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"Get your head in the game, Wolf!" That's Thompson, always quick to call me out. I want to snap back, but he’s right. I am playing like shit again.
The whistle blows, signaling the end of the period, and I skate off the ice. I'm disconnected from everything happening around me in the locker room and grab my phone, thumb hovering over her name, but what's the point?
I just shove the phone away. The truth is, I let her in, let her see parts of me that no one else has, and it's thrown me off my axis. I can't afford that—not with my career, not when every game could be the one where I take the hit that ends it all.
"Next period's ours," I hear someone say, but I can't latch onto the confidence. All I can think about is her, and whether this relationship, real and raw and terrifying, was worth it when I’m right back to square one and playing like shit.
I’m lucky that coach didn’t bench me for the rest of the game, because if I was him, I probably would have. After the game, the guys were going to meet at the hotel bar for a drink, but I didn’t feel like hanging out with anyone. So, I went to my room to try to find some peace in my head.
The buzz of my phone drags me out of my brooding, a jarring reminder that the world doesn't stop spinning just because I'm off my game. I fish the device from my pocket, squinting at the screen in the dark room.
"Hey, Mom," I answer.
"Ryder, sweetheart! I called to remind you about the Christmas Ball next weekend."
"Uh, yes. That is next weekend," I repeat. The timing couldn't be worse. Introducing Jayden now, with the way things left off, could be a disaster.
My mother's oblivious excitement crackles through the line. "We can finally meet that girl you've been seeing—what's her name, Jadie?"
"Jayden," I correct her absentmindedly.
"Right, right. Jayden." She draws out the name. "Well, I hope she’s up to the standards that she needs to be at to be a trophy for my boy."
"She’s a nice girl. You will like her." I’m trying hard to bite my tongue and not comment on my mother’s expectations of what she thinks I need. “I’ve got to run, Mom. The guys are expecting me,” I lie.
“Oh, sure, sweetheart. We will see you soon,” she says and disconnects the line.
I toss my phone to the side as the back of my head hits the headboard. Jayden’s last text to me was asking about the Christmas ball, but the way she was acting towards me when we were in the same room at Sand Dunes makes me feel like she sent the text more out of obligation rather than wanting to go as my actual girlfriend.
How can I call her my girlfriend when every attempt at conversation just doesn’t happen? Now, with my mom and her husband coming to town...
The thought is a hit to the gut. I can't replace her—not this close to my family's visit, not ever. There's something about Jayden, some undercurrent that pulls at me even when she's pushing me away.
It’s time to man up and inject some backbone into my spine. She tried to talk to me, and I shut her out. I’ve got to make this right now. For her, for us, before my family arrives and wants to meet the woman who's supposed to be my rock.
Chapter 15
Jayden
The glow of my phone screen feels like the only thing anchoring me to reality as I stare at Ryder's text one more time. No hello, no "can't wait to see you" – just cold, hard details. The Christmas ball, eight o'clock sharp, Charleston's most opulent hall, dripping with history and a guest list that reads like a who's who.
"Jayden, honey, are you going to stand there all night?" Mimi teases from behind me, her voice pulling me back into my bedroom where a taupe dress lays across my bed.
"Sorry," I murmur, tucking my phone away. "Just... can't believe this is happening."
Mimi sways over, her heels clicking a reassuring rhythm against the floor. She starts with my hair, weaving soft waves around her curling iron.
"It's going to be fine," she assures me, pinning a curl in place.
"Easy for you to say." I manage a half-smile in the mirror. "You're not the one who has to pretend to be someone's perfect date."
"Girl, you don't need to pretend anything." Mimi lets another curl fall, cascading down my shoulder. "You're gonna knock 'em dead."
I wish I could see myself through her confident eyes.
"Okay, makeup time." Mimi’s excitement is palpable as she opens her case of cosmetics full of brushes and colors.
"Remember, Jayden," she starts, dabbing foundation onto my skin. "Tonight's about you, too. Not just Ryder and his cryptic messages."
