Page 2 of Keeping it Real

“What’s eating you all of a sudden?”Gus asked as he shoved his kids’ hockey sticks into his equipment bag.“If I know my wife, she’s already packed a to-go box of cupcakes for you.Not to worry.”

Which was likely true.Claire Ferguson never missed a chance to feed Alek as if he were one of her own children.Unlike with her kids, however, cupcakes didn’t make everything better.

“Nothing,” Alek replied, trying to muster up a smile.His funky mood was on him, not Gus.“Just focused on getting my head together ahead of the season.”

Valentine groaned.“Oh, man, Ice-Berg.The season is still a week away.No need to be a fun sucker and queue up your speech about putting in the work.Every guy here knows you never miss a practice, a morning skate, a training session, or a game unless blood is spewing from some part of your body.”Valentine bowed.“Believe me, we all strive to emulate your work ethic.It’s just that some of us have a life outside the rink.”

Alek had a life.So what if his looked a little lonely to the guys because he didn’t have a family or girlfriend constantly distracting him?He wasn’t like Valentine or most of the other hockey players in the room, who all possessed unlimited talent.Alek never believed he’d make it to the pros.It took him twice as much grit and hard work to earn a job between the pipes.

The nickname Ice-Berg didn’t just refer to his glacier-colored eyes, but also his menacing single-minded focus.And being the best had his undivided attention for the time being.That and winning the Cup.

Gus paused from wiping his skate blades, shooting Alek a compassionate look.He was the only person within the organization aware of his father’s prognosis.His friend knew how much Alek wanted to go all the way this season for his dad.

“We’ve got this,” Gus said with quiet conviction.

“You know what you need, Ice-Berg?”Zach Picard, the Mayhem’s captain said from across the dressing room.“You need a woman.Someone to help you relieve all that preseason ...tension.”He punctuated the last word with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Alek shook his head at his teammate.Sex seemed to be the captain’s answer to everything.Picard was a “no strings attached” player with a puck bunny eagerly waiting for him in every city.Alek found it hard to believe that all the women were cool with it.Yet Picard skated from ice rink to ice rink with no drama impeding his game.

The Mayhem’s newest addition, Brad Merriweather, looked up from his dressing stall.“Bergeron had a woman, except he let some pro football player steal her away.Oh wait, it wasn’t a steal.Bergeron practically walked her down the aisle and handed her over to the guy.”

Every man in the room suddenly stopped what they were doing.Merriweather had a reputation for being brash and a bit of an asswipe.Since joining the team this summer, the defenseman had lived up to that hype.

Unlike Picard, Alek’s recent love life had not been drama-free.The Milwaukee media had a field day when the woman Alek had been seen around town with ended up marrying the Growlers quarterback.It didn’t help that punches were thrown at a charity gala that both men attended.No one cared that they were defending the woman’s honor.Instead, social media managed to make more of the incident than was necessary.As usual.

The silence stretched as everyone waited to see if Alek would react.

“You’re misinformed, Merriweather.”Valentine’s French Quebec accent was much more clipped than normal as he jumped to Alek’s defense.“Bergeron and London are friends.That’s all.She and the quarterback were high school sweethearts.”

While Alek appreciated the save—Valentine was more than just a pretty face and a wicked stick handler—his recitation of the facts wasn’t entirely accurate.Alek had thought he’d found “the one.”And it still stung.Not the part about her choosing another guy over him.Alek begrudgingly had to admit London and Trey were meant for each other.

The idea that he had been so off base about London’s feelings made Alek question whether or not he was cut out for a long-term relationship.After all, he’d been wrong about a woman’s love once before.

The tidbit about him and London remaining friends was true, however.The best part about it?Alek continued to be a thorn in the side of the Milwaukee Growlers quarterback.

“If you’re ready to get back out there,” Valentine continued as he tugged a Mayhem hoodie over his curls, “the influencer I’m dating has a friend.I’m happy to set you up.”

Gus covered up his laughing gasp with a cough.Valentine’s content creator girlfriend had the annoying tendency of adding a rising inflection to the end of everything she said.Carrying on a conversation with her felt like a game of twenty questions.No doubt her friend was the same.

And the last thing Alek wanted was to get involved with a woman whose day revolved around social media.As one of the league’s premier goalies, he already spent enough of his life in the very judgmental public eye.It turned out that once a player signed a lucrative contract, every fan felt it was their God-given right to pile on when that player had an off game.After the Mayhem didn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs last season, fans—and more than a few hockey pundits—blamed Alek despite the team being short two starting defensemen.

“I think Ice-Berg is interested in something more substantial.”Picard eyed Alek critically.“In fact, I think something more long-term might do you some good.”

Here we go again.

“For the hundredth time, I’m not getting a dog,” Alek told them.

“What’s your beef with dogs?”Valentine demanded.“Why do you hate them?”

“I don’t hate dogs.”

Gus laughed.“He tolerates ours just fine.”

“We are on the road half of every week,” Alek argued.“There’s no way to take care of a dog.”

It was his standard argument.The fact of the matter was he wasn’t a dog person.For some reason, though, that made him some sort of monster.

“You’re just afraid a dog would mess up your neatly ordered mausoleum,” Valentine accused.

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