowing up.
?? Pucking Insanity ??
Crash
Optional skate this morning who's in
Momo
me!! what time
wait why are we skating on our day off
Crash
10am and because we need to work on some stuff
Beartrand
"stuff"
Crash
SYSTEMS Bear. Very important systems
Cubby
This sounds fake but ok I'm in
Momo
is there gonna be food after
Crash
Momo focus
Momo
I am focused on breakfast
Momo drops a Cookie Monster gif.
Sticks
Team bonding is important. Everyone should be there.
I stare at the phone. Aiden just pulled the captain card. For an optional skate. On our off-day.
Cubby
Did Cap just make optional practice mandatory
Beartrand
That's not how optional works
Sticks
I said everyone SHOULD be there. Reading comprehension, lads.
Crash
Sunshine you coming or what
Since when do we do optional skates on off days?
Momo
since right now apparently
Cap said we SHOULD be there which means we HAVE to be there
Crash
Exactly. So you in Sunshine?
**Sunshine has left the chat**
**Sticks has added Sunshine to the chat**
Cubby
He's stalling
Beartrand
Definitely stalling
I'm not stalling I'm confused
Crash
You can be confused at the rink. 10am.
Sticks
Kevin. Be there.
That's not a request. That's an order.
Momo
ooooh he used your real name
you're in trouble
Cubby
We'll see you at 10, Sunshine
Fine. I'll be there.
Crash
EXCELLENT
Don't be late
Momo
is there really gonna be food after tho
I set the phone down, suspicious as hell. Something's going on. Liam organizing optional practice? Aiden pulling captain rank? Everyone agreeing way too easily?
Yeah. This isn't about hockey.
Sarah stirs against me. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Just the guys. Optional skate this morning."
"On your off-day?"
"Apparently." I kiss the top of her head. "Go back to sleep. You've got the rescue later."
She mumbles something and burrows closer. Within seconds, she's asleep again.
I lie there for a few more minutes, my hand on her stomach where our baby's growing, and think about the ring I'm planning to buy today.
As soon as I figure out what all these fuckers and their mandatory optional practice shit are up to.
An hour later, I'm pulling into the practice facility parking lot, and my suspicion about everything continues to grow.
Every single car and truck is here. Aiden's Range Rover. Graham's truck. Josh's dad mobile. Tyler's Jeep. Liam's F-250.
They all showed up.
For an optional skate.
On a Wednesday.
I grab my bag and head inside. The locker room is full of guys getting dressed, and the energy is weird. Too casual. Too deliberate.
"Morning, Sunshine!" Liam says, entirely too cheerfully for ten in the morning, when I know for a damn fact he went to Whistling Pig last night after the game.
Because I know for a damn fact he goes to Whistling Pig every Tuesday night we’re at home because we don’t have practice Wednesday morning.
Except apparently this particular Wednesday morning.
"Morning." I drop my bag. "Didn't realize this was mandatory."
"It's not mandatory," Aiden says, lacing his skates. "It's optional."
"Right. Optional. Which is why you’ve got the entire top line here."
"We're dedicated to our conditioning," Graham says with a completely straight face.
"Top line bonding," Tyler adds. “And one goalie.”
Josh doesn't even try to hide his smirk. He’s a crochety bastard sometimes, and he’s also usually the only one who has no time for Liam’s kind of shit.
Except apparently for this particular kind of shit.
I start changing, watching them out of the corner of my eye. They're all pretending to be casual. Pretending this is normal.
It's not normal.
"So, what systems are we working on?" I ask.
"Systems?" Liam looks confused for half a second.
"You texted that we're working on systems."
"Oh. Right. Systems. Important systems. Very...systematic."
Both Bertrands snort simultaneously. It’s like a snort in stereo.
"You guys are terrible liars," I say, pulling on my navy practice jersey.
"We have no idea what you're talking about," Aiden says. "Let's hit the ice."
We skate for maybe five minutes. Taking shots, moving the puck around, pretending this is what we always do at a practice.
Then Liam skates up next to me during a water break.
"So," he says. "The jersey."
There it is.
"What about it?"
"Sarah wore your jersey. Tuesday night. In front of twelve thousand people."
"I'm aware. I was there."
Aiden glides over. "Looked good on her."
"Thanks?"
"Looked like a statement," Graham adds, joining the circle forming around me.
Tyler skates up. "Looked like she was telling everyone she's with you."
"She is with me."
"So." Liam leans on his stick. "What are you going to do about it?"
I look at all of them. At their expectant faces. At the fact that they coordinated this whole ambush.
"You guys planned this."
"Planned what?" Aiden asks innocently.
