I smiled at him. I didn’t give a shit. He could’ve thrown me out of ten games, and I would’ve done it all the exact same way. Watching Trombley try to wrestle his way past two officials, just to get another piece of me, gave me a totally different feeling of satisfaction. No matter what, I’d stuck to my guns and did the right thing, no matter what crazy shit had come out of my mouth.
I left the ice to the sound of the crowd cheering for me, but all I could think about was Erik.
7
ERIK
Ididn’t remember a thing.
Okay, that’s not completely true. I remember the sight of Trevor Trombley’s ugly mug. I remembered the nasty hit I took, and I couldn’t forget seeing the ice hurdle upward toward my forehead. And I remembered the lights going out. I expected that image to stay burned into my memory for the rest of my life.
Trombley was a monster, plain and simple. I’d never felt that way about any player back home. Some had been tough, sure, but not outright scary. My gut told me that Trevor Trombley would haunt my nightmares for years to come. The thought of facing him again in the regular season made me feel sick deep in the pit of my stomach.
After everything went dark, I experienced the sensation of being wheeled away on a stretcher. I remembered a light shining in my eyes, and a man asking me questions. I swore I’d slipped in and out of consciousness. I woke up in the hospital, not knowing that the game had ended or whether we’d won or lost.
I spent that night at Erie County Medical Center where nurses told me that we’d won the game three-to-two. When morning came, the doctor told me I’d suffered a concussion,and I would need to take it easy, which meant no hockey for a few weeks. My eyes fell shut at that announcement. I wanted to argue with him but knew better.
When I was checking out, he told me I would need a ride home. I decided to order an Uber and chill at home for the rest of the day. Sitting on the side of my bed, I read texts from teammates and then hit the Uber app.
Before I could order a ride, a tall, muscular shadow filled the door frame. “You owe me twenty bucks, bro.”
Kayden stepped into the room, still wearing his sunglasses. He sat in the chair across from the bed like no invitation was necessary.
“What are you doing here?” “You’re in the hospital. You were injured. You’re my teammate. Why else would I be here?”
“Yeah, but?—”
“But what?”
But we hate each other,I wanted to say.You’re the last person I would’ve expected to show up here. We didn’t just get off on the wrong foot. Some people mix like oil and water.
I wouldn’t spoil the moment, though. Not when he’d attempted kindness.
“I thought you’d have better places to be,” I said. “You know, with classes and practice and everything.”
He waved a hand to dismiss the whole thing.
“I heard you’ve got a concussion,” he said. “Tough break. That sucks.”
“Yeah, well, I heard you got thrown out of the game.”
He nodded, not quite like he took pride in it, but I knew damn well he felt no shame.
“You didn’t just get thrown out,” I said. “You went at Trevor Trombley like a maniac. The monster didn’t know what hit him.”
“They couldn’t pry me off of him.”
He smiled hugely. Now he did appear to take pride in losing his shit. It didn’t seem so bad now. Bullies deserved their comeuppance.
“No, you told me why you came here and why you give a damn that I’m injured. But you didn’t say why you went after Trombley.”
“Look, I’ve always been taught to be a team player. I believe in it to the most extreme degree possible. Hockey’s a rough game for tough people, but that guy put a ridiculous hit on you. It wasn’t just hockey, bro. He was trying to hurt you. No, I take that back. He was trying to take you out. I can’t just stand there and let him get away with it. I won’t.”
Was I really supposed to believe that? Judging by his tone of voice, hell yes. But there had to be something more to it. I felt absolutely sure.
When he leaned back, I noticed his powerful, sculpted chest straining against his white t-shirt. He removed his shades, flashing those stunning green eyes again. I turned away, remembering thoughts I wanted to forget. They seemed so strange. In fact, they seemed even odder than Kayden showing up at the hospital. Ignoring them would work for only so long.
It had to mean something, right? I mean, I’d never looked at another guy that way before. Now that I had, I couldn’t stop myself.