Chapter 53

Wade

"What's up, pretty boy?" Leon startles me as he slaps my bicep, followed by Ash, Thomas, Joe, Brayden, the Eagles assistant coach, and lastly Buster Matthews.

Buster Matthews? What the hell is he doing here?He's an Eagles legend. Played for them from the age of eighteen, and after he retired, started writing crime books. He also owns a sports bar in Edmonton with Leon. One I always avoided, because I knew they'd call Ash and Brayden as soon as I arrived.

Too shocked to move, I'm rooted to the spot as they invade my home. They're like giant ants all over my kitchen, in my fridge, putting the kettle on, and helping themselves to food.

"What the hell are you all doing here?" I ask, sounding disorientated and wondering if they all drove out here to Caulder Creek together. I can't imagine spending two hours in a car with Leon. He's hyper twenty-four-seven.

"We've come to save you from yourself." Leon dips his hand into the biscuit tin. Lucky for him, I had groceries delivered this morning, or he'd come out empty handed.

"What?" I slam the door shut, causing a huge waft of cold air to flow into the house.

"Marcus's press release will go live in two hours. You can't be here by yourself when that happens." Ash comes over to stand by my side and wraps his huge arm around my shoulder. "It's like girls' night without the girls. We're like the best gal pals you ever had. I'll be your shoulder to cry on." Ash grabs my head and lays it on his shoulder. "Buster looks good in panties though, so if you grab a pillow, he'll show you his moves and the best way to win a pillow fight."

"It was one time, for fuck's sake." Buster groans, making everyone laugh.

"Jordy sends his love, by the way." Ash kisses my cheek. "He couldn't make it today. Game tonight, Brayden was given a hall pass."

"Aw, look at you two. You look cute together." Brayden points at Ash and I, then stuffs a cookie into his mouth. "And when the hell are you coming back to work? It's not the same without you. No one fights like you do. It's boring as hell out on the ice."

I push Ash away from my side, making him laugh. "You're a bunch of assholes."

"Anyone want some grilled cheese?" Leon asks, switching on the stove.

"Oh yeah, just help yourself." I drop into one of the dining chairs to watch how this plays out because I have no idea what the hell is happening in my own home.

Thomas, who has been quiet this entire time, pulls out one of the chairs and sits beside me. "This is what you need."

"You sure about that?" I'm particular about the way things are in the house. It's the way Gretchen left everything. "Don't move any of the decorations or Gretchen's things, please."

Brayden mock salutes me in acknowledgment. "We won't."

"They all want to help," Thomas says in his calming voice.

"They're making a mess."

Joe parks his backside on the chair on the other side of me. "And they will clean it up after."

Thomas grabs my shoulder firmly. "We've given you enough time. So, tell me, how have you been?"

"I"ve been better."

"It's a lot to process," Joe adds, making Thomas nod his head in agreement.

I let out a huge sigh and focus my attention on a dot on the table, because the guys are destroying my kitchen and it's stressing me out. "I don't know how I feel anymore. It's like there's this pressure."

"Where do you feel it the most?" Thomas asks.

"Here." I point to the back of my neck. "My head." I rest my elbows on the table and push my fingertips into my temples. "Here." I rub the sore spot between my eyes. "And it hurts in here the most." I lay my hand over my heart.

He then asks, "Did your conversation with Marcus help yesterday?"

"A bit."

"What do you think would help?"

Kali. I need Kali.

"I don't know," I lie.

"I think you do know. We'll skip that for now. Is being here helping?"

"It's too quiet."

Joe looks around. "Gives you too much space to overthink everything."

"Yes."

"So, why are you still here?" His brows dip.

"I feel closer to Gretchen here." Which I do, but it's a lie that Thomas sees right through.

"Do you though? Or are you using that as an excuse to hide yourself away?"

"The second one," I admit.

Joe leans his elbows on the dining table and looks at me with genuine concern. "Why?"

"I'm embarrassed."

Thomas doesn't accept my answer. "You're also using that as an excuse."

I shake my head, not agreeing with him. "I wasn't myself the night I found out. I said things I shouldn't have. Accused people of things that weren't true." I know this now. It's slowly beginning to sink in. "Kali did what was best for me, but I'm still trying to work out how I fix it with her."

"With words." Thomas smiles. "And time. This is huge news for everyone involved. There is no easy fix or simple way around it. It's a journey you will all go on together. But it has to be together. It's the only way to connect you all, and you have to be honest."

"I miss Kali," I confess, dropping my voice, the gravity of the words almost too much to bear.

"Distance won't help." Joe says the most obvious thing I know to be true.

"I know." With each day that passes, the resistance grows stronger not to go back. It's becoming harder and harder. And my brain spends hours each day over analyzing the minutest details from that evening.

"Admitting you got it wrong can be simpler than you think," Thomas interjects.

"This is a nice house." Leon plonks himself down next to Thomas. Then we're joined by Brayden, Buster, and Ash, who slides a plate of grilled cheese in front of me. "Eat," he instructs. "When Lily and I broke up, eating was the only thing that helped me for the first few days."

"Hey, I thought we were the ones who helped you?" Buster punches his shoulder before shoving a mouthful of food into his own mouth.

"You guys are animals with zero table manners," I mutter before I pull a smile. I actually like them being here. The mood has changed completely. I feel lighter.

"And you have zero self-esteem." Brayden pulls his phone from his pocket. "Marcus tells me you think you made the team due to nepotism?"

"Let us show you why you were drafted, Wade." Ash takes the phone from Brayden and hits play on a video. "This is why." A tape of me scoring goal after goal, drills, fast footwork, speed training, reel after reel of video clips play from one into the other. "Remember, seven other NHL teams wanted you. But the Eagles wