Page 5 of The Golden Goalie

Sebastian smirks. “Well, did you get any hits in?”

“Course I did.” I’m irritated, and he’s not making things better. “So did Gunner.”

His eyes widen. “Cap was there too? Man! You should have called me. I can’t believe I missed out!”

I give him a look. “Did you miss the part where we had to fight at least six of their guys?”

“Nope. I heard that part. Saw that on your ugly mug too,” he says pointing to my face. “I just can’t believe you fought. Something must have really stirred you up.”

I scowl at the way he says it. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He shrugs, and I suddenly have the urge to wipe the smirk off his face. “Just sayin’. You usually don’t fight.”

“I’m usually a little busy,” I say dryly.

“You sure it doesn’t have anything to do with a certain somebody?” he asks, tipping his head towards the hallway. I cross my arms over my chest and level a look at him. He puts his hands up in surrender, and a serious expression crosses his face—a rare look for him. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” His words are soft, but it still makes anger bubble up inside me. I don’t respond because I don’t want to fight with him. He’s my teammate; and more than that, he’s a friend.

Before I get a chance to say anything, the bathroom door opens. I catch my breath and look that direction, but Amberdoesn’t come out. Only Stephanie does, and I don’t like the look on her face. She looks me directly in the eye. “You know she has a black eye and a nasty scratch on her arm?”

“What?” The word explodes out of me as anger burns through me, hot and fast. I suddenly wish I’d done a whole lot more damage in that fight. “Is that why she’s throwing up?” I am so angry, I can barely see straight.

“No, that’s...something else.” Her voice is soft, and I look away from the hallway to take in her face.

“You okay, Baby?” Sebastian asks, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. She melts into him, and I look away. I’m happy that my teammates are finding the loves of their lives, but it doesn’t make it easy to watch. Not when I want that more than anything. I rub a hand over my chest. I’m not one of those guys that’s made hockey my everything. Sure, I love the game; and I love my team. But I never planned on making a career out of it. I sort of fell into it in high school. My single mom put me in sports at a young age, simply to keep me busy and out of trouble. When I tried hockey at a summer camp, I was hooked. But it wasn’t until ninth grade that my coach made me try my hand at goalie when our goalie got injured during a practice. I was hooked. The kid who had a hard time paying attention suddenly locked in on every single movement of the puck. Standing in front of the net is my happy place. It’s the only time that my overactive mind settles. I’ve made a good amount of money playing for the Green Thunder, but I could walk away from it tomorrow if I had to, especially if it meant getting what I’ve always wanted—a big family. My mom did the best she could with my sister and me, but I always wondered what it would be like to have a full house. My life plan always included getting married early and having lots of kids and living out my dream life with a full house. That hasn’t exactly happened. I’m twenty-six, which objectively isn’t that old for most people. But for me,it feels ancient. I didn’t think I’d still be playing the sport at this age. I thought I'd be settled in a house with a wife and kids and maybe a dog by now. I’ve got the house, but it’s empty. My mom lives in the guesthouse I had built for her. Living with my mom at age twenty-six was not exactly the dream. Guilt hits me. My mom did everything she could to make a good life for me. She worked two jobs just to pay for my sports’ equipment. Hockey is expensive. I owe her everything, which is why I always make sure she’s well taken care of. It’s also why I bought this huge house—because it had room for a guesthouse in the backyard. Don’t get me wrong. I love my mom to death. Still, it’s not the same as having someone at my side, someone to love and be loved in return. My mind snaps back to the present. I watch as Stephanie says something quietly to Sebastian.

“What is it?” I ask, wanting, no, needing to know what’s going on with Amber. She puts her hand on his chest and meets my eyes. And then she says two words that change everything.

“She’s pregnant.”

The world beneath my feet tilts.

