Not today. Not with everything still raw, and Beck still processing, and my mom on her second glass of wine before the potatoes are done. But soon.
Because Alexander Thorne is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I'm not letting him go.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Thorne
My hand is healed. My splint is off. And god, I am ready to play. Last week, I had to suit up and ride the bench while scowling at everything and everyone. It nearly killed me.
But that’s all done with tonight.
The locker room is loud and charged with restless energy. Rookies are bouncing off the walls. Moose is taping his stick slowly. Hunter is in the corner with his headphones on, eyes closed, already somewhere else in his head.
I flick my gaze to Beck. He’s across the room, pulling on his jersey. We haven't spoken since the family dinner. That’s a kind of progress, seeing as how we’ve had to be in the same press briefings. He catches my eye and I hold his gaze. Neither of us says anything.
That's going to have to be enough for now. We have a game to play, and whatever's broken between us can't follow us onto the ice.
I think we have an unspoken agreement on that.
Coach Cross runs through the final lineup at the whiteboard. My name and Konstantin's are on the same line, same as the last few games of preseason, center and left wing.
I refuse to get all up in my head over it. We’ll either figure it out or fail on the ice.
The tunnel is dark and loud with the bass of the arena music vibrating through the concrete. The crowd noise builds as we line up, helmets on, sticks in hand. My right hand flexes around the shaft. There's a dull ache in the ring finger that might never fully go away.
But hey, as long as that finger still grips and shoots, I’m not worried.
Beck falls in beside me at the mouth of the tunnel. We've done this together for years, walking out side by side, co-captains leading the charge. The muscle memory of how to lead the team hasn’t gone anywhere.
He extends his gloved fist. I tap it with mine.
The announcer calls our names and the crowd erupts. The sound hits me like a wave as I step onto the ice, the arena lights blazing, seventeen thousand people on their feet. My skates bite into the fresh surface. The cold air fills my lungs.
For a second, I'm not thinking about Savard or Beck or my dad or any of it.
I'm just a hockey player. This is my rink. This is my game.
My eyes find the glass near the tunnel exit, scanning the lower section where I told Mollie to sit. She's there, third row, with Rosie on her lap and the Coven spread out around her. Juliet and Scout are on her left. Jessa and Ivy are on her right. Indie is beside Jessa, her blue hair unmistakable even from across the ice.
Mollie is wearing my jersey for the first time. Number 19, THORNE across the back. She catches my eye and her whole face lights up. I skate to the glass andtap it with my glove. She blows me a kiss. Rosie copies her. Adorable.
The puck drops and the first period is rough. My ring finger protests every pass and every shot. But by my second shift, the muscle memory takes over, and I stop noticing.
Konstantin and I spend the first ten minutes figuring each other out. He drifts into my lane once and I compensate. I call for a pass out loud, catch myself, and tap my stick twice instead. He looks at me. I point left. He nods and breaks hard.
We don't score on that play… but we don't collide either. I’ll take it.
Second period, we have better luck. Konstantin feeds me a pass on a breakaway that I don't expect. His timing is so perfect that the puck lands on my blade like he placed it there by hand. I snap it to the net. Before I realize what’s happening, the red light goes off.
Yes! I point at him as I skate past. He taps my chest with his glove. His expression barely changes, but I catch the smallest lift at the corner of his mouth.
This guy shouldn’t have a bad reputation. He’s all right in my book. Fuck whatever the guy he put in the hospital in LA thinks.
The game winds up with us winning 2-1. The horn sounds. I throw my arms up, and seventeen thousand people lose their minds. Konstantin looks pleased.
My mind is already over the game. I’m searching for my girl.
I find the tunnel exit and wait, exhilarated, at the gap in the boards. When she comes around the cornerwith Rosie in her arms, I grab her and kiss her in front of everyone.
