34. Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

A few weeks into December, I'm back to work. I'm biting my lip as I tape up each of the guys. There's one missing. Glancing around, I still don't see Dean. He should have been here by now. Everyone besides him has been taped up, and they will need to head to the locker room soon. This is our ritual before every game. No one is late. Ever.

Looking up and down the hallway, debating which direction to turn, when I hear hushed but aggressive words. Who the fuck? I rush that direction, rounding the corner to find a gentleman scowling down at Dean. The look of resignation on his face makes my heart ache. Does he get yelled at like this all the time?

I catch the end of the man's words as I make my way closer. "We expect more from you, Dean. Do better."

"Excuse me, who are you?" I ask haughtily. Dean's eyes widen and snap to mine. There is panic in them now, as the man looks over his shoulder.

He gives me a once over before dismissing me. "It's none of your concern."

I pop my hip out and stand my ground. "It is if you are distracting one of my players who needs to get taped and ready for the game." My gaze shifts to Dean, as I point over my shoulder. "Get to the locker room, Lewis."

The man bristles when Dean gives me a nod and makes his way around to him. As he steps up next to me, the man huffs, "Do you know who I am?"

Dean freezes next to me as I straighten. There is nothing that flips my bitch switch faster than someone asking me if I know who they are. As if their attitude would be okay if I knew who they were.

Dean whispers, "He's my dad, Lizzy."

Well, that only adds fuel the fire. Giving the man my best bitchy glare, I say, "I don't give a fuck who you are. You could be the president for all I care, and that still wouldn't give you the right to talk to my player the way you have." I point behind him. "If you would be so kind as to leave the premises that would be great. If not, I won't hesitate to call security."

The man looks me up and down before rolling his eyes at me like I'm trash. "Whatever. Dean, don't fuck up tonight. You have a name to uphold." He turns and walks off like I didn't just threaten to call security on him.

I wait till he has disappeared to ask, "Are you alright?"

Dean shrugs. "I'm used to it."

Not liking the dark cloud hovering over him, I turn and wrap my arms around his neck. Pulling him down so I can hug him. He's stiff for a moment before he loosly wraps his arms around me. "You're amazing, Dean. Don't let him get in your head and convince you otherwise," I whisper.

He laughs, but it sounds hollow. "I am pretty amazing."

I pull back enough to cup his face. "I'm proud of you." I make a mental note to say those words to him more often. My thumbs caress his cheeks as I fill my words with every bit of adoration I feel for him. "I'm so fucking proud of you, Dean."

His eyes flick over my face, and his eyes shimmer with unshed tears. "Liz…" he whispers.

I pull his face down so my forehead can rest against his. "You are an amazing man as well as an amazing player. You can completely fuck this game up, and I will still be proud of you."

His breath hitches as he rests his face in the crook of my neck. His arms tighten around me, and his breathing is a little choppy. "You make it so hard," he whispers brokenly.

I try to lighten the mood with a joke. "Your dick? I think that's a bit inappropriate at the moment."

He chuckles and shakes his head while pulling away to look down at me. With a smirk and wet eyes, his voice is rough as he replies, "It's hard not to love you."

I smirk. "Well, I am loveable."

He leans forward brushing his lips across mine in a soft caress before he pulls away. "I'm in love with you, Liz." My eyes widen in surprise. He must see I'm about to say something because he presses his lips against mine again. When he pulls away, he whispers, "Don't say anything. I just wanted you to know."

I go to say something anyway, although, I'm not really sure what will come out of my mouth, but he presses a finger to my lips. "I said don't say anything you stubborn woman."

I roll my eyes with a nod. "Fine."

"Now, wish me luck."

I snort. "Good luck."

He takes a step away with a hum. "You know, I wish you could wear my number at work, Lizzy."

With a grin, I lift the edge of my team polo up to show him my undershirt. I have both his and Mac's numbers ironed onto to the other side of my shirt. His eyes widen before he lets out a loud groan. "Fucking hell, woman." He steps into my space again before slamming his lips on mine.

He pulls away, panting. His eyes still closed he says, "Yep. I fucking love you." He shakes his head before taking a step away and then another. "Okay, I need to get the hell out of here before I shove you in a closet and fuck you."

He smirks, and my cheeks heat. I stutter a moment as I say, "Y-yeah. Let's not get in trouble."

He winks. "You know me; I love trouble."

I huff and shoo him away. "Get. You're going to be late."

