Page 92 of On Thin Ice

It would only piss Morgan off and make everything worse.

But it had been difficult swallowing down Morgan’s bullshit before, and now it was impossible.

“Don’t treat your son like that,” Jacob said, turning to his old rival.

Morgan looked . . .well,shocked, really. That Jacob was here? That Jacob was questioning him?HowJacob was questioning him?

At least Morgan probably assumed that this was only about hockey.

Imagine if he knew the whole story.

“He’s my fucking son, not yours,” Morgan snapped, temper heating his gaze.

Finn came to an abrupt stop, ice shavings curling under his skates as he stopped right in front of the boards. He gave Jacob an apprehensive glance before he said, “Hey, Dad.”

“You don’t answer your fucking phone, and turns out it’s because you’re with him,” Morgan said, shoving a thumb in Jacob’s direction. “Him.”

Jacob gave himself a very firm lecture on how this wasn’t between him and Morgan, but Morgan and Finn, and then ignored it entirely. “Heis standing right here, andhehas a name.”

“Dad,” Finn said, only a single word but Jacob could hear the warning in it. He hoped Morgan heard it too. Then he turned to Jacob. “Don’t start, okay?”

“I wasn’t starting anything,” Jacob said. But he kinda had been. Every single fucking time when they’d been playing—even at the All Star Game after Morgan wasretired—he’d always tried to de-escalate while Morgan didn’t even know the meaning of that word. But now, he wanted to do the opposite. He wanted to finally land that punch, right into Morgan’s smug, annoying face.

But he didn’t, because Finn was asking him not to. With his words, yes, but with his eyes, pleading at him, too.

“Finn, what the hell is going on?” Morgan asked. “Why are you here with him? What couldhehave to teach you?”

Finn glared at him. “What could he have to teach me? Are you serious? After all the times I had to hear how fucking good he was? How he’d held you back? Kept you from breaking Gretzky’s record? And now suddenly he’s a piece of shit who doesn’t have anything to teach me?”

Morgan ground his teeth together, gaze sliding over towards Jacob. He wouldn’t look at him directly but Jacob knew what he wasn’t saying. “Do you think you could forget you just heard that?”

“Nope,” Jacob said. “Besides, I always knew why you hated me.”

“So what, you’re going to help my son now?”

“Finn,” Jacob said, keeping his voice light and easy, “I want you to go over and practice your angles, please.”

The look Finn shot him made it clear Jacob must think he was crazy if he was leaving them alone together. “What—”

“No,” Jacob said firmly. “Let me deal with this.”

“Thishas a name, asshole,” Morgan said, andnowhe was looking at him. Of course. It was fine when Morgan did it, but not when Jacob copied him. “And I don’t want to talk to you—though don’t think you’re getting off that easily here—I want to talk to Finn.”

Finn looked from Jacob to his dad and then back again and nodded. “There’s not much to say, Dad. I asked him to coach me. He’s coaching me.” Then he actually fucking skated away, tossing off one last comment over his shoulder. “Just try not to kill each other, okay?”

Morgan’s expression was dubious. “He actually came to you and asked you and you saidyes?”

“Your son’s a very talented goalie. I’m just helping him out with his focus. A few of his more advanced skills. But Finn’s got what it takes. With or without me.” It didn’t really feel good to lie about this. How it had started out exactly that way, but hadturned into so much more. But Morgan already looked pissed as hell already.

Imagine how he’d feel if he knew the truth.

Morgan crossed his arms over his chest. “Without you, that’s my fucking vote.”

“That’s the whole problem, you egotistical shit. You don’tgeta vote.”

Morgan’s jaw dropped. “Howdareyou, I’m gonna—”

“No blood,” Finn yelled across the ice.

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