Page 139 of Body Check

Gavin had volunteered to pick him up at the airport and drive him straight to the arena all the way across the city.

Moon looked tired now, his full mouth drooping a little at the corners and his brown eyes a bit vague, but he brightened at the greeting. “Thanks, uh, Gavin.”

Gavin grinned, already reaching for his suitcase. “C’mon, let’s get loaded up and get you to the Hawk’s Nest.”

They made small talk on the way to the arena as Gavin kept his foot on the accelerator and took corners as quickly as possible, though he was painfully aware of every second ticking by.

“I hope you don’t have too long of a pre-game routine,” he said grimly as he skidded up to the players’ entrance at the arena with little time to spare.

Rafe grinned, opening his door. “Nah, it’s not too bad.”

“Good.” Gavin tossed his keys to a startled-looking security guard, then helped unload Rafael’s belongings.

Rafe handled his own sticks, skates, and gloves, while Gavin wrestled with his suitcase and duffle bag.

Gavin gave him a brief tour as they hustled down the corridors that led to the locker room, pointing out the important things. “We’ll do a full tour when you get your badge and everything. But this’ll have to do for now.”

“No, I appreciate it,” Rafe said.

“I’ll leave your luggage with the equipment manager. They have your uniform ready for you,” Gavin said, swiping his badge across the card reader next to the dressing room door. “We put you in a stall next to Mouse.”

“Thanks,” Rafe said, pausing to glance back at him. “Thanks for getting me here.”

Gavin had a feeling he meant more than picking him up at the airport and driving him to the arena. “I hope it works out for you,” he said sincerely. “Sometimes, we all need a fresh start.”

With a faint smile and nod, Rafe disappeared through the doors into the locker room. Gavin stood back, watching as the guys lifted their heads, immediately spotting the newcomer.

Tanner whooped out a greeting and Connor rose to his feet, smiling, already holding a hand out, the consummate captain. Jesse—half-dressed in his goalie gear—lumbered over to his side, pulling Mouse along with him, face bright and animated as he introduced Rafe to his new defensive partner.

This was always the bittersweet part for Gavin.

He could wheel and deal, finesse other GMs into parting with valuable assets and sweet-talk players onto his team, but in the end, it was up to the boys in that room.

How Rafael Moon fit in, how any of Gavin’s acquisitions fit in, were all up to him and his fellow players. And yes, to a certain extent up to the coach in how he used them, but ultimately, it all had to do with team chemistry.

Being a general manager was a lot like being a matchmaker.

Gavin had to suss out who would mesh well with the overall team dynamic, what wingers would complement centers, which D-pairs would be able to work together. He wasn’t always right—there had been a few painful duds at the beginning. He’d overpaid for guys who had wound up busts, and predicted dynamic pairings that had fallen flat, but every time, he was hopeful.

The doors swung shut again, closing Gavin off from the team, and he sent a quiet prayer up to the hockey gods that this was one of the times he’d gotten it right.

“Hey! Did you get him?” Dakota asked a little while later, his expression happy and relaxed as he looped his arm through Gavin’s.

“I got him,” Gavin said, letting out a sigh. “He’s with the team now.”

“Good job!” Dakota pressed a kiss to his cheek and Gavin smiled. “I hope it works out.”

“Me too,” Gavin said fervently.

They were in the hallway outside of the owners’ box and Paul Stevenson shot them a sidelong glance as he passed. Gavin ignored it.

He still hadn’t told the team he and Dakota were dating, but there was a big ‘welcome to Boston’ party being held for Rafe at O’Neill’s Pub tonight where Gavin might have the opportunity to say something.

Then again, he might show up with Dakota on his arm and let people reach their own conclusions. He certainly didn’t need to make a big production out of it.

The press conference scheduled in a few days would be more than enough to deal with. Between announcing he was stepping down from one of his roles, the hiring of Finnegan O’Shea, and coming clean about his relationship with Dakota, it would beplenty.

He suggested they take the low-key approach at the pub tonight to Dakota, who nodded. “Yeah, sounds great.”

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