16. Jenner

Chapter 16

Jenner

"Knight, move your ass!" Maddox screamed from the bench.

He had every right to yell at me. I was dragging tonight.

We all had those days when you were a little off-kilter, but I hated letting the team down, especially since I was their leader. I was expected to set the tone, and like lemmings jumping off a cliff, those men were following my example on the ice, even when they shouldn't.

The San Diego Surf were one of the worst teams in the league, and we were playing down to their level. So much so that they were kicking our asses and making us look like we were a youth hockey team playing against professionals.

We were being outskated, outhit, and outscored.

Sweat ran into my eyes as I hustled to the bench for a line change.

Plopping onto my seat, sandwiched between my linemates, I about damn near jumped out of my skin when Maddox's voice spoke directly into my ear. "What's going on with you tonight?"

"Fuck!" I screamed, levitating a foot off the bench. "Give a guy some warning next time!"

"Seriously, man. Everything okay at home? Because this isn't like you."

I shook my head, eyes tracking the movement of the players on the ice. "Just having an off night. Not sure why."

"Need a minute to reset?" he offered.

"Nah. Maybe I need to stir some shit up, get the blood pumping. You know what I mean?"

There was silence from my coach/best friend behind me, and I turned to find him smirking with an evil gleam in his striking green eyes. "Do it."

"Yeah?" I arched an eyebrow.

He lifted one shoulder before letting it drop. "Got nothing to lose. They're kicking our asses, so might as well see if we can jump-start the boys. But don't do anything stupid, like getting yourself injured."

"You got it, boss." I gave him a mock salute and a wink before hopping over the boards and onto the ice.

Digging my skates in, I pushed myself harder than I had the entire game. Stick down hard on the ice, I kept up with Asher after he picked off the puck on a failed D-to-D pass by the Surf. The defenseman, who had been meant to accept the pass, hustled back, pushing Asher to the outside. But my left winger didn't care, firing a shot at the goalie, which he promptly gloved, having been given enough time and distance to track it.

Seeing my opportunity to rile up our opponents, I didn't stop skating when the ref blew the whistle to signal a stoppage in play. Instead, I turned both my skate blades perpendicular to my torso and came to a hard hockey stop, spraying the goalie with a thin sheen of what we liked to call snow.

It was an intentional maneuver—definitely unsportsmanlike—meant to piss off the Surf. The number one rule in hockey was that no one messed with your goaltender and got away with it.

As expected, someone jumped on my back as the goalie shoved at me with his blocker from the front. A mass of bodies formed before the net, both teams fired up and swinging.

I used my elbow to shuck off the man from behind, just enough to spin around and get in a punch of my own. My gloves flew off as I rained down hell upon the man I was squared up against, satisfied when his helmet flew off.

"You're a fucking asshole, Knight!" he screamed as he got in a quick jab to my jaw.

"Yeah, yeah," I grunted back. "Go cry to your mama. Better yet, send her down here. I bet she hits harder than you."

Fire flashed in his eyes, and he roared as he lunged for me. I dropped my shoulder when he tried to pull me into a headlock and flipped him over onto his back. The sound of the wind being knocked from his lungs was an added bonus to knowing I'd won the fight.

Glancing around, I saw the rest of my line still duking it out as refs tried frantically to break them up. Braxton dropped his guy, then Asher followed suit, settling once and for all that the Speed were tougher than the Surf.

We might not win the game tonight, but we'd made them our bitch.

The biggest downside to a West Coast road trip was taking the red-eye flight back home. With closer opponents, we were home around midnight, maybe a little later, and could sleep in our own beds that night. Though our team plane had larger seats than a commercial flight, sleeping sitting up wasn't good for stiff joints and muscles.

Because of that, Maddox had declared that he was issuing a maintenance day upon landing. This provided an opportunity for guys on the team to get treatment—whether it be physical therapy, massages, or dunking our bodies in an ice bath. The hockey season was a grind; our bodies got beat to hell, so we had to take good care of them.

A day off had never sounded better—not when I knew Evie was waiting for me at home. Maybe I'd surprise her by booking a couple's massage. She never said no to being pampered, and she deserved it with how stressed she'd been leading up to Paige choosing us.

