Page 76 of Out Of Time

“I’ll never win a Cup.”

“Neither did Henrik Lundqvist, but he’s still one of the greatest goaltenders of all time.”

“How do you know that?” Max asked, cocking an eyebrow at her random hockey trivia.

“I’ve been doing my research. And what I found is that not all of the greats win a Cup, but it doesn’t diminish the careers they had. Nothing will steal the legacy you’ve already left with the Condors.”

“You overestimate me.”

“No, you underestimate yourself. You’ve been doing it since I met you and I think it’s high time you stop tattooing your losses on your side and start enjoying your wins.”

Max was sitting on the beach, with a box of donuts, half glazed twists, half maple bars, with Remi at his side. It was going to be okay. He was going to be okay... with time. He knew speaking his truth out loud to his teammates would be hard, maybe the hardest words he would ever say in his lifetime, but he could do it with this woman by his side. Playing the words over and over in his head, he thought about how he would tell the team, wondering how they, the media, and the fans would respond.

“So, the night is young and I’m in the market to distract you from hockey shit,” Remi said, playfully bumping her leg against his. “Blow job perhaps?” she joked.

“I won’t say no to a blow job.” Max blushed. “But that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind if I’m being honest.”

“Okay, so what did you have in mind, and Iswearmy ego isn’t bruised that you’re not constantly thinking about me blowing you,” she said playfully with a wink.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t constantly thinking about you blowing me, my brain is 98 percent you blowing me, 1 percent hockey, and the other 1 percent ‘oh shit I’m going blind,’” he teased.

“At least I know I can keep your brain distracted.”

“You’re thebestdistraction, Rem. I feel like you came into my life right when I needed you,” he admitted.

“I don’t think I knew just how lonelyIwas beforeyou. As a kid, I never made friends because I was so afraid they would find out about my mom, and that just kind of carried on into adulthood. I’ve just been filling my time with work and caring for others. I didn’t know I needed a Max Miller in my life.”

“Black briefs and punk music,” he said.

“The perfect start to any relationship,” she agreed.

“Speaking of punk music, that’s kind of what I was thinking we could do tonight.”

Remi threw the last bite of her second donut back into the box. “You want me to start a punk band with you?” she asked.

“No.” He laughed, and he couldn’t push back the image of him on stage, all redheaded and sweaty, playing a bass guitar. “I was thinking more along the lines of you showing me new things to fall in love with. All I’ve ever known is hockey. Train, eat, sleep, play, repeat. But if I don’t have a backup plan, I’m afraid I might get depressed. I’m going from living a very structured life to retirement. I think it might be a big adjustment, and I have no idea what else is out there that I might like. I remember that day, when you woke me with your music, being a little annoyed, and a lot embarrassed, but I also remember feeling excited, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, about the music you played that day. I think it might be something I could get into.”

Remi’s body language perked up at the mention of this, of exploring new things together.

“Max, the world is so big and so full of wonderful things to discover, not only will I single-handedly introduce you to all thebest bands, but I will also take you to see them. There’s so much good music here in Southern California. So many amazing small venues to see shows. This is going to be so fun,” she said, doing a bit of a happy dance.

“What else can you introduce me to?” Max asked.

“Blow jobs?” Remi teased.

“Yes, that too. But what else is out there, Rem? What am I missing? What do I need to see and do before this gets bad?”

He watched as she thought this through, her eyes out on the ocean, her brain ticking away, making a list, he could see it all on her beautiful face.

“I think we should just live freely and do as you asked me to do; I think we should say yes to everything. That’s the only way we won’t miss out on something you might love.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“So, what’s the first thing we should say yes to, Max Miller?” she asked with an all-knowing raised eyebrow and a sexy grin revealing not one, but two dimples.

He took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips to place a gentle kiss, his eyes laced with something devious.

“There’s only one right answer and you know it,” he said, his voice low and gravelly.

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