Page 24 of Lucky Mother Pucker

He grins and points his stick at me. “You set it up for me, dude.”

He wraps an arm around me and smacks my pads. The rest of the guys join in. It feels really good whenever I can help my teammates score.

We manage to hold Utah off for the rest of the game. In the locker room, Coach Sawyer addresses us.

“That was a hell of a game, boys. Fantastic teamwork.” He looks at me. “Especially you, Peretti. That’s the kind of skill I wanna see out of our d-men.”

“Thanks, Coach.”

“Who feels like stuffing their faces at the diner?” Nick asks after Coach leaves us to get cleaned up.

Travis, Blake, and I all say we’re in.

We grab our stuff and head out of the arena. The guys’ parents and significant others are gathered outside, waiting to greet them.

Nick walks over to his parents and his girlfriend, Poppy. They all embrace and tell Nick what a great job he did.

Travis heads over to his mom and his girlfriend, Anna. They both hug him.

Blake grins at his girlfriend, Briar. He grabs her, and she jumps up, wrapping her legs around his waist. She holds his face in her hands as she kisses him. “You were amazing out there,” she says between kisses.

I stand off to the side, letting my teammates have a moment.

After a minute, my mom walks up to me, beaming. “You played so well, honey.” She hugs me.

“Thanks, Mom.”

She squeezes her arms around me. “I’m so proud of you. You always play your heart out.”

My mom is the exact opposite of my dad. She only ever has nice things to say to me. Even when I play like crap, she showers me in praise.

When we break apart, she’s smiling up at me, her burnt umber eyes bright.

“Is Zoey here?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “They’re having a carnival night at the daycare, and it ran late. She told me to tell you she’s sorry.”

“It’s okay. Carnival sounds way more fun than a college hockey game.”

She chuckles.

“So, um, you doing okay?” I ask.

A sad smile pulls at her mouth. “I’m good, honey.”

“You’re sure? I know since you and Dad separated, it’s been hard being in the house all alone.”

“It’s really okay. It’s for the best.”

Two years ago, my mom separated from my dad. It was honestly a long time coming. He’s hardly ever home. He works long hours and travels a lot for his job as a hockey analyst at a major sports network.

It was the same story when he played professionally. Never home. Always focused on hockey.

And when he was home, he hardly ever spent time with her. Or my sister. He was mostly with me, constantly monitoring and critiquing my progress as a player.

She finally got sick of being put on the back burner and filed for separation two years ago.

“How are things at the house?” I ask. “Everything good?”