Page 32 of Power Play

As much as I appreciated the love, it didn’t change the fact that we were going to lose. The Stanley Cup would no longer be ours for the next year. We would get it back eventually. Well, the Fury would. I might not be included in that for much longer.

“You good, Dumoulin?” I looked up at Colin seated across from me. We were waiting for our turn with the press before the game, and he looked about as enthusiastic as I felt.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled.

He was sporting a black eye from the fight he got into during the last game. I might not have had injuries as visible, but if I took my shirt off, people would cringe.

“One more night,” he whispered, and I nodded. He was willing to admit it too. “Where were you last night?”

“My family’s in town, so I hung out with them.” The rest of the team—those who were well enough to attend—had a dinner to commiserate. I couldn’t bring myself to go.

“Well, you didn’t miss much. Chloe and Madi were trying to make it a celebration for making it this far, but it was pretty somber.”

I wouldn’t have expected anything less from the Pride. They would cheer for us until the very last second.

Coach gave a decent attempt at a pump-up speech, but it was hard to get in the right mindset when so many weren’t dressed out. There were too many new faces, players we had to pull up from the farm team to replace the injured.

The crowd was excited, and there was quite the pre-game display recapping this season, then it was time to play. We pulled it together enough to give the fans a good show, but ultimately we lost. Standing on the ice, watching the Storm take the Cup from us in our arena, was a knife to the heart and gut.

It was over. The season was really over. I was one of the few left standing. That had to prove something to the coaches and management. I was worth keeping. I showered and changed into my suit, mentally preparing for the press waiting in the tunnel. None of us wanted to be interviewed right then, but it was our job to put on a smile and lose with grace.

I got my answers ready in my head. They were tough opponents. We would come back healthy and stronger next season. We’d bring the cup back where it belonged.

I clapped the shoulders of my teammates as I walked out to where the cameras were waiting. I forced a confident smile and repeated my rehearsed answers over and over again. The only question that caught me up was when someone asked if I would be back next season.

“I hope so. We haven’t finalized anything yet.” I gave him a nod and continued walking past them until I reached the elevator. The second the doors slid shut, I let out a sigh and slumped against the wall. There would be more interviews later, but for the rest of the night, I was done.

“Jason!” Mom shouted as I stepped out of the elevator into the parking garage. I didn’t want to deal with any of the crowds, so I told them to meet me there after the game.

“Hey.” I gave her a hug while Dad squeezed my shoulders.

“You put up a fight,” Joey said as I stepped away from my parents.

“You were so great, babe!” Carmen appeared and wrapped her arms around me. I shot my brother a look but he just shrugged, smirking.

“Thanks.” I broke out of her grasp. “What …?”

She seemed to know what I was going to ask. “Oh, I called your mom and when she found out I didn’t have a ticket she got an extra from the front office. We sat up in a box with some other family members. It was so nice, babe. They brought champagne and a ton of food and everything we wanted.”

Her excitement was concerning. She tasted the VIP experience and was hooked. Great. This was why I didn’t introduce her to the team or the Pride. I could tell she was a low-key jersey chaser from the beginning. My number one reason for making it clear that we were not serious. I knew she wanted this lifestyle.

“Hey, Jason.” I turned to see Addison followed by more of the women from the Pride.

“Hey, how’s Grant doing?” It was hard not having him on my line. Everything felt wrong.

“He’ll be okay.” She smiled at the rest of my family. “Are these your parents?”

I went through the introductions. Fortunately only Lucy, Sydney, and Emma were with her. When I got to Carmen, she stepped forward.

“I’m his girlfriend.” She wrapped her hands around my bicep as if these women were a threat.

“Oh really?” Emma asked with a twinkle in her eyes. “I didn't know you were dating anyone, Jason.”

“Me neither.” Lucy narrowed her eyes.

“You haven’t mentioned me?” Carmen sounded genuinely hurt.

I closed my eyes. This was the worst kind of trap. I could feel Mom burning a hole in the side of my head. “We’re not actually a couple.” I bit out the words. “We’ve been hanging out for a few weeks.”