Page 145 of Off-Ice Misconduct
“You’re on my good side.”
“McKinnon.”
“Shhh, baby.” He coaxes East’s head into his neck.
“You almost died, Shae,” he says for the millionth time, still not in the mood to forgive him for that.
“I know, but I didn’t.”
Their foreheads touch in an intimate way that makes me feel like I should look away, but I don’t. I want this picture burned into my memory. Despite all the domesticity, I don’t think they were back together yet, but they are now. This is the moment. This one. I’ll quote it in my speech at their wedding.
Dad threads his fingers into East’s freshly washed hair.
“I have a best man,” he announces.
“Did he finally ask you?” East says in my direction.
“Yes,” I lie. He didn’t exactly ask, but he didn’t need to. I’ll be Dad’s best man, and they have my blessing. “If it wasn’t me, I was gonna riot. But you should know, he only picked me because he thinks I’m gonna stand up for him against your militant recovery plan. You have my full support, East.”
His eyes soften, twinkling, understanding that I mean more than just support with Dad’s recovery.
“Thanks, Ace. That means a lot, and with his stubborn ass, I’m gonna need it.”
“I’m right here, you two,” Dad says. “And I’d like to remind you that stubbornness kept me here with you today.”
“No. Nuh-uh, no, sir. We arenotjoking about that. Now or ever,” East says, somehow managing to get closer to Dad, clinging onto his neck.
Dad winks at me from over East’s head, having won that round—East has forgotten all about escaping his lap.
I think they’re gonna be fine.
And I’m gonna be fine, too.
33
Luke
Packing up my office is a lot harder than I thought it would be. To think I didn’t want to unpack at all, but somehow this place got packed with memories. Though I hope no one ever shines a black light on this place. The desk is probably particularly contaminated—the number of times I fucked Ace over this desk. Bookshelf, too. I pushed him up against that bookshelf a lot.
I don’t even disagree with the dean, I’m just filled with nostalgia, something I never thought someone like me would have. I’m going to miss this place—it’s where Ace and I began. Maybe I’ll steal this desk as a memento.
Ace will be pissed when he finds out the dean let me go—or as he calls him, Uncle Patrick. His dad’s conversation with the dean backfired, a little. Shae had good intentions, and had things gone differently this year, he would have been right, Patrick would have looked the other way. But given the circumstances, he couldn’t, and I see his point. I’m grateful he’s not making a big scene or firing Tate over it.
“I’m sorry, Luke. If we hadn’t already dealt with one big scandal involving the hockey team this year, I would have let things go with so little time left of the year. But considering what’s happened, the script has flipped, and that small amount of time’s become crucial. Made it riskier.”
“That’s fine, Patrick.”
“This has nothing to do with my personal views—don’t be shy at the family barbeques—I have to put the school first.”
Some would say putting the school first is something we all should have done, but I’ve never claimed to be a saint. If I could do it all over again? I’d choose Ace every time.
“I’ll go quietly,” I promised, turning to go.
“Wait, VanCourt?”
“Yeah?”
“The conference final is an away game, and the Frozen Four is held on neutral territory.”
