He pointed to the exit as if he expected me to leave now. Well, he could forget that.
“You can’t be for real.”
“Damn right, I am. And remember this is your team captain speaking.”
“Team captain, my ass. If you were such a great captain, you wouldn’t run away from the things that scare you like a total chicken shit.”
Maybe Kayden really would’ve slugged me this time. I guess we’ll never know. The rest of our teammates poured onto the ice before he could do anything stupid—by his standards, anyway. Kayden took his chance to escape, mixing with the other guys, knowing he would get no mercy from me.
My eyes stayed on him the whole time. Sometimes, when you know something deep in your soul, you’ve got to stick with it. That includes when the other person is being incredibly stubborn.
Especiallywhen the other person is being incredibly stubborn.
So, maybe I would have to be the one to chase Kayden. I was up to the challenge.
14
KAYDEN
Ispotted Erik leaving the gym with his gym bag slung over his shoulder.
Shit!
If I could have one superpower, it would be the ability to vanish instantly. Or transport to someplace else—anywhere else. I turned from him and headed in the opposite direction, knowing I couldn’t let him spot me. If he did, he would want to talk, and I only needed one guess about the topic of the day.
So, I got a move on.
“Kayden!” he called out.
I froze and my eyelids fell shut.Fuck.I should’ve known better than to think I could really escape this kid.
He sprinted up to me, jostling his gym bag, and I threw up a hand to stop him before his lips could start flapping.
“What?” he asked.
“You know goddamn well what, Erik. Don’t get me started.”
“Oh, this again. Pretending like something isn’t going on. A total denial-fest. Gotcha.”
He gave me a thumbs-up. Smartass.
I walked away from him. Yeah, I know that tactic failed every time I tried it, but how many choices did I have?
“Look,” he said, “I’m not saying we should go get married. I’m just saying?—”
“Married? I’ll pretend you didn’t say that, bro.”
“Of course you will. You’re a stubborn neanderthal. All I’m trying to?—”
“I know what you’re trying to do, bro. And let me tell you, I’ve got different plans.”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“A championship. The NHL. Are you dense?”
“You make it sound like you’ll get there by snapping your fingers.”
“I’m the master of my own destiny. I can do whatever I want.”
