Page 54 of Game Winner
“We’re taking a minute. Come here.” Bax raises his arm, and I shift to the side to give Soren more space.
His body warming ours and his strength wrapped around us fills me with the peace I’ve craved since I left the doctor’s office. In their arms, I feel that, somehow, everything will be okay. I raise my head and gaze into their eyes. “Thanks for coming with me today, and for taking care of me so well over the past two months.”
Soren presses his lips to my temple. “We’re not stopping.”
“What he said,” Bax adds.
“I hope I’m better soon so I can do a better job of taking care of you both.”
Several pairs of footsteps tramp up the stairs. I bite back a smile at the thought of everyone coming up here in waves.
Gio knocks on my door, with Phil behind him. “Sorry to interrupt.”
I turn toward them as Soren and Bax’s arms loosen our embrace. “That’s okay, G. What’s up?”
“Tyler, Soren brought up something that Phil and I figured we’d talk to you about once the season was over. But I think we should address it now.”
One thing I like about Gio and Phil is their directness. If there’s a problem, they immediately address it and look for solutions, and then implement them.
And I’m grateful to them for convincing Coach Nivens to make Stephens skate wind sprints at practice for two weeks straight, for sending me those awful texts.
I shoot Soren a glance. No need to ask why he said something. He’s as much of a problem-solver as Gio and Phil. “I can guess what it’s about. I’ll start looking for my own place.”
“Tyler, that’s not what we’re going to say.” Gio marches into the room, followed by Phil. And Morgan, Sage, and Remy. “We want to invite you to stay. Permanently.”
“Stay?” I push forward, but flinch at the jolt of pain when I move the wrong way.
“We can switch out this bed and furniture,” he waves a hand at the bed and dresser, “with the stuff you put in the garage. You’d be more comfortable with your own things. The room should look the way you want it to. Everyone chose the colors for their own spaces, so you need to do that too.”
Phil slow-walks around the room, inspecting the walls, crown moulding, and baseboards. “Right. We’ll help with everything once the season’s over. It’ll be our first project of the summer.”
My skin tingles and there’s a fluttery feeling in my stomach. I’m overwhelmed by their kindness and support. “I don’t know what to say. A few minutes ago, I was sitting here thinking abouthow I don’t want to leave, and now you’re here telling me I can stay.”
Remy pats my shin. “You fit in with us.”
“Told you.” Soren presses another kiss to my temple.
I scan the men surrounding me, searching for any indication that they might not want this. The last thing I want is for them to ask me to stay because Soren asked them to. “Are you sure?”
“You have a stocking.” Gio pins me with the same quiet assurance he gives us as team captain. “You can’t leave now.”
“You’re family,” Sage adds, then sets a fidget spinner on the dresser like it’s marking the place as mine.
My throat constricts and I swallow down the lump forming. “For years, I never felt like I’ve belonged anywhere, with any team. But here, I do.” I brush the back of my hand over my eyes. “Two teams, one family.”
Soren takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. “You belong to us.” He kisses my knuckles. “Nothing changes that.”
“Nothing,” Gio nods. “You’ll have a place with us here no matter what.”
Morgan picks up the puck sitting on the dresser and tosses it from one hand to the other. “Soren told us what the doctor said. Tough break, but just hang in there. You’ll be back on the ice, and if it’s not until next season, that’s okay.”
“I wanted to help the team. To make a difference.”
“There’s more than one way to make a difference.” Phil plucks the puck, mid-air, from Morgan and sets it back on the dresser. “You make one here. And someday when your hockey career is over, hopefully at a time of your choosing, you’ll make one in whatever you choose to do next.”
Bax rubs my back. “The path that brought you here might not have twisted and curved in the way you expected, but it led you here for a reason. Maybe that reason is making a differenceon the hockey teams or in the community. Maybe it's one you haven’t discovered yet.”
Soren pulls me into him and Bax. “Point is, it led you here. To us.”
