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I settle back down, contemplating whether I should ask my next question. “Did you have a close friend on the plane? I’m sure you were close with all your teammates, but was there someone that you were closest to?”
I feel Hendrix flinch slightly as he releases a soft sigh. “Yeah… Jason Heinen. He was a defenseman on the first line. In fact, he took my spot on the first line, moving me down to second when he came to the team two years ago. He was so good I couldn’t even be upset by it. We just clicked, you know. Hung out together in our spare time, traveled together during the summers. I was a pallbearer at his funeral and that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It made me understand that I can’t continue on without taking every opportunity to live my best life.”
“I’m sorry about your losses.” It’s all I have to offer, along with the kiss I press to the base of his throat because it’s closest to my mouth.
“At any rate,” Hendrix continues gruffly, “I’m going to add the names of everyone on the plane to my body somewhere. Probably along my ribs.”
I wince. “That’s going to hurt like a son of a bitch.”
“I hope so. It will mean more that way.”
His words compel me to snuggle closer, and I lock my arms around him in a tight hug. He reciprocates with a gentle squeeze, and I place my ear on his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat.
“Do you think your dad would do the tattoo for me?” he asks.
I smile at the thoughtful gesture as Hendrix could get his tattoo anywhere. “He definitely would not turn his nose up at your money, but he might make it hurt a little more than necessary, since you’re dating his daughter.”
“But I’ll be tough about it, and then I’ll earn brownie points with him.”
“Probably,” I admit.
CHAPTER 8
Hendrix
The mood is jubilant as we exit the bus that just delivered us from the Badgers’ arena to our hotel. We took the first game 2–1 in this back-to-back matchup in Nashville, solidifying another hard-fought victory. We’re almost eight weeks into the regular season and no one can call all these wins flukes anymore.
Brienne Norcross and Callum Derringer have built a seriously competitive team that has eased back into the top ranks far sooner than anyone expected. As an OG member of the Titans, I can testify that a lot of it has to do with how well all this talent meshes on a personal level. Maybe it’s because this entire organization is like a phoenix rising from the ashes that has made our bonds stronger than what I’d normally see on a professional sports team. Or maybe it’s pure fucking luck.
Maybe it’s both.
Regardless, every member of this team now believes we can hang with the best of the best since Nashville sits at the top of the league.
Because we play them again tomorrow night, Coach West has strongly suggested we don’t make a late night of it but said no more than that. Many coaches would forbid us from partying after a game, but Coach isn’t like that. He empowers us to make our own decisions, knowing we’re all adults who will accept the consequences for any bad choices.
Unilaterally, everyone agrees not to go out partying, but a handful of us decide to have a couple beers in the hotel bar. We’ve got all day tomorrow to relax, minus a light skate midmorning, so we’ll have a little mini celebration of our win.
I’m nursing my second beer, munching on pretzels and surfing my phone. I read back through the text exchange I had with Stevie today. Just checking in, light banter, wishes of good luck before the game. Every single message makes me smile.
I glance over the last text conversation with Tracy. She sent a few after we broke up, pushing at the boundaries to see if we could talk. I kept her at arm’s length, having to repeat to her that we were not happy together. She never responded after that, so I assume she’s moved on.
Putting my phone down, I glance around. Almost the entire team is down here. None of the coaches have joined us, but they don’t usually hang with us after a game. Drake is absent, but Brienne traveled with the team to Nashville, so that’s not a shocker. A few of the other players’ wives and significant others traveled to the game, so they’ve all gone straight to their rooms. I know that’s exactly where I’d be if Stevie ever came to an away game.
Funny, I never asked Tracy to road trip to a game for me. It didn’t even cross my mind, probably because that was much-needed time away from her. Time for me to have some freedom and hang out with my buddies.
