Page 158 of Lucky Shot
We have a full house: photographers, reporters, front office staff, and even some fans.
“Hey. How was the convention?” Travis asks as we circle around, shooting pucks and warming up.
“It was good. You should have seen how many people were there to see Ruby.” I smile at the memory.
“And?” he asks with so much anticipation vibrating through him it makes me chuckle.
“I told her how I felt and now it’s up to her.”
Travis waits like he’s hoping for more. Actually, his head looks like it’s going to explode.
“Is she coming back?” he asks finally.
“She said she wants to visit, yeah. And I’ll try to visit her too.”
“Oh.” A deep crease forms between his brows.
“Don’t look so happy for me.” My tone is dry, and another laugh slips free.
“I’m sorry. I am happy for you, but…I miss her too. I was hoping you’d convinced her to pack her shit and come back for good.”
“I know, buddy.” I pat him on the shoulder. “But she has stuff going on too. They’re sending her on a book tour and her sister’s about to have a baby. And you know what it’s like for us. Even if she were here, I’ll be gone half the time.”
He bobs his head like he agrees. “Maybe I should text her some pics of you in the locker room later. You’re looking great, man.”
“No,” I say immediately.
“But—”
“No.”
He grins. “I already sent her all the photos I had of you in my phone, including some cute ones of the two of you.”
I should be touched, I suppose. “Aidan’s at his mom’s tonight. Do you want to grab a drink after practice?”
“And brainstorm wild, extravagant, over-the-top gestures to convince her Moonshot is the best place in the universe and you’re the only man she wants to sleep with for the rest of her life?”
I open my mouth to say no, but what the hell. I’m already planning to do everything I can to keep showing Ruby how much I want this to work. Maybe Trav will have a good idea. Probably not, but maybe. “Sure.”
He pumps a fist in the air.
“But I get full veto power,” I warn him.
“Let’s circle up,” Coach Lenshaw calls as he steps out onto the ice with the rest of the coaches.
Trav and I fall into a line with the rest of the group. It’s his third season at Moonshot, same as mine, so I already havea good feel for his coaching style. He’s not big on small talk or pumping us up, but he’s direct and honest, and when he tells us we’re doing something good or bad I always know I can take it at face value.
“We’re going to split up today and scrimmage. All out, don’t hold back. I’ll be switching up lines and groupings to see where we might make some adjustments. Coach Marigold has the groupings.”
He steps back and Coach M reads off the teams by line. Once I’ve heard my name, I head over to the bench to grab my mouthguard. I’m on the first line with D-Low and Travis. We were the starting first line last year with the most scoring and shots on goal. I’m sure Coach will swap in and out some other guys to see if he can make the other lines stronger, but there’s magic in playing with these two and I’m hopeful we can keep doing it.
Penn is on the bench, adjusting his gear and preparing to get in the net.
“How’s the knee?” I ask him.
He flashes a cocky smirk as he pulls his mask in place. “Fucking fantastic.”
All the anxiousness is gone after only a few minutes of play. The game takes my full concentration and I’m happy to find I’m able to give myself over to it. Going up against other teams might still be a mental battle, but I’ll take it as it comes.
