Page 63 of The Penalty Shot (Totally Pucked 5)

Reed, and Hudson follow closely behind him, and I shake their hands, slapping everyone on the back.

“Guys, this is Alex. He’s Auden’s son.”

The guys take turns saying hello and giving his hand a shake. Pride swells in my chest. It feels good to introduce him to my world, to the guys I consider family. I feel an attachment to Alex, the same way I do Auden, and fuck, I know I shouldn’t, considering our agreement, but I can’t help it.

They feel like they’re mine.

“Hey, Alex, why don’t you do a couple laps and get warmed up?” I say, gesturing to the rink.

“Cool.”

Not half a second after he’s gone, Hudson’s punching me in the chest. “Spill it. You fucker. I move out, and what, now you’re suddenly bringing her kid to practice? Now is definitely the time to say I told you so.”

“Yeah, I’m fucking lost. I mean, of course, having him here is cool, but like…spill,” Reed adds.

Briggs nods in agreement. “I missed a whole damn chapter.”

I shrug. “There’s nothing to tell. He’s my buddy. Yeah, we’re roommates, but that’s all there is to it.”

Technically not a lie, but I keep most shit close to my chest. I’m not the person who volunteers things about their personal life. Never have been. Didn’t mean I didn’t want my friends in on what was happening in my life, but they know me. They know that I’m not the guy to scream shit from the rooftops, so even if things have taken a turn, and I’m in a relationship, they probably wouldn’t know unless I told them.

Hudson groans. “You are literally the fucking worst. Give me something. Hell, I need some kind of entertainment in my life. Graham’s gone. I miss his theatrics.”

His face falls, and he looks like he’s on the verge of tears.

For fuck’s sake. Are we hockey players or goddamn soap opera stars?

“I like her, alright? Can we just leave it at that.”

Hudson grins and elbows Reed. “Pay up motherfucker.”

My brow furrows in confusion. The fuck?

“I bet them that you’d already be in fucking love. I saw it in your eyes when you pretended that you weren’t obsessed with her before I moved out.”

Briggs sighs then grumbles, “I can’t win a damn bet around here.”

He just played me like a fool. That asshole. If he wasn’t my best friend, I’d slam his ass against the boards and teach him a lesson for being a dick.

“What about you? What happened to you and the two dates you went on?” I ask, swinging my stick at him.

Hudson smirks. “You know me, never stay in one place for long.”

Yeah, sounds about right.

Alex skates up at the tail end of the conversation, thank fuck, and I notice that he’s not half bad on the ice. I expected him to be a bit clumsier, or at least rusty, since he said it’s been at least a year since he’s been skating.

“Are we ready?” he asks.

Reed nods. “Yep. Race you to the other side?”

After that, we spend the next two hours fucking off on the ice. Hudson’s spinning in goddamn circles like a figure skater, and Reed’s trying to work with Alex on crossovers. I remember as a kid I’d work on them so much that my knees would be tender to the touch from bending, but it's the most efficient way to teach a kid how to keep their stance and balance on the ice.

Before I know it, half the afternoon is gone, and none of us really realized it until we’re sitting on the benches.

“You’re a natural on the ice, Alex. Good job,” Reed says, offering him his fist. “Good footwork and great balance.”

Alex grins. “Thank you, I, uh, I had a lot of fun. Maybe if I play hockey, I’ll get stronger, and I can finally stand up to those guys at school.”

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