“Hey, he’s earned the right to sport a beer belly,” I said with a laugh.
I called over the two rookies, who were looking awkward as fuck sitting by themselves, and they came to join us. I remembered my rookie season well, and having older dudes who took me under their wings made all the difference.
They were both coming straight out of high school, so they were young. I researched them both, and they were each a standout in their own right.
They told us about where they moved from, and both seemed to have followed the team closely, so they were aware of our positions and the team stats, which, considering we won the cup last season, wasn’t a surprise.
Everyone was watching us.
We listened and talked about the training and what they should expect. We gave them a little shit about how young they were, which came with the territory. But they were definitely more relaxed when we finished lunch. I gave them a few tips for the scrimmage, and they listened intently.
And then we suited up and got ready to get out on the ice.
When we made our way to the arena, I saw a few of the players' wives with their kids, sitting low in the bleachers. We encouraged family to come out during training camp. We’d have a few games where we opened it to the public, but today was our first day on the ice, and Coach wanted to keep it small.
My eyes found Eloise immediately, as they always did. Her father sat beside her, with Randall on his other side. Her lips turned up in the corners the slightest bit just as a big body blocked my view, and Sebastian fucking Wayburn moved to sit beside her.
Weston slammed into me on the ice, shoving me forward and leaning close enough so only I’d hear him. “You don’t want to show your hand, brother, at least not with an audience.”
I gave him a look that said I had no idea what he was talking about, and he gave me one back that said,nice try, asshole.
That didn’t take long.
I chuckled before turning my focus to the scrimmage that was about to start.
My hand wrapped around my stick, and I tapped it against the ice a few times.
I glanced back one last time at the stands, my gaze locking with Eloise as I tuned everyone else out.
Hockey had always been my first love.
But it sure as hell wasn’t my only love anymore.
twenty-six
. . .
Eloise
It had beena week since we’d returned to the city, and we were falling into a rhythm. Clark spent every night at my apartment because I felt less likely to be caught at my place. His apartment was in a big, fancy high-rise, and two other players lived in the same building.
So far, we’d been able to keep things professional at work, and then we’d spend our evenings wrapped around one another.
But it was a struggle spending my days with the man I was crazy about and having to hide those feelings.
The toughest part was not sharing any of this with my father.
Clark’s family knew about us. He thought Ryan Weston had also picked up on something, yet I was completely hiding a big part of my life from my dad.
He and I had always been open with one another. We’ve never had secrets, and I felt extremely guilty about it.
But involving him would be selfish.
If he knew and kept our secret, it could cost him his job.
I’d be putting him in a terrible position.
Yet it pained me to keep something so important from him.