Winter nights were long, so it was still before dawn when I arrived home at 6:30 AM. I didn't even bother grabbing my bags from the trunk, too excited at the prospect of sliding into bed with a still-sleeping Evie.

The first thing I noticed was the shopping bags lining the hallway from the mudroom to the kitchen. A curious peek inside revealed tons of baby clothes, along with other items like bottles, burp cloths, and pacifiers. I smiled to myself, thinking of Evie carefully picking out each item as she pictured putting them to use with our daughter.

Stepping into the kitchen, a black-and-white photograph pinned to the stainless steel fridge caught my eye. Venturing closer, my heart skipped a beat.

Pictured, clear as day, was the tiny profile of a baby.

My finger traced along the tiny outline of a button nose in wonder. She was beautiful. And she was going to be ours.

Quietly climbing the stairs, I pushed into our master bedroom, surprised to find Evie sitting up in bed, a book obscuring her face from my view.

"Hey," I said softly so as not to startle her.

The book fell to her lap, and she smiled at me. "You're home."

Immediately, I began shedding my clothes, piece by piece, until I was left only in my boxers. Pulling back the covers, I crawled into bed beside her, sighing when our skin touched. Ten days on the road was far too long to be away from her. Sure, we'd spent four years apart, but now that I had her back, even a few hours felt like torture.

Tapping at the book cover, I joked, "Weren't you just teasing me about reading hockey smut?"

Evie rolled her eyes but turned sideways so she was tucked securely against my chest. I would never again take holding her in my arms for granted.

"Dakota's extremely talented, and it's important to support someone writing about the sport who actually knows what they're talking about. I had lunch with her while you were gone, and she told me about how hockey romance has blown up, but many of the books in the subgenre are written by authors jumping on an emerging trend and don't include much gameplay on page. I guess it was Bristol's idea for her to jump on the hype train, but did you know that's how she met Braxton? He helped teach her the game so she could write it accurately and give her readers the best experience."

I kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. "Yeah, I did know that."

"Anyway, that was her big break, and now she's this kickass best-selling author, and people are rabid for her books. But instead of writing faster to please her growing fanbase, she's working toward opening an indie bookstore here in Indianapolis to help other authors. I guess it's difficult to get your books into stores when you publish independently, and that's her dream. So, she's making it happen while supporting others like her. Isn't that great?"

Chuckling, I held her tighter. "Dakota's a pretty great girl. I'm glad you two hit it off."

"And boy, can that girl write the spice. I kept expecting God to strike me down with how racy some of the scenes were."

My cock stirred, thinking of Evie getting turned on reading romance, but exhaustion pulled at me. Sleepily, I murmured, "Saw you did some shopping while I was gone."

She buried her face in my chest. "Yeah. Paige helped."

That caught me off guard. "Oh, yeah?"

"I took her to lunch after her appointment, and the poor thing's clothes hardly fit. So I begged her to let me buy her some. Of course, most of the stores that carry maternity clothing also have baby items, so we browsed for a bit, and I bought anything she smiled at. I kinda like knowing Paige will still leave her mark on our daughter. Even if it's through something simple, like selecting the baby pajamas she wears."

Smiling, I nuzzled my cheek against her hair. "That does sound nice. Was the appointment good? I saw the picture on the fridge."

That had Evie pulling from my arms, turning around, and bouncing on her knees in excitement, eyes bright. "Oh my God, did you see her? Isn't she perfect?"

This moment was what I had always wanted for her. And I thanked God it was finally happening.

"Stole my breath away," I confessed. "She's healthy?"

Evie nodded. "They said everything looked great. Right on track for her March 20 th due date. Can you believe it? In three months or less, we will have her in our arms!"

"Unreal." That single word was said on an exhale.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "And I didn't tell you the best part!"

Her joy was infectious, and I found myself smiling. "What's that, babe?"

"Paige asked me to be with her when she has the baby. I'm actually going to be in the room when our daughter is born!"

My heart swelled, and I cupped her cheek. "I'm so happy for you, Evie."

Her violet eyes scanned my face. "You're okay with her only wanting me?"

