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“Sex, food, and hockey.” He poked out the tip of his tongue between his teeth and got out of the vehicle.
I rolled my eyes, and by the time I had my door open, he was there offering me help. Everything about this little adventure felt a lot like a date, and it made me realize that I’d never actually been on one. I’d had a few boyfriends in the past, but they hadn’t lasted long, and our relationships had centered around sex. The last person I’d expected to go on a date with was Atlas Frosteson.
He slid his hand into mine, and together we walked through the door of the restaurant. Fantastic smells teased my nose as soon as we entered, and I spotted exactly where he was leading us. At pushed-together tables in the center of the wide room full of booths, there was a large group of people I knew well.
The team cheered as soon as they saw us, and they were on their feet, nearly running at me as though they hadn’t seen me in years.
Thane got to me first and brought me into a hug, and with a frown, I accepted it.
“Is something happening I don’t know about?”
Thane laughed and slapped me on the shoulder as Boss teasingly shoved him out of the way and came in for his own half hug.
“Atlas told us that you don’t think you’re part of the team,” Boss said with a stern stare. “That’s bullshit, and you know it. You’re one of us, Finch.”
I didn’t quite believe him, but I nodded gratefully anyway. They ushered me over to the tables carefully, and the rest of the team greeted me with bro hugs and shoulder slaps. Atlas held out his hand to me, and I passed him my crutches as I carefully sat down in the chair that was offered to me. My seat probably counted as the head of the table.
Coach Hill was on my right, and he leaned over to grip my shoulder tightly. “Kid, we will never abandon you because you’re one of us. I know the scholarship situation is shit, and I wish I could’ve done something about it, but that’s the college for you. I could fight them, but I’d lose.”
“It’s all good, Coach.” My chest ached, but I continued to smile. “It isn’t your fault.”
“I know it looks like I never argued with them, but I did, kid. I told them you’d heal and then they’d regret not having you on scholarship, but they told me where to go, and it wasn’t friendly.” He winced and rested his elbows on the table. “But you are still one of us, all right? Your knee doesn’t change a thing.”
I wanted to trust him, but it was still hard. Being here was nice, though, and the guys were dragging me into conversations about their plays and the upcoming games, and it kind of felt normal again, even with the throbbing reminder in my knee.
Atlas sat on my other side, and as I listened to something Boss was saying, he reached out and threaded our fingers together. He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed it, and all at once, the team fell silent. Enough of the guys saw the kiss to bring conversations to a halt. The only one who seemed completely unsurprised was Boss, who smirked and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.
It was Harvey who spoke first. “You two fuckin’?” His Texan drawl flooded the silence, and I grimaced. “We were already wonderin’,” he said, cutting a look toward Rain, who was staring really hard at his water glass.
“No,” Atlas answered immediately, his grip on my fingers tightening.
My gut churned at the one-word answer, and I shot him a confused stare.
“We’re together. He’s my Birdy.” Atlas glared around at the guys. “So, if you fuck with him, you fuck with me.”
Friendly laughter chased around the table, and it only took a few seconds for the team to return to normal conversations, the news of us quickly forgotten as they began to rehash all the details of the upcoming game next weekend.
Atlas glanced at me, and my chest went light and floaty. “Okay?”
I nodded with a smile as I leaned my shoulder against his. “Okay.”
25
ATLAS
The sweet notesof the New Gothenburg Children’s Choir’s rendition of the National Anthem trembled over the speakers into the locker room. The scent of cologne and the lemon cleaner that must’ve been used before we’d arrived hung in the air, filling me with a strange, nostalgic sensation.
Normally, we were out on the ice for the anthem, but the choir had done a long routine with a bunch of songs, so we’d let them do their thing and have their time to shine while we got ready. The sound of the crowd exploding into applause echoed outside. Part of the fun of the game was knowing that we gave the local entertainers a chance to showcase their talents, and it was even nicer when kids got their five minutes of fame.
I grinned while I watched Wy open his eyes and gaze back at his phone again now that the song was over. He looked damned good in a dark gray suit that I’d helped him get into earlier this evening.
I had trouble looking away from him when he was anywhere near me. I’d thought he was hot from the very beginning, even when I’d hated him, but there was something more to it now. He was a beacon in any room that always captured my gaze. The intensity scared me a little, but the feeling in my chest was so warm and right that I shook it off. I tapped my hockey stick on the floor three times, a habit I’d had since I’d started playing as a kid, and clutched the fabric in my right hand tighter. Cloutier, who played center, leaned down to say something to Wy that left him grinning as Cloutier hustled out of the locker room.
The team would be announced soon. I bit the inside of my bottom lip.
Wy glanced up and laughed when he caught sight of me staring at him, but I could see the disappointment in his expression over being left out of the game, even if everyone else only noticed a happy smile.
He wanted to go out on the ice with us.
