Page 84 of Pucking Fate

“I will. Take care and good luck.”

“Thanks,” I reply.

35

Christian

While Preston and I haven’t been teammates for years, I still know it’s unusual for him to miss conditioning. Even in the off-season, his world revolves around hockey.

During one of my breaks from the treadmill, I towel off my sweaty face and call him up to make sure he’s feeling okay.

“Yeah?” he answers. Just that one word and I know he sounds even gruffer than usual.

“Hey, is everything okay? I noticed you weren’t at training.”

“No, everything is not fucking okay,” he grumbles.

“Finley? Maya?” I blurt out in concern.

“They’re fine. She didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” I ask.

Now that he mentions it, for the past few nights, she’s ended our phone calls abruptly after Finley’s tucked into bed. I figured she was having doubts about us now that she’s in Maryland again and I’m still in North Carolina. I hate it, but I didn’t want to get into an argument with her.

But now…what if it was something else going on that she kept from me?

“Elle and I are getting ready to head out. We’re going to meet Maya and Finley in Georgia for my father’s fucking funeral,” Preston finally explains.

“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, man,” I tell him. “How are you doing? How’s Maya? Was it unexpected?”

“I honestly don’t know how I am. We haven’t seen the man in over five years.”

“Since Maya found out she was pregnant?” I guess.

“Yep. Not a peep from my father. Mama would call on my birthday, but that’s about it. She hasn’t spoken to Maya at all until she called her Monday and told her that he was dead.”

“Jeez. That’s… that must be tough. How is Maya handling it?”

Maya’s known since Monday that her father passed away and she didn’t tell me? Preston came to training like normal and never said a word about either. He was a little grumpier than usual, so everyone just left him alone. I guess it’s a topic neither of them wanted to talk about, at least not with me.

Which fucking hurts.

I want to be the one Maya talks to about everything, good or bad.

“Maya’s not great. She didn’t really want to go back home, or explain it all to Finley, but when I told her I was going, she decided they would drive down and meet us there. She’s missing her meeting about the new job today for this shit.”

“You’re headed back to Peachtree City?” I ask, remembering Preston telling me that’s where he’s from.

“Yeah.”

“When’s the funeral?”

“Tomorrow at eleven.”

“Shit,” I mutter.

“I know, right?”

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