With a mock salute, he rushes away. Shaking my head, I huff out a laugh. What are these boys doing to me? Then I remember he hasn't been taped up. Fuck!

The boys look great out there! I watch as Dean whispers something to Mac, and by the grin on Mac's face, I'm guessing he told him that I was wearing their numbers. With that knowledge, they seem to be playing their hearts out to impress me. Which they don't even need to do, but it's amusing.

With each goal Dean makes, he looks my way. He waits until I give him a thumbs-up before he skates away with a wink. I've noticed that one of the rookie centers on the other team seems extra aggressive, but I try not to focus on it. Some players are just more aggressive than others, but there are rules put in place, so I try not to worry.

The other team is getting desperate. Our boys are getting slammed into the guards left and right. There's one player in particular I keep an eye on from the other team. I think he may be a rookie because I'd never heard his name before. As I watch, he skates fast and hard toward our goalie, which is confusing, considering he doesn't have the puck.

I gasp in horror, noticing what is about to happen before it does. I pound on the glass, trying to warn the guys. There are several unwritten rules in hockey, but one is held above all else: Don't touch the goalie. The goalie is to be protected at all costs. This guy has no intention of stopping as he gets close to our goalie. My goalie. Mac. I scream as I bang on the glass, but my voice blends with the crowd's excitement. My breath catches when I see the two collide, and Mac is thrown into the net.

Before I know it, I'm already running in his direction. I watch as Samy, one of our defensemen, lifts the other player off Mac and pushes him aggressively, while several of our players converge on the rookie. My only thought right now is getting to Mac.

I slide as I come up beside him. His head is lying next to the goal post. Fuck! Breathing hard, I try to stay calm. "Oli? Oli, can you hear me?"

He groans as his eyes open. His gaze is unfocused as he looks around. " Putain ," he huffs.

"Couldn't have said it better myself. Can you look at me?" His eyes try to focus for a moment but then they roll back. Shit, he's unconscious. "I need a medic!" I yell over my shoulder.

For the first time in years, my hands shake as I try to hold his head steady until the medics can get to us. Dean slides up beside me, falling to his knees. "Is he okay?"

I look up to find his helmet off and sporting a bloody nose. All professionalism leaves me. My eyes widen. "Dean! What happened to your face?"

He smirks. "So… I'm Dean now?"

Growling, I ask, "What the fuck happened to your face?"

He shrugs. "My face may have made contact with a fist… or two. I'm fine. How's our boy?"

Huffing, I look back down. "You're Dean when you are in trouble. Just like Oli is Mac when he's in trouble at work. Among other things. I think he has a concussion. I can't get him to stay awake."

"Coming through!"

I look up to find a few medics with a spinal board. They shuffle to slide up on his other side. The medic in front of me smiles softly as he says, "I got him."

I nod and allow the medic to take over with Mac. Just then he rouses, mumbling, "Chérie."

"It's okay. It's okay, the medics will take care of you now."

He's agitated as he pleads, "Reste avec, moi Chérie."

I've never hated not understanding French more than right now. Dean thankfully translates for me. "He said, stay with me, darling."

My chest tightens as Mac reaches out for me. I take his hand, giving it a squeeze which causes the medics to pause. "They need to take you to the hospital, Mac. I'll be there as soon as I can, but I need to take care of the other boys too. You listen to the doctors and do as they say."

His eyes are still unfocused when they try to meet mine . "Promesse?"

I nod. "Promesse."

Mac gives my hand another light squeeze before he lets go. His gaze moves to Dean beside me. "Botter le cul."

Lewi laughs. "Like I wouldn't kick their ass for hurting our goalie."

Mac attempts a grin as the medics take him away. Immediately, I'm engulfed in Dean's arms. My face smashed against his padded chest. I try to sound reprimanding as I say, "You shouldn't be hugging me like this in front of everyone."

His voice is soft when he says, "Shut up, and let me hug you."

My hands grip the back of his jersey as he holds me on the ice. A voice behind me yells, "We need to continue the game. Please, get off the ice."

Dean's arms tighten around me once more as he growls, "We just lost a goalie! Fuck off!"

I chuckle and pat his back. "It's okay. You need to finish the game. Win for Mac." I turn to the voice behind me to find the ref. "I'm sorry. I'll make my way off the ice."

He grunts and skates away. I head back to the bench when Manny, our other goalie, skates up beside me. He gives me a soft, playful shoulder punch. "Don't worry too much about him, Roe Roe."

