Page 5 of Power Play

“Oh, man.” Noah sucked in a breath through his teeth. “This doesn’t end well, does it?”

“Obviously not.” Hartman nodded in the direction of the restrooms.

I tapped my fingers on my thighs. I needed to get out of here before Taylor came back. “I went back home to Canada to graduate from high school there, and the next month I was drafted and flew out to Florida to start training with the farm team.”

“So, you didn’t break up with her?” Noah asked to clarify.

“You didn’t speak to her at all, did you?” Erik accused and leaned even closer.

I ignored his prying gaze. “I didn’t get a chance. By the time life settled enough for me to call or email, months had passed. She was off at college, and I figured she’d moved on.”

“Well, that didn’t happen.” Grant raised his brows.

“We should teach the kids to just say no to dating before the draft. It never ends well,” Colin said with a pained expression.

“We already tell them that,” Hartman pointed out. “It’s on you guys for not listening.”

“Says the guy that didn’t even realize females existed until last year,” Erik grumbled.

“And look how that worked out for me, Schultz. Captain of the championship team,” Hartman countered.

“And oh, so many missed opportunities,” Erik quipped back.

“I’m with the love of my life now and have no regrets.” Hartman then turned his attention back to me. “And no public displays of humiliation. No ghosts waiting to pop out and destroy everything I worked for.”

“Aye, aye, cap’n,” Reese said with a mock salute. “For those of us that didn’t live like robots, a little embarrassment is nothing to lose your mind over. You’re still playing in the finals of the Stanley Cup tomorrow. Focus on what matters.” He sent me a meaningful look and I nodded.

“I think it’s best you head back to the hotel. We’ll get your meal packed up and bring it back for you.” Hartman made it sound like a kind offer, but it was an order.

“Thanks,” I meekly stood, and I glanced over at the restrooms. “Do you think I should try talking to her?”

“No,” they all said at the same time, and relief rolled through me.

“Let the girls calm her down. If she wants to talk to you, we can let her know where you are,” Noah offered.

“Yeah, thanks.” I nodded to the group and turned to leave. Even though I knew I wasn’t really in any formal kind of trouble, I still felt admonished. Kicked out for something not entirely in my control. My one chance at getting them to take me seriously, and even maybe become friends rather than just teammates, disappeared.

I wanted to blame everything on Taylor. If she hadn’t been there, hadn’t confronted me and made a scene, things would have been fine. We would have enjoyed a relaxing night out before one of the most important games of the season. I had to keep my head straight if I wanted to help the team, but now memories I’d locked up and ignored for the past four years were flooding back.

I couldn’t place all the blame on her. I was the one that left and never looked back. I was lying to the guys and to myself about not having time to reach out to her. How long did a call or text really take? Even though I was exhausted from training harder than I ever had in my life when I first got to Florida, that wasn’t a valid excuse. There was always time. I made time to call my family. To check in with the guys I played with in the Major Juniors. Just not Taylor.

I deserved a drink in my face. Probably a lot more than just that.

I’d left Taylor and moved on with my life, not because I didn’t love her. I really did back then. I loved her enough to let her go. At least that was the noble thought I’d repeated to myself until I believed it.

I knew I was going to be drafted. I knew what my life would be like for the next few years. The little control I had over my life in high school was a distant memory the moment I signed the contract. I was told where to go, when to go, what to do, what to say, when to breathe, eat, and sleep.

It was like drill camp. I thought I was a hotshot, getting drafted at eighteen, but I was a child. I learned that quickly. Everything was so much more intense once I was in the ECHL. The guys on the farm team respected one another as teammates, but there was no comradery. No friendships. We were competing against each other for a spot with the NHL team. We were fighting our way to the top.

My contract stated I would play at least one season with the farm to hone my skills and bulk up, so the cutthroat attitude didn’t sink in until my second year when I realized it was my time to outshine the others so I could move on.

How was I supposed to do all that and maintain a relationship with Taylor while she was still in Michigan, attending college? Especially after everything that had happened. That would have been a nightmare for both of us. That time in my life was dedicated to doing absolutely everything in my power to be the best player I could be. Spending time and energy on a relationship was inconceivable. Laughable even.

A few of the guys on the team tried, and I watched things blow up in their faces over and over.

Taylor didn’t deserve to be dragged through that. She was free to meet new guys and date and not worry about when she would hear from me. Free to be happy.

I put space between us for both our benefits. Doing what needed to happen. What was best for her and me.