Page 81 of Wilder Puck
My dad nods as I exit.
I give him a salute and slip out of his office, feeling lighter than I have in a while. The guys all look up when I rejoin them, curiosity and concern written on their faces.
“Well?” Chase demands. “What was that all about? You were gone for nine minutes. We were about to send in a search party.”
“Nah,” Colton says. “If Coach was gonna off him, he'd wait until after playoffs for sure. Ry's his ticket to the promised land.”
I roll my eyes, picking up my gear to clean and put away. “Coach and I were just having a nice father-son chat, that's all. Clearing the air.”
That gets me a few skeptical looks, but they can tell from my demeanor that it's the truth.
“About time,” Andrew says, nodding in approval. “I was starting to get carpal tunnel from crossing my fingers so hard for you two to get your shit together.”
“Yeah well, consider your metacarpals saved,” I drawl. “We're good. Better than good, actually.”
“Glad to hear it, man,” Colton says, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “But uh, next time you and Coach decide to have a heart-to-heart? Maybe give us a heads up so we don't have to start divvying up your worldly possessions. I called dibs on your puck collection, by the way.”
“You would,” I joke. I push him off me.
“Guess you'd better stick around and protect it then, huh?” Chase jokes.
I grin, shaking my head.
A comfortable silence falls as we finish cleaning up. And now I’m thinking about how a year ago, I was floundering. Lost. Hockey was the only thing that made sense, the only constant in a sea of uncertainty. But now? Now I have so much more and I’m thriving. I am exactly where I'm meant to be.
When I get home, Addie is on my couch with paperwork sprawled out in piles. I could really get used to this view. I kissher on the head, and then I sit by her side, asking what she needs help with.
“I got most of it done,” she says, starting to clean up. She organizes the papers in a mini filing cabinet. “I just like to double-check things. I’m bored. Oh, look at what I found at your bedside.”
She flashes me Emma’s business card which I completely forgot about until this moment.
“She came into my coffee shop.” She chuckles while shaking her head.
“That’s desperate,” I mutter.
“Don’t worry. I told her that you’re happily taken, so she can back off. I’m just kidding, but I did tell her that you have a girlfriend, and I have a boyfriend. She was really happy for us.”
I smile. “That’s good.”
She nods. “I think she’s in her young twenties, so I give her A+ for shooting her shot.”
“Well, I’m glad that the stalker will stop stalking. Let me know if she keeps coming around.”
Addie shrugs. “I think she will. They come into the bar often.”
“Okay.” I pat her on the shoulder. “I need to take a shower.”
She follows me into the bedroom where a pile of laundry sits on the bed. “I’ll be here doing laundry,” she says.
I kiss her on the cheek and put my phone on the charger. I leave the bathroom door open as I hop into the shower. I’m washing my hair with the correct amount of shampoo when my phone rings.
“Will you see who it is,” I call out as I start rinsing my head under the shower head.
“Yeah,” she says as I step out and dry my body.
“Who is it?” I ask.
As I walk around the corner, she holds the phone up and asks, “Uh, Ry?” She glances at me. “Why is my landlord calling you?”