Laughing, I give him a punch back. "Just protect the net. And don't get hurt. Danni can't afford to lose her goalie too."

He gives me a salute as he skates away. The players give me a pat on the back as I head to my designated spot to watch the rest of the game. Danni bumps my shoulder as she asks quietly, "You good?"

The adrenaline is starting to wear off, and my hands won't stop shaking. Shoving them in my jacket pockets, I give her a nod. "Yeah. I'm good."

She snorts. "No you're not, but I'll let you keep believing that. For your sake."

Biting my lip, I watch as the game continues. Shouts and screams surround us as I admit, "I think… I think I like him."

Danni laughs as she moves in closer. "Anyone with eyes can tell you like him. You'd have to be blind not to notice the way he looks at you. Even Lewi smiles for you, and that man doesn't smile for anyone."

I side-eye her to gauge her thoughts about the two guys who appear to like me. Her smile is wide, and she rolls her eyes. "I'm not going to judge you for liking them both if that's what you're afraid of. Nor am I going to tell anyone that there is something going on between the three of you. It's none of my business so long as you do your job. But don't lie to yourself. You more than like them."

"Ugh… this is turning into such a mess," I grumble.

She shrugs. "Love is messy."

"I could get fired for this! I shouldn't be with either of them, let alone love them!"

Her expression grows serious as she says, "Then switch them to my roster to train. You can take Manny and Langly. That way you'd still have a goalie and a center."

I arch a brow in question. "How would we go about asking Max for the switch?"

"Be honest. Bring the boys in with you for a meeting and tell him the truth; that you guys want a relationship. Explain that you and I have already talked and agreed to switch a few players we oversee so ethics won't be called into question. I think if you are honest and keep it professional, they will take that into consideration. It's probably better than keeping it a secret and them finding out later from someone else."

Huffing out a breath I ask, "Do you think that will work?"

She bumps my shoulder. "You'll never know unless you try."

"I have a feeling the guys won't like switching it up."

Laughing, she says, "They will deal with it if it means you get to stay. You don't have a lot of options here. The pair are becoming too obvious about their feelings for you. The higher ups will notice soon if you don't do something about it now."

My shoulders slump as the adrenaline leaves my body completely wiped. "Soon." I hesitantly agree.

"Let's set up a meeting later this week," she says as the buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the game. She bumps my shoulder. "Now, go check on your boy."

I shake my head. "I need to make sure the rest of my boys are good."

She flicks my forehead. "What part of ‘I've got you' do you not understand. Oli is the only one who got hurt, and I'm sure Lewi will be right behind you."

I rub my forehead as I narrow my eyes. "Was the thump necessary?"

"Yes. Now go!"

I smirk and give her a hug. "Thank you."

She hugs me back. "Anytime, girl."

I pull away and do a quick sweep around to find Dean staring at me. He points toward the locker room. I can't hear him so I watch his mouth as he asks, "Wait for me?"

I nod and point to the exit. "Hallway."

He nods, then rushes to the lockerroom. I make my way into the hall to wait for Dean to change. When I hear the door swing open, my head jerks up. My eyes widen when I see my nine boys step out.

Vicy smirks as he makes his way closer. Draping an arm over my shoulder, he asks, "Did you really think we would let you go to the hospital without us?"

My mouth gapes. "I figured you guys would come later."

Taz walks up to my other side with a smile. "We're family, right?"

My eyes burn but I grin. "Yeah," I rasp.

Vicy releases me and jogs forward. "Let's go check on our boy."

Dean twines his pinky with mine and says quietly, "They wanted to come to make sure it didn't look weird with only you and me showing up for Mac."

My gaze turn to Taz, and he smiles softly. He shrugs. "You're Roe Roe."

"And what exactly does that mean?"

I jump when I hear Perri's behind me. "Famille."

Family. My chest feels like it's about to burst. I never thought these boys would come to mean so much to me. "I love you guys. You know that?"

Perri ruffles my hair with a soft laugh. "Je t'aime aussi soeur."

"What does that mean?"

Taz yells, "He said ‘I love you too sister'."

The grin that spreads across my face makes Perri roll his eyes. I poke him as I ask, "How do you say brother?"

"Frère."

I nod as we exit the building. "One of these days, I'm going to learn French."

Merc laughs. "It will be easier the longer you stick around; the guys that speak it fluently anyway."

I roll my eyes. "Curse words are not going to help me in a conversation."

Vicy claps his hands. "Alright, let's get going y'all!"