Page 99 of The Puck Bunny

She texts back right away saying she understands.

I wish I did, but I’m as confused as fuck.

“Look, I can’t go to your wedding, man. My mom is having dinner for the family tomorrow and is too important. I promised her I’d be there.” I watch his face fall and he may as well have punched me in the gut. “But I’ll be your best man in absentia,” I say.

“In what?”

I try to laugh. “I’ll throw you a bachelor party after the dust clears and invite the team. Your decency is worth celebrating even if it is newly found.”

He punches me. But I can see that he’s trying to cover his disappointment.

“I don’t see why you can’t do both,” he says, losing his battle and sounding like a pouty kid.

I know he could use the moral support and I feel like a fucking heel.

“You’re getting married at the same time as my mom’s dinner. I wouldn’t arrive until everyone else was ready to leave.” My brother would give me worse than a barrel of shit if I walked in late after promising to be there. He’d accuse me of bailing on the family again—and he’d be right…

“How about if I change the time of my wedding to ten a.m.?” Jonas asks. His face is smirkless and he looks uncharacteristically vulnerable, like he’s desperate for moral support. He probably is desperate since he’ll be the only guy there surrounded by Mindy, her mom, and her friends. Fuck.

“You could do that? At the last minute? Wouldn’t Mindy have a problem with changing the time?”

He shrugs. “I’ll explain it.” He smiles. “She would do about anything for me if I ask nice.” He ducks his head like he’s embarrassed.

I’m seeing another whole side to the Jonas Bergman I thought I knew.

“It’s why I’m marrying her,” he says, lifting his chin.

I nod. “Good reason.” Sara is the same way, but I keep that thought to myself. “If you change the time to ten a.m. and I’ll be there. I’ll need to leave by eleven, though. Does that give you enough time?”

“Shit, yeah.” He smacks me on the back and grins, relief and unabridged joy finally showing on his face.

“Confirm it with Mindy and text me later,” I say, fist-bumping his shoulder. “Looks like I’ll be seeing you in the morning.”

On the way home, I call my mother to let her know what’s going on.

“What did you think of the game? That last goal was all for you,” I say and she laughs. “I might be a few minutes late for dinner tomorrow.”

“That won’t be a problem. I’ll make dinner for one-thirty. What about Sara?”

“I’m not sure if she’ll be able to make it,” I say. The response is as true and genuine as it can be. I should have told her Sara cancelled, but I can’t make myself give up on us. Maybe it’s the influence of the bastard Jonas. A smile stretches across my face. Pretending there’s nothing between us doesn’t work. Insisting she’s not right for me hasn’t convinced my feelings. And even though I’ve been playing my best hockey of the season, I don’t care if she’s a distraction or not. I don’t even care that I have too much baggage to be in a relationship. I need to give my feelings a chance.

Because I’ve never in my life have I had these feelings before, not for any of the women I’ve been with. That has to be worth paying some attention to.

“She has to go to a wedding,” I say.

“A wedding?” Mom laughs. “That’s an inventive excuse,” she jokes. “She has a habit of saying delightful things, doesn’t she?”

“Yes, but her excuse happens to be the truth. I’m going to the same wedding.”

“You are?” She laughs and then goes silent. “Quinn?”

“God, no. It’s not my wedding, Mom. It’s one of my teammates. No worries there.”

“Oh. Okay..”

“The wedding is first thing in the morning and we should be able to make it to dinner by one. Sara will be there.” What made me make that prediction is pure insanity. Or maybe I’m determined to face the demons in my luggage finally.

* * *