Bracken took his helmet off and shook his head, purposely whacking Harrison with his sweaty, blond hair. But without his helmet on, it hurt a lot more when Harrison smacked the back of his head.
He acted like he didn’t hear him, but when Bracken took his next shift on the ice, he kept pace with Jett and pulled off a perfect pass, which allowed Jett to send the puck hurtling through the air like a bullet to hit the back of Calgary’s net, sounding the buzzer.
Jett was immediately swarmed by his teammates, tackled in a rush of cheers and backslaps. But once the celebration died down and they skated back into position for the next puck drop, Jett turned and flashed a smile in Harrison’s direction. He raised his stick and pointed it straight at him—a small, deliberate gesture. And Harrison knew without a doubt: that point was for him.
“That,” said Adams. “How did you know that Bracken was the problem when he’s been the most solid player on the team so far?”
Harrison shrugged. “If my star player spent every pregame struggling to keep up, let alone score points, I would be holding back too. He needs to know he can trust Jett to take charge again.”
Adams pulled out his notebook and wrote something down.
Harrison was beginning to understand how the Starbursts operated, but he wasn’t comfortable with being a part of it. He didn’t have much tooffer the team except to show up for this game and build Jett’s confidence, but that issue would be solved after tonight.
He glanced at the two assistant coaches who were also in the box with them, each helping direct the forwards and the defencemen, but they weren’t wearing a headset.
It was a strange choice, especially in the middle of such an important game—but Harrison had a feeling he knew why. The assistant coaches were older, much older than Adams. Add in a generational gap, oversized egos, and poor communication, and it was a recipe for disaster.
Adams was alone and working without support, and Harrison assumed he preferred it that way. Still, numbers and observation would only get him so far.
Jett scored one more goal two minutes before the end of the second period, and that’s when Niko was sent running out of the gate. Jett offered him an assist, and the kid scored his second goal only seconds before the buzzer went off, tying the game 4-4.
Blanchard started a fight on the ice with Wolf before they left for the locker room, but it was quickly broken up. He was rightfully pissed, but Harrison couldn’t help but laugh.
He fucking hated that guy, even if he was an amazing player.
Jett waited for him inside the hall, and Harrison was relieved. He had loved kissing Jett in front of the cameras for everyone to see, but he would rather not put on another show so soon.
“Holy fuck!” Wolf yelled in his heavily accented voice. “Did you see us out there? We were like gods on the ice!”
The answering cheers were so loud that Harrison could barely hear Adams when he spoke.
“Yes, you are doing better than I thought you would.”
Jett had heard him. His shoulders were shaking with laughter, and he was making a point of staring at the floor.
“I agree with Wolf,” said Bracken, earning a few sounds of disbelief from his teammates. “We’re on a two-goal streak, so let’s shut Calgary out in third and score two more goals, just to rub salt in the wound.”
“Agreed,” said Adams. “Now hydrate and rest. Keep your mind on the win.”
Coach left the locker room to his name being chanted amid laughter. Harrison chuckled at how ridiculous the team was, but it was better than being bitter and worn thin. Teams that made it to the playoffs without walking away with the cup often choked the next year, but he didn’t think it was possible for the Sunbursts if they kept their spirits high like this.
Jett made Harrison sit on the bench with him as he drank and wiped the sweat from his face.
“You need to sit if your leg is bugging you,” said Jett, blinking up at him.
Harrison raised an eyebrow, and Jett blushed, turning redder the longer they held eye contact. Fuck, he was so adorable. He couldn’t wait until they had some time alone.
“My leg is fine,” said Harrison, and he was surprised to find it wasn’t a lie. “Is there a reason you’re slowly turning the colour of a tomato?”
Jett elbowed him. “Shut up. I’m sorry if I’m still reeling over you being here with me, sitting in this locker room with our team.”
Ourteam. Harrison almost laughed.
“Yeah, I’m starting to see what you mean,” said Harrison. He leaned against Jett’s arm and looked down at their entwined fingers. “It’s unbelievable, but I’m…happy to be here.”
“You guys aresocute!” Powers called from across the room. “Please invite me to your wedding?”
Jett sucked in a breath mid-drink, nearly drowning himself with water.
