Page 110 of Ice King

Cole shrugged. “Maybe coaching over the summer had a little to do with it. You know the captain is a man of few words.”

“Give me a bear hug, bro. That’s fantastic.” Beck grinned.

There was something very special about seeing their connection, but I had a feeling they would give each other shit any time the situation called for it.

“At least you know what the hell is going on,” Ford grumbled. “I don’t have a professional tryout agreement and merely a handshake that I’m coming back to Seattle. Now, with Mark bailing and last year’s performance, I might be tossed back to the ECHL. Sorry, Beck.”

“Hey, man. I get that the NHL is important to you.” Beck turned toward me, offering a nod that spoke volumes.

He was up to something.

“Why hasn’t Vancouver contacted you?” I asked, yet to be but so knowledgeable about the way contracts were handled.

“It’s early,” Cole said.

“Not true,” Ford said. “But thanks for the kind words.”

“Hey, you still up for that game next week?” Beck interjected.

Ford had a faraway look in his eyes. “Yeah, why not. The three of us haven’t played together in a long time. Besides, I need to show my woman here how I can best the two of you with my hands tied behind my back.”

“When is this game?” I asked while offering Ford a look. He grinned as I’d yet to ‘release’ him officially, although he was perfectly healthy. Enough so his cocky attitude had returned.

“Next Thursday, baby. And I plan on wiping the ice with these boys.”

Ford took a step back when Beck took a playful swing. It was refreshing to see how close they were as a family. As always, I had a sense of melancholy, grabbing my wine as I did. Sometimes, I wished things could be different.

Although this was now my home.

“Uh-oh,” Cole said. “Here comes trouble.”

As their dad appeared, carrying a whiskey in his hand, I noticed a rather serious look on his face.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but can I have a chat with you boys before the party gets started?”

“Don’t mind me,” I told them. “I need a refresh on my wine anyway. Plus, I think I’ll go flirt with a couple of your teammates.”

Ford jerked me even closer, smacking my bottom as he did. “You know what happens if you do.”

I resisted doing what I would normally do since Mr. Kendrick was present, pulling away and blowing a kiss instead.

The timing was perfect. Now I could make a phone call. Even though it was Saturday, I was hopeful at least I could leave a message.

After watching the guys walking away, I headed closer to the lake while pulling the card into my hand. While I stared at the name and what was supposed to be a private phone number, my thoughts drifted to my dad. Just one phone call. That’s all I wanted. Just one. Just to hear his voice.

“Are you okay, honey?” Hearing Margaret’s voice wasn’t surprising. She had an innate way of making everyone feel so comfortable.

“I’m just fine. I’m just thinking about…”

She patted me on the arm. “Your dad?”

“Ford told you?”

“Only enough to help me realize why someone like you is all alone.” She shook her head. “I know it’s hard.”

“I don’t feel alone any longer. In fact, I feel as if I have a family.”

Her smile was drawn as if she had her own set of memories she was dealing with. “A found family. That’s what I had when meeting Ford’s father. Of course, at the time the only shifters in the world were in movies and romance books.”