Chapter 17
NASH
Is it weird that all day long I’ve looked forward to texting my wife goodnight?
It’s not weird, right? To do that even though this is totally fake? Like, it would be weirder if we had zero contact on a day-to-day basis despite being legally married, wouldn’t it?
It’ll help us to stay in touch, anyway. Make it easier for us to be in some rhythm together whenever we might have to fake it in front of other people.
When I step into the locker room to get changed for practice, every conversation halts, and every pair of eyes points at me.
After a couple moments with my brow furrowed, standing here wondering who’s going to say something to let me know why they’re all gawking at me, it’s Hayden who breaks the silence.
Of course it’s Hayden who breaks the silence.
“Nash, I’m just going to come right out and say it. I’m offended.”
I suppress a groan. “Hayden, what the hell are you talking about?”
“I can’t believe you didn’t ask me to be your best man.”
My stomach drops. Shit.
“I can,” Vaughn grumbles. He’s the first one to drop his attention from me and get back to changing into his gear.
“So you know that …” I say tentatively.
“That you fucking got married over the weekend without telling any of us?” Adriano says. “Yeah, we know.”
“Was it the woman you were pictured with at the hotel?” Cooper asks. There’s an edge to his voice, like the answer better be yes, because he’ll want to clock me in the face if that whole incident were proof of me cheating.
“Yeah, it was,” I answer.
“Well, that’s good,” Noah says. “It would’ve sucked if we all helped you cover up evidence of an affair right before your wedding day.”
“It wasn’t that at all. It was just …” I search for an excuse, a reason why I’d get so worked up about that picture being out there even though it was supposedly the woman I was about to marry. “I knew she wouldn’t want herself on the front page of some trashy magazine for the whole city to see.”
“That’s fair. Not everyone gets off on having their exploits publicized like Adriano,” Noah says.
“What Adriano gets off on is the way Ines yells at him when some salacious story hits the headlines,” Hayden replies. “It’s a weird fetish to have, but I won’t judge.”
“I will,” Vaughn grumbles again.
“It’s not a fetish,” Adriano says.
“Whenever anyone has to utter those words, it’s not a good sign,” Noah counters.
Adriano flips him off. “I just think it’s funny seeing her get worked up. There’s zero attraction between us. At least not on my part. Personality-wise, she’s so not my type.”
Cooper hoots a laugh. “For your own sake, kid, I hope you end up believing that if you say it enough.”
I head to my cubby and start to change. “How’d you guys find out I was married anyway?”
“Someone posted pictures of you, a woman in a wedding dress, and a judge standing between you in a courthouse. It’s not huge news or anything, but it’s making the rounds on social media,” Cooper answers.
Huh. The courthouse was pretty dead, but I did notice one or two people wandering through during the “ceremony.” I didn’t think anyone snapped a picture, but maybe that happened during that spell when I looked into Piper’s eyes to say I Do and was completely oblivious to anything except the specks of gold in her green irises.
“Well, when are we meeting the woman who melted your icy heart, Nash?” Hayden asks.
I imagine showing Piper off as my wife in public, and pride beats in my chest. Something about presenting a woman as beautiful as her as mine, knowing everyone would be immediately smitten by her—as annoying as I found her in college, I noticed how easily she made friends and was the life of any party—has a satisfied feeling singing through me.
“I don’t know,” I deflect. “She’s busy a lot.”
“She didn’t want a real wedding?” Noah asks, incredulity in his voice. “And she was okay with you being dressed as a slob even while she was wearing a wedding dress?”
It’s occurring to me how the puzzle pieces of our “marriage” don’t fit together all too well. I just hope no one feels compelled to dig into it.
“I didn’t look like a slob,” I grouse. “And she was fine with it. She didn’t want some big thing.”
A sad feeling sinks into me, because I’m sure that’s not true. The chapel where she was supposed to be married was gorgeous. So was her dress. And her hair. And her makeup. And her everything else.
