Page 328 of Playing the Pucking Game
“I mean, yeah. But a little warning would have been nice.”
“You’ve got this, babe. Just pretend it’s me in our home gym and you want to make me suffer.”
She looks around the room, and a smile tugs at her lips while her eyes twinkle with something wicked.
“Those guys aren’t going to know what’s hit them,” she announces.
“That’s my girl,” I say, kissing her forehead and walking back toward the reformer they’ve left for me at the front.
I’ve already warned the guys not to spend the entire class staring at my girl’s ass. That is for me and me alone.
I watch with pride as Parker pulls the headset on.
“Right, is everyone ready?”
“Is it too late to change our minds?” Killer asks.
“Yes,” everyone shouts back at the same time.
“Whoever gives up first is buying lunch,” Parker warns before syncing her cell to the Bluetooth speaker and starting the music.
“Killer, I hope you brought your wallet,” Handsy shouts.
“Fuck you. I’ll wipe the floor with the lot of you,” he says way too confidently.
For an hour,Parker puts us through our paces. Coach taps out after thirty minutes, claiming that he is, in fact, too old for this shit.
Of course, we all rib him for it, but seeing as he’s responsible for making us run drills, we let him off lightly compared to Handsy and Killer, who complain through the entire thing.
In the end, it’s Handsy who ends up on the floor, claiming that he’s dying, and a couple of hours later, he takes one for the team and picks up our lunch bill.
With a few days off ahead of us, everyone is in good spirits despite how much all our muscles hurt. We spend the afternoon laughing, drinking, and eating good food like a completely dysfunctional family.
With my fingers entwined with Parker’s, I glance at those around us and can’t help but feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such amazing friends and colleagues.
There’s just one person missing.
All our lives, Rett and I dreamed of playing in the NHL. We might have made it, but we’re on opposing teams. Maybe one day that’ll change, and I’ll have everyone I love close by to keep an eye on.
But for now, this will have to do.
“Let’s make a toast,” I blurt, reaching for my beer and lifting it into the air.
“To the best goddamn hockey team this league has ever seen.”
“Hear, hear,” everyone shouts.
“And to the friends and loved ones we find alone the way.”
We all clink glasses, but before Parker can take a sip of her drink, I wrap my hand around the back of her neck and tug her in to kiss me.
“I love you, pretty girl. Thank you for coming back to me.”
EPILOGUE
Parker
Valentine’s Day
