Page 11 of Hockey Nanny

His pacing also had Gage feeling agitated, and Dawson nearly bit his head off when the burly guy slammed a locker just a little too loud for his liking. It wasn’t like the two of them to snipe at each other. They usually preferred to team up and take out their frustrations on me. I almost missed the usual dog-piling that took place right before a match. I would have taken their rolled eyes and rampant hair ruffling over whatever the hell this was.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore, not being the center of attention and all, and I sidled up beside Dawson when he paused his pacing for a moment. “Are the New Jersey Devils reallythat threatening, or is there some other reason you’re about to explode?”

Usually, Dawson would have rewarded a comment like that with some long, wordy breakdown of why the New Jersey Devils couldneverbe a threat, but not this time. This time, his gaze only traveled upward, to the ceiling and the thundering stands beyond.

I didn’t need X-ray vision to know exactly where he was looking, or who, specifically, was out there. Carissa and Henry had come to watch the game, and the presence of one (or both) spectators seemed to be driving Dawson mental.

“They’re both doing fine out there if that’s what you’re worried about.” I nudged his shoulder, and our gear came together with aclack.“I saw them on the way in. Henry’s got his foam finger on backward.”

Dawson’s eyes didn’t budge from the ceiling. “And… Carissa?”

“She’s never set foot in a stadium before, and it shows, but she’s putting on a brave face for Henry.” I grinned, remembering Carissa’s appalled expression when the spectator beside her downed an entire beer in one long chug. I patted his shoulder. “Exposure therapy will be good for her.”

“Right.” Dawson’s jaw twitched once.

When he clearly wasn’t going to add anything else, I sighed and wrangled him toward the bench. “Dawson, my dude, sit down. Your bad mood is affecting Gage, and that guy's already fragile as is.”

“You know I can hear you, right!?” Gage, standing only three feet away, shouted over the locker room chatter.

“Yeah,” I blew him a kiss. “That was the point.”

While the big guy stormed off to go punch a gym bag or something, I sat down beside Dawson. His leg was jumping the way it always did when he was nervous, and his jaw was set tight under his helmet.

I gave a low whistle, eyeing him with mild concern. “Oh man, you’re really not doing well.” When my darling brother did nothing but glare at me, I rolled my eyes. “Is this about Henry or Carissa?”

He didn’t answer right away, jaw working overtime like he was trying to grind his words down to dust. Typical. The guy was stubborn as hell. So I waited, watching the rest of the team suit up and soaking in the sweaty stench that plagued every men's locker room.

Eventually, Dawson blew out a breath. “It’s difficult… knowing he’s here. Knowing Henry is watching.”

I gave him my best bombastic side-eye. “So you’re worried about letting him down? Dude, you could eat shit out there on the ice, and Henry would still treat you like a hero.”

That chipped the tiniest smile on his lips, so I went on. “Look, I know I wasn’t sold on the idea of having him around, but I’ve gotta admit the kid’s grown on me. He kicks ass at video games, and he clearly adores you.” I clapped a hand on his back. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

I already knew where that particular concern of his came from, even if I would never fully understand it. Dawson had always been the shining star of the family. He would bend over backward trying to appease our father, while I simply… hadn’t bothered. I gave up trying to impress the old man early, and I always wished Dawson had done the same. I could see how much trying had hurt him.

Dawson’s decision to foster some kid he met once at an ice rink was clearly some sort of attempt at healing his own inner child. And while I thought it was a downright stupid idea, Henry was a good kid, and Carissa was a welcome addition.

Speaking of.I leaned my hands on my knees, edging forward to catch his eye. “Did something happen between you and Carissa? You’ve been avoiding her for the past two days.”

“Nothing happened,” Dawson answered, all too quickly, and all the missing pieces finally fell into place.

“Oh, I see.” I nodded solemnly.

Dawson’s head snapped up to glare at me. “See what? There’s nothing to see.”

“You’reintoher,” I poked him in the ribs, or at least, I would have had he not landed a jab at mine first. “I never thought I’d see the day,” I wheezed, gripping my side where his elbow had bruised me.

“You’re delusional,” Dawson said, standing up abruptly. “And you need to be focusing on the game. We’re on in five.”

“Whatever you say, Captain.”

I hauled myself upright to follow him, only to have my helmet knocked askew by a whack from behind. I turned to see Gage sauntering past me. The bigger guy threw me a glance over his shoulder, a smug little grin on his face.

“Well then,” I huffed and gathered up my equipment. “At least things are back to normal.”

*

By the time the puck dropped and the game began, Dawson was all business. With Henry in the crowd and a desperate need to impress his number one fan, my brother took to the ice likehis life depended on it, and I followed suit, ever the reliable hype man.