AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I guess when Logan said he wanted to talk about the future, it wasn’t our future he meant. It was his. Without me.
CHAPTER24
Logan
Every teamI’ve played for has a different vibe on game day. My first team in Philly blasted music and pumped each other up—mostly by roughhousing and punching each other. The Hurricanes were quiet and intense, guys glaring in the locker room and wearing headphones to block everything out.
I’m not sure what I expected from the Appies. Based on my time here so far, I would have pictured more silliness and joking. Instead, they’re calm. Focused.
But also warm. Encouraging. Friendly. While still somehow having all the intensity of a team about to take to the ice. It’s not what I’m used to, and I’m surprised by how good it feels to be part of it. Surprised that I actually feel like Iampart of it.
I can’t think of a single guy on the Hurricanes who would have done what the guys did today with Parker and the roses. My old teammates probably would have laughed me out of the state.
But not one of the Appies told me my idea was dumb. They teased me, sure—but it wasn’t harsh or mean. It was the kind of hard time Brandon and I used to give each other.
Thinking of Brandon takes my brain in a direction it doesn’t need to go. I’m already struggling to keep my mind off Parker and the conversation I want to have with her tonight. For a guy who’s almost thirty, asking a woman to be his official girlfriend shouldn’t be some noteworthy event. But it’s a first for me, and it feels huge. And heavy.
I stand up and clear my throat. “Just wanted to say thanks for your help with the flower thing. And the later thing.”
“Aw, isn’t he so cute when he’s in love?” Van leans in and pinches my cheek. I slap his hand away.
“Never mind,” I say. “No thank you. You all suck.”
The guys chuckle, and Alec pulls us all in for a team huddle before Coach Davis arrives with the other coaches in tow. We’re almost all geared up, though a couple of guys are still in various states of undress.
“It’s game day, boys,” Alec says.
Eli bounces on his toes next to me. “Hells yeah,” he says. A couple other guys laugh.
Alec nods, then looks at each guy in turn. I have an intense urge to look away from his assessing gaze. But I don’t. He smiles faintly and looks to the next guy. I like this version of Alec. The one where the ego slips away and he’s a guy who’s serious about the sport. And his team.
“The ice is ours,” Alec says. “We’re in this for all of us. For the Appies. For the fans. We’re in ittogether.”
“Together,” everyone but me chants back.
“Family,” Alec says, and again, everyone but me repeats.
A swell of emotion fills me. This is more than team camaraderie and a pep talk. I can feel that for these guys, it goes deeper.
I’ve never been into this kind of thing. It always seemed stupid, and the rituals guys have were just silly superstitions to me. But now, I find myself wishing the guys had clued me in ahead of time so I wouldn’t be standing here like an idiot.
“Logan,” Alec says, and I swallow as every guy on the team turns toward me. “A lot of attention will be on you tonight. We all know your skills. But tonight, you’re not Logan Barnes, one of the NHL’s okayest players.”
That breaks up his intensity for a moment, and the guys laugh. Then, Alec’s smile falls and he’s back to serious.
“Tonight, you’re an Appie. One of us. We need youwithus. Are you with us?”
“Together,” I say, repeating what the guys said moments before. “Family.”
This elicits a toothy grin from Alec, a punch in the arm from Eli, and a quiet nod from Felix. Van howls like a wolf, which—okay. Nathan still glowers, but I thought I saw his lip twitch, which is something.
Alec puts his hand in the center of our huddle and we all do the same. “This is our house,” he says, “On three.”
As he counts down, I study the faces around me. All of them share the same determination. They’re as invested as any team I’ve played with.
Maybe this shouldn’t surprise me, as hockey players have ice in their blood. And yet, Iamsurprised. And surprisingly here for it. I want to win, and not just so I can show anyone watching that I’m back, but because I want it for the team.
And then after, I want to go and win my girl.