"Of course. It's a very private and vulnerable moment. I'm glad she wants to share it with you, but I'm just fine hanging in the waiting room."

Evie launched herself at me, her arms circling my neck. "This is really happening, Jenner."

"It's gonna be so great."

I couldn't stifle a loud yawn, and she pulled back to peek at me. "Didn't sleep well on the plane?"

"Not especially. Hated being away from you."

"Mmm," she purred, curling into my side, allowing us to sink onto the pillows. "What time do I need to wake you for practice?"

"Maintenance day," I mumbled as sleep threatened to drag me under. "Lay with me until I fall asleep, and then we can go to the spa for massages later."

"Sounds like the perfect day." Evie sighed happily.

With my eyes closed, moments away from unconsciousness, all I could think was that every day with Evie in my arms was perfect. And we had an unlimited string of them up ahead.

With Christmas only days away, my teammates and I walked down the hall of the children's hospital in Indy. Every year, we visited with the kids and their families who would be stuck in the hospital for the holidays.

It was always tough facing the reality that some of our youngest fans were fighting life-threatening illnesses. But this year, it struck home for me, knowing I would soon become a father.

Our baby girl was healthy for now, but I was sure most of these families had brought their bundles of joy home after birth, never expecting that they would find themselves here, in some cases, watching their children fight for their lives.

I'd already watched my wife suffer for years, and it had nearly broken me. If something ever happened to our daughter, I wasn't sure I would survive.

We split off into pairs—a high-profile player with a lesser-known one—and let the hospital administrator in charge of today's event direct us toward the rooms we were assigned. My partner was Griff Thompson, a rookie who served as our fourth-line center.

The poor kid looked nervous as we approached the door to the first room we were expected to visit.

I gave him a reassuring pat on the back, "You okay?"

Swallowing, Griff nodded. "Yeah, just don't like hospitals. My dad was sick when I was growing up."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Must've been tough."

"Yeah." His voice grew thick.

"If this event is dredging up too much for you, there's no shame in sitting it out. I would never want to put you in a situation that causes mental distress."

"Really?" Relief stole over his young face. "You sure Coach won't be mad?"

"You let me handle Coach. He might seem like a pissed-off grizzly bear most of the time, but he's not heartless."

Griff let out a heavy exhale. "Thanks, Jenner."

Tilting my head, I prompted, "Go ahead. Get out of here before anyone notices. I've got you covered."

I waited until he'd pushed through a stairwell door and was out of sight before I stepped inside the hospital room. There was a little boy, who couldn't have been more than eight or so, sitting up in bed with tons of wires leading into the neck hole of the gown he wore and a clear oxygen tube across his face under his nose.

The boy's parents stood from their chairs as I approached with a smile plastered on my face and my hand extended. "Hi there. I'm Jenner."

The dad shook my hand. "Jeff, and this is my wife, Maria."

"Nice to meet you both." I turned to the boy in the bed. "And who do we have here?"

Jeff stepped up to his son's bedside. "This is Finn."

I approached the bed, crouching down a bit so I was on his level. "Hey, Finn. Nice to meet you, buddy."

Finn gave me a weak smile, but the only response I got was a faint wheezing sound, and I peeked at his father in question.

Jeff explained, "Finn has severe heart failure. He has trouble breathing and is too weak to talk most days. He's on the transplant list."

Jesus. I couldn't begin to imagine what this family was going through. To know that another child had to die for yours to live? I fought hard against the shudder that threatened to roll through my body at the thought.

Taking the boy's hand, I squeezed gently. "Well, that's okay, bud. We don't have to talk. How about I read you a story?"

His head moved enough to indicate a nod, and I pulled up a chair. Tears were in his mom's eyes as she handed me a well-loved copy of a popular children's book.

I sat with Finn for the next hour, reading to him until he drifted off to sleep. His parents thanked me profusely for visiting, and I wished them all the best. That's all I could do.

I knew better than most that there were some things money couldn't fix, no matter how much of it you had. I would have given up every penny I'd ever earned for Evie, just like I could bet Jeff and Maria would pay any price to ensure their son's survival.

My takeaway from the day was that I needed to enjoy every moment with my family. You never knew what curveball life was going to throw your way.