Chapter 49
I PROTECT THE FAMILY
FLETCHER
Itap my stick on the ice, signaling to Adam to pass to me.
He shoots the puck across the ice as I dodge a player from Calgary named Marquis.
He’s a rat, constantly making dirty plays the refs choose to ignore.
Marquis chirps at me under his breath as I skate toward the goal, passing the puck between my legs to Calvin, who gets a clear shot and slaps the puck straight into the net.
It’s a beautiful play, and the crowd erupts, the horn blaring as all five of us hug against the boards, celebrating the goal. We skate back to the bench, fist-bumping the rest of the team and switching shifts. I sit next to Waffles, who’s still breathing heavily after the shift.
I clap Waffles on the back. “Good job.”
He nods, taking in a sharp inhale. “Feels good to be playing on the same line as you three.”
“Keep up the good work, and you’ll go far, kid.” I turn my attention back to the ice. We’re only in the second period, so plenty of time for the game to turn, but we’re up by one.
It’s an adjustment, playing with someone new in the middle of the season, but so far, it’s gone well. Adam is meshing with the team, and watching him and Calvin work together is electric.
I turn my gaze up to the suite and lock eyes with Lydia.
She’s standing with the rest of the girls, a giant bucket of popcorn tucked under her arm, cheering as the puck drops at center ice, and we win the face-off.
She waves to me, smiling as I tip my chin in a nod.
I focus back on the ice, watching my team and preparing for my next shift.
My mind is locked on so many things all at once: the game, my teammates, and her.
The beautiful woman who supports me no matter what.
She’ll always be here for me, and I’ll do the same for her.
We have so much life ahead of us, and while things are going to change even more once the baby arrives, it’s going to be incredible.
This time next year, Lydia’s going to be standing up in that suite holding our daughter, watching me play the game I love.
The image is so stunning that my heart pounds. I can’t wait.
Once my next shift starts, my focus narrows back to hockey.
I hop the boards and skate toward the puck.
Adam hits the opposite side of the ice, with Calvin at our center.
Levine took the place of Wafford for this shift, and our other defenseman, Laken Monroe, has the puck.
He passes to me, and as soon as the puck leaves his stick, Marquis checks Monroe into the boards.
Monroe collapses, holding his arms to his chest as the ref blows the whistle. Calvin, being our enforcer, drops his gloves, skating to Marquis. It was a clean hit, but Calvin doesn’t care. He’s a kid, and it was unnecessary.
“You motherfucker,” Calvin shouts, landing a right hook to his jaw with the first punch.
The two go at it while I skate over to Monroe. One of the refs watches the fight while the other checks in with Monroe, who’s now standing.
Marquis gets a hit right in Calvin’s nose, and blood drips down his face. Calvin answers the punch immediately, hitting his right eye. Marquis collapses to the ice, and the ref pulls them apart.
We tap our sticks to the ice and boards as the ref leads Cal to the penalty box with a five-minute major for fighting. He wipes at the blood streaming from his nose. He’ll be fine. Marquis skates to his own penalty box, goading Calvin. Calvin laughs them off as he always does.
The rest of the game is tense, with insults thrown as Calgary ties it up. No more fights occur, but late in the third period, Adam shoots the puck and finds the back of the net, giving us the lead again.
With only thirty seconds left, I’m back on the bench, panting as I look up once more to the suite.
Dylan is watching intensely, while Hattie points at Trigg, who’s just made a killer save.
The kid is going to go far, that’s for sure.
I’m excited to watch his growth, and hopefully, we can get him to the right place. I genuinely think he could go pro.
The final horn sounds, and we all rush the ice toward Trigg, giving him head taps for a job well done.