Chapter 3

Amber

I’m not sure how long it is exactly that I’ve been locked in this bathroom. Long enough that it’s quiet outside the door. I really hope Stephanie and Sebastian are gone; and hopefully, they took Rico with them. I can’t face any of them tonight. I think about just going home, but I can that idea quickly. I can’t face my mom. Tears of shame and guilt trickle down my cheeks, even though I thought I was done with that. I stare into the toilet and wonder when my life took such a turn. The tears come again, and I close my eyes against the pain, the shame. I don’t know how this happened. I mean, I do know; I took basic biology in high school. But I was never this girl; I wasn’t the kind of girl to get pregnant with a guy without being in a committed relationship. And therein lies the problem. IthoughtI was. I thought Adam loved me; I thought we were forever. I thought we had what Brielle and Aiden did. And that’s why I let him talk me into being together. I held my ground for so long. We dated for over a year. He always pushed for more, and I held my ground. But then he started telling me things like if I really loved him, I would prove it by being with him. He convinced me that it was the right thing to do—that we were going to get married. What did it matter if we were intimate? Tears blur my vision. It did matter; it mattered a lot. Because now I was pregnant with his baby, and he was with another woman. Images of what I walked in on tonight flash through my mind in rapid succession. Adam in bed with another woman. One of Adam’s teammates tried to warn me not to go upstairs, but I thought he was just being a jerk. I so wish I wouldhave listened to him because then I wouldn’t be stuck with these images in my mind on repeat. I gag and dry heave into the toilet for the hundredth time tonight. My tears drip into the toilet, and I clutch my stomach.

What am I going to do?That’s the same question that’s been hurling around my mind for the past few hours. When I found out I was pregnant, the day of Brielle’s wedding...of all days...I was angry and sick and ashamed. But I finally talked myself down and told myself that everything would be okay. We would just move the wedding date up. We would get engaged and plan for a wedding in the next few months; it would all work out. I waited for Adam to get back from his series of away games. I convinced myself that everything would be okay. Then tonight, I went over to his house. I shake my head; I was so naive. I thought he loved me; I thought we were forever. And then I find him in bed with another woman. But that’s not the worst of it. After I shrieked, maybe screamed, and ran out the door, he came and found me a few minutes later. I was still shaking with grief and anger. He stopped in front of me and said we need to talk. Anger burns inside me at what happened next. “I’m pregnant,” I’d blurted out. I was desperate to make this right, to fix it. I thought that would change everything. I cringe as I remember the look on his face, and I knew what he was going to say before he ever said it. Yet, I still can’t get his words out of my mind. They’re burned into my memory.

Get rid of it.

There’s a soft knock at the door. “Amber?”

I recognize Rico’s voice. I feel bad that he’s still here. How he got involved in the first place is beyond me. I guess Aiden called him. I feel bad about that too. When I was hurt and in shock, I called Brielle. I forgot she was on her honeymoon. I told her not to worry about it, but she pushed me. I finally told her that I was just looking for a ride home but not to worry about it; I’d figureit out. She must have told Aiden, and somehow, Rico showed up for me. If I’d just driven myself, I would have had a car. But I’d gotten a ride to the party from one of Adam’s teammates. He was the same one that warned me not to go upstairs. He was one of the nice ones on the team. I really wish I would have listened to him.

“Amber?” Rico says again.

“You can go; I’m fine,” I tell him, hoping he’ll listen and leave me in peace.

“Stephanie said you have a black eye and a nasty scratch on your arm.”

His words give me pause, and I stare at my arm numbly. There is a scratch there, and I have no doubt my eye is bruised. Until now, I hadn’t thought about it. It suddenly aches fiercely, and I remember how I got it. An irate woman came at me when I was standing in the hall with Adam. “Who is this?” she shrieked. She grabbed a hold of my arm, and her nails dug into the skin on my arm. By instinct, I yanked my arm away. And then she was all over me. She was like a riled-up tiger. All I know was one minute, I was standing in front of Adam. The next, I was knocked to the floor. Shock dulled my senses; it didn’t really hit me that she’d punched me. I thought he’d yell at her, but he didn’t. He stared down at me with anger on his face as he physically restrained her from coming at me again.

You should never have come here.His words were full of anger. My stomach clenches at the humiliation. I can’t believe I thought he loved me.

“Amber, can you please open the door?”

Rico’s voice brings me back to the present. “You don’t have to stay; I’m good.” I’m hoping he gets the hint and leaves.

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