"This. So-called optional skate. Getting me here so you could interrogate me about Sarah."
"That's a very serious accusation," Liam says. The lack of expression on his face says more about his plans than his usual shit-eating grin ever could.
Fucking hell, he’s enjoying every minute of this. How many whiskeys did he have to have last night to think this up?
I decide to keep my own face as neutral as his. "Is it true?"
"Obviously." The cocky grin emerges. "Now quit stalling. What are you doing about it?"
I could deflect. Could tell them to mind their own business.
But these are my guys. And honestly? I love them for it.
"I'm buying her a ring," I say. "Today."
The rink goes silent.
Aiden starts tapping his stick on the ice. Graham and Liam follow suit.
Then Tyler whoops so loud it echoes off the boards. "FINALLY!"
"About time," Josh says.
"When?" Aiden asks. "When are you going?"
"After this. There's a jewelry place downtown that I’ve heard is nice — B. Barton. I was planning to go before lunch."
"Alone?" Liam looks genuinely horrified. "You were going to go alone?"
"Yeah."
"Absolutely not." He's already skating toward the bench. "We're coming with you."
"You don't need to—"
"We're coming," Aiden says. Not a suggestion.
Captain's orders. Again.
"All of us," Graham adds.
"Someone needs to call Camper," Liam says, picking up his phone that he suspiciously left on the bench. "He needs to be here for this."
This is getting ridiculous. "Brett's at work. He can't just—"
Liam's already dialing. "Camper. Emergency...
No, everyone's fine... Sunshine's buying Sarah a ring today and we're all going with him...
Yeah, today, right now... I know you're at work...
So, call in sick... Dude, this is way more important than teaching sophomores about the American Revolution...
Forty-five minutes? Perfect. Meet us at B. Barton downtown."
He hangs up. Grins at me. "Brett's in. He's all of a sudden not feeling well. Going home sick."
"He's what?"
"Getting a sub. The football coach is going to show Camper’s class Miracle. They'll be thrilled." Liam claps me on the shoulder. "Now let's finish this so-called practice so we can go buy some jewelry."
I look around at all of them. At these guys who coordinated an entire conspiracy just to make sure I didn't buy a ring alone.
"You're all insane."
Aiden skates closer, serious now. "Kevin. You’re our brother. When one of us is doing something this important, we all show up. That's how this works."
That’s how this works. "Yeah. Okay."
"Good." He grins. "Now let's get off this ice so we can help you pick out a ring before you panic and buy the first thing you see."
Wait. Do they even know me? "I'm not going to panic."
"You're absolutely going to panic," Liam says. "That's why we're coming."
Forty-five minutes later, we're walking into B. Barton like an outtake from Ocean’s Eleven.
Seven guys in various levels of Austin Stampede warmups and one guy with a Westlake Hills Prep Hockey quarter-zip and khakis. The security guard straightens up when he sees us.
I almost feel sorry for this guy, thinking he might have to defend against this circle of absolute fuckery.
A woman in a perfect suit approaches and her smile only wavers for half a second when she takes in the full spectacle.
For a brief second, I wonder if she’s ever seen anything quite like this before. Poor lady.
"Good morning, gentlemen. How can I help you?"
"Engagement ring." Wait, that didn’t come out the way I intended. Damn it, Liam was right. I’m starting to panic. Let’s try take two. "I need an engagement ring."
Her smile brightens. "Wonderful! Congratulations. Do you have an appointment?"
"No."
"Ah." She glances at my entourage. "And will everyone be...participating?"
"Yes," Liam says, at the same time I say "No."
Fuck. I should have told them I was going to the jewelry store in the mall.
"Moral support," I clarify. "You can ignore them."
"We're hockey players," Tyler announces. "We're impossible to ignore."
The woman — Rebecca, according to her name tag — doesn't miss a beat. "Follow me."
She leads us to a private area. Comfortable chairs. The guys spread out — Graham and Brett flanking me like the defensemen they are, Liam and Tyler taking seats, Aiden and Josh by the window like they’re the Secret Service or something.
"Do you have a style in mind?" Rebecca's pulling out trays from the display case.
"Classic. Simple. Round diamond. Platinum, probably. Nothing too flashy."
"Excellent starting point. Do you know her ring size?"
I pull a ring of Sarah's from my pocket. Grabbed it from her nightstand this morning while she was sleeping. "Can you work with this?"
"Absolutely." She examines it. "Size six. Let me show you some options."
Three trays appear. Dozens of rings, all sparkling under these lights that make everything look like paparazzi flashes.
My palms start sweating.
How the fuck am I supposed to choose? There I go again, proving Liam right. Fuck it all.