I have no doubt that Piper’s the kind of girl who wants to go all out for a real wedding. I just hope she gets one, someday. Even if the thought of my wife standing across from someone else on the altar gives me a stab of totally irrational jealousy.
When we get on the ice, I can’t remember the last time I had such a good practice session.
I’m deking past defenders like crazy. When Coach has us run drills to practice winning the puck in a behind-the-net situation, I come away with it every time.
I even hold my own in face-off drills, even though that’s always been a weakness of mine.
I win a couple against Cooper, who’s near the top of the league for face-offs.
“Fucking hell, Nash,” Noah says when we’re back in the locker room. “If getting married makes you play like that, maybe we all need to tie the knot.”
“We all have a good day now and then. Nothing to do with being married.” The thought that Noah’s right, that all the time I’ve spent with Piper lately has me playing sharper, doesn’t sit well with me. Especially considering I’ll hardly be seeing her.
“I don’t see myself ever getting married,” Adriano says, leaning against his cubby with a thoughtful look on his face. “I would like to know what honeymoon sex is like, though. It’s a conundrum.”
“Wait a minute,” Hayden interjects. “You didn’t give your wife a real wedding, and you’re not taking her on a honeymoon? What the hell, Nash?”
Guilt twists in my stomach. I must look like a pretty pathetic husband.
“She didn’t want one right now. We’re both busy. We’ll take one after the season.”
We’ll be divorced by the time the season’s over. My lips pull into a frown.
“Hey, Miller!” Our coach, Florian Roy, steps into the locker room entrance. He’s a French-Canadian former player who transitioned to coaching after an injury derailed what was promising to be a legendary career. “Chip wants to see you in his office.”
Chip Rollins, the owner of the Austin Alligators.
“He’s pissed he didn’t get a wedding invitation,” Adriano jokes.
It might be a joke, but I have a bad feeling that our owner randomly calling me to his office must have something to do with me getting married.
Rollins has a reputation for making snap decisions without asking for outside input when it comes to his businesses.
In the couple times we’ve talked directly, he’s stressed how much he appreciates me being a stable, reliable veteran compared to the more chaotic younger players on the team like Noah, Hayden, and especially Adriano.
Could he see me randomly getting married without telling anyone, and the whole team only finding out because of a picture posted on social media, as a sign that I’m starting to get up to off-the-ice hijinks, that I’m less stable and reliable and mature than he thought?
I just bought a plot of land here, just remodeled my whole house, and I’m starting to feel settled in. I don’t want to get traded.
I shower and dress quickly, wanting to get this meeting over with, whatever it’s about. I go upstairs to the arena offices, and Chip’s secretary tells me to go right in.
“Nash! Well, congratulations, damn it!” Chip’s wearing a big grin when he pushes up from his chair and rounds his desk to give me a firm handshake. “I’ll just assume my invitation got lost in the mail.”
I fake a laugh. He doesn’t seem upset about it, which is a good thing. “We just wanted something small. Something real small. Obviously. Nothing personal to you or anyone else who wasn’t invited.”
“I’m just glad one of my top players is married.
It’s the damnedest thing, every one of my top guys being single.
Don’t know if anyone else in the league has got that.
Kinda worried me, tell you the truth. A married man is more stable, more serious.
Has more sense of ownership when it comes to the things in his life, including his job. ”
Sounds like an outdated stereotype to me, but whatever.
“I’ve always been serious about my role on this team, and that’s not going to change.”
“My wife and I are hosting a banquet to benefit cancer research this weekend. As the first player to get married under my ownership, I’d love for you and your wife to be there as my guests.”
It’s my instinct to come up with an excuse to get out of it. This marriage is supposed to be an on-paper thing, after all.
But wouldn’t it look sketchy if we don’t appear together in public at least a couple of times?
“I’ll have to check with her about her schedule, but I think we can make it,” I answer.
I guess today I’m asking my wife out on a date.