“Being on the Blades taught me that if you don’t have the support of your family behind you—or in this case, teammates—then you’ve got nothing. I was foolish to think I could jump teams and be so lucky to fall into another situation where everyone gets along and works to lift each other up.” Shaking my head, I push my hair out of my face. “Boy, was I wrong.”
“Right?” Coach chortles. “That team is a hot mess. They’re good, but they’re not connected.”
“Exactly.” I let out a giant breath and sit back in my chair a bit more comfortably, breaking up the croissant on the plate in front of me. Of course I’m going to have one of Riley’s baked goods here. It’s like she’s giving me strength without being right here. “But I am sorry. I should have come to you about this before making the decision. And I didn’t.”
Coach cocks his head to one side, a smile playing on his lips. “So you admit you were wrong?”
“Totally.”
“And you admit that you should never have left the team?”
“One hundred percent.”
“Hmm.” He sits back and pulls his arms back in front of his chest, crossing them. He then looks off-camera, his eyes sweeping the room he’s in. “What do you guys think about that?”
Shocked, I’m floored when I hear several familiar voices chiming in, like a chorus in the background, undecipherable. In a matter of moments, half the team is behind Coach, whose face erupts with laughter.
“I guess he can come back,” Ollie says. “But it’s poor Leon who’s going to pay the price.”
“Leon will be fine, I think he likes the bench anyway,” Henry jokes, giving me a thumbs-up in the camera.
Suddenly, Dixon’s face fills the entire screen. “I just want to know if your new girlfriend has anything to do with you being so apologetic and nice?”
“Okay, you guys,” Coach says, clapping his hands together. “Pipe down, please.”
Watching the insanity in front of me, I know one thing: I can’t wait to get back to this group of maniacs. Movement in front of my table pulls my focus. When I glance over, I find Levi standing in front of me and waving.
I point my phone and mouth “on a call” his way, but Ollie notices. “Are you telling your lady friend that you’re busy right now? Scared to introduce us?”
“Not scared at all,” I chuckle, waving Levi over and angling the phone so he’s in the frame. I know Ollie is a huge fan of his, and I’m going to get a kick out of his reaction to this. “Meet my friend, Levi Porter.”
Ollie’s mouth all but hits the ground, as does Henry’s and even Coach’s.
“What?” Ollie actually squeals. “Levi Porter, you’re a rockstar, man!”
“I was just listening to your podcast this morning at the gym,” Henry adds. “Your focus technique on meditation as you get ready for game day is one of my favorite ways to prepare when we’re playing.”
“Obviously, you have some big fans here,” Coach pipes in.
“Thanks.” Levi laughs, a blush on his cheeks. “Right back at you guys. I saw Jake sitting here and was about to come over and bug him for a ticket to a game.”
“Done,” Coach says, holding both hands in the air. “We’d love to have you come and check it out.”
Levi pulls out a chair and sits at my invitation, and I turn my attention back to the screen. Coach manages to scoot the others out of the frame and he picks up the phone, talking only to me.
“Look, Jake, we’re good. You get back here and show me you’re ready to put the hockey stick where your mouth is, and we’ll be sweet.” He looks at me, his eyes smiling even if his mouth isn’t, and nods his head once. “I’ll see you in two days on the ice at the arena for practice, got it?”
“Yes, sir,” I say before disconnecting the call and turning my attention to my new table mate. “You timed that just right, made me look like a hero.”
“You do that on your own.” Levi taps the table as he looks up at me. “It’s not my place to do this, but I know Travis wouldn't mind.”
Uh-oh. I can feel the brother from another mother moment coming on with Levi. However, man to man, athlete to athlete, I can’t blame him.
“Yes?” I ask.
“I probably don’t need to tell you Riley’s been hurt before. I’ve been on the end that helps pick up the pieces. She’s like a little sister to me, and to Austin, so that's all to say she’s got a lot of big brothers who like protecting her.”
I stay silent and nod.
