8. Maverick

eight

Maverick

I spot Cassi the instant she walks into the arena, taking her spot next to Britt and Hadley in our team's cheering section's wives and girlfriends designated spot. A rush of possessiveness runs through me, thinking of Cassi sitting there as our wife or girlfriend for real.

Someday soon. I reassure myself.

"Damn, she's beautiful. But she should be wearing one of our jerseys, not Teagan's."

I don't disagree with Ace—Cassi should be wearing one of our numbers, not Teagan's number thirteen jersey. I get that Teagan is Cassi's biggest client, but she's our woman; she just hasn't accepted it yet. And while wearing Teagan's jersey might be good for her brand, she definitely won't be wearing any other jersey than one of ours when she's pregnant with our children.

Where did that thought come from?

I'm only twenty-two years old, the same as Ace and Dalton. Should I really be thinking about having children already? I stretch my neck up to catch a glimpse of Cassie in the cheering section. When my eyes land on her, she gives me a forced smile, like she's still unsure about our new relationship.

"One day," Dalton says, skating up to us. "She'll be wearing a specially made jersey with all three of our numbers on it like Hadley wears."

Ace and I nod our agreement before pulling our eyes away from Cassi and reporting to the bench to await the start of the game.

"Okay, team, this is an important game. I need everyone to concentrate on a win. The Chicago Kraken are third in our division—only four games out of first place. Play them tight, but don't get too handsy. We can't afford to lose this game because some of you can't reign in your tempers." Coach Davis's eyes fall on Holden, Caspian, and Barnett.

If anyone is going to fight tonight, my money will be on those three. They're part of why Ace, Dalton, and I were transferred to the Minnesota Norse from the Iowa Poseidon. I was pissed off at the switch until I met Cassi. Now, as far as I'm concerned, they can fight all they want as long as we don't get transferred back to the Poseidon.

"Now, let's go out there and win!" Coach Davis yells in the huddle.

Unfortunately, we all ended up playing the worst game of our lives—the whole team. No one could score or even keep a puck in their possession for longer than ten seconds. The game was an absolute blowout—five to zero.

"What in the hell has gotten into all of you? You played like absolute dog shit tonight. I thought with Bowen, Kyson, and River gone, you guys could actually concentrate on having a winning season. We were damn lucky not to fall out of first place with all that bullshit that happened with the team fighting each other a few weeks ago." Coach Davis slams a locker shut. "You know, I thought maybe I could finish out the season with you bozos, but I'm not sure it's worth it. I'm getting too old for this shit." Coach Davis walks out of the locker room without a backward glance, leaving us to wonder if he's truly done coaching or not.

You could cut the silence in the locker room with a knife it was so thick, until Teagan finally spoke up, "Coach is right. We did play like dog shit tonight. Whatever issues we have going on on and off the ice need to be fixed because I, for one, want to bring home that Stanley Cup for our trophy room." Teagan stomps out of the locker room, her boyfriends trailing after her.

It's no secret that Colt, her uncle and one of the team's owners, remodeled one of the conference rooms into a group shower for Teagan and her teammate boyfriends to use. Rumor has it Cassi made sure to include it in her contract negotiations with the owners.

She's right. We need to focus on the game, which is easier said than done until I know how things are going to play out with Cassi. Hopefully, we'll have our answer after tonight.