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“We have to talk to him,” Soren says during a break.
I gulp down the water in my hand like it’s running out of style. “Guess so,” I reply, wiping my mouth.
We spend most of our break talking about Gail; wondering what she’s doing, how she’s doing, and—
“Are you going to ignore me forever?” Sawyer asks as he joins us.
I shrug. “Are you going to stare daggers at us forever?” I volley.
Soren lets out a derisive snort. “What did you expect, man?” He aims the question at Sawyer. “You know what’s going on when we don’t.”
“What makes you think I know anything?” Sawyer asks, cocking his head.
“Come on,” I huff. “You’re married to Lucia. Of course you know everything.”
Surprising me, Sawyer holds his hands up in a placating gesture. “I’m not your enemy.” He runs a hand down his face. “It’s just… did you really lock her up? And manipulate her into staying with you?”
I chuckle. “Did you really force your wife to walk around naked in your apartment?” The question isn’t meant as a taunt, more a reminder of the shenanigans he pulled with Lucia.
“And did you tell her you’d make sure our GM made her your fake girlfriend if she sucked your cock?” Soren asks, his tone sardonic.
“Jesus,” Sawyer mutters, palming the back of his neck. “Now that you mention it, I really was awesome.”
We all burst into laughter, and just like that, the tension is obliterated, and we begin joking around. It’s not until Coach blows his whistle that Sawyer asks, “Are you keeping the baby?”
I’m so shocked by the question that I can only gape at him because of all the things that have been running through my mind, I can honestly say that was never even a question. “Of course,” I bark. “I’m not fucking giving up my kid.”
“Neither am I,” Soren rumbles. “That’s not how you treat family.”
“And that’s what we are,” I say, bumping my fist against Soren’s. “One happy motherfucking family and all that shit.”
Sawyer chuckles. “Hate to be the one to tell you this, but you kinda need to win Gail over for that to be true.” Then he moves closer and lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Unless you plan on kidnapping the poor baby.”
A low growl comes from Soren, and I almost expect him to attack Sawyer, but he doesn’t. He just pushes him out of the way and flips him off before getting back on the ice.
“Really?” I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “You just can’t help being a dick, can you?”
“No, I guess I can’t,” Sawyer laughs.
As much as I hate admitting it, Sawyer has a point, not that I’ll ever tell him that. We need to make things right with Gail.
“Seriously, though,” Sawyer says, sounding like he’s about to say or ask something he really doesn’t want to. “Are you going to… I don’t know, win her back?”
Before I can say anything, Soren asks, “Is that you asking? Or Lucia?” taking the words right out of my mouth, I want to know that as well. Because it doesn’t sound like something Sawyer would ask.
“Both,” he admits with a shrug.
“Tell Lucia it isn’t any of her business,” I smirk, already knowing it’ll piss Sawyer off.
Without another word, we get back on the ice where I can let Coach’s shouted demands guide my feet while completely shutting off my brain. Everything makes sense on the ice. After all these years together, I know the expectations, just as I know what it means when Sawyer fakes left. It’s so unlike the mess with Gail that doesn’t come with a rule book or mapped out strategies.
Coach has us running drills, skating hard, testing strategies for the Jersey Jags. We move like cogs in a well-oiled machine, passing and pivoting, our skates carving whispers into the ice. But there’s an edge to today’s practice, a silent understanding that the season’s climax is upon us.
“Stay sharp, Mickey! Eyes on the prize,” Coach says, and I nod. My legs pump harder, my silver gaze locked on the black disk that dances elusive as a shadow across the cold, slippery stage.
“Good! That’s how we’re gonna break ‘em,” Coach approves as we execute a play with precision.
“Damn right,” I murmur, sharing a look with Soren. We’ve been through hell and back, on and off the ice. And nothing will keep us from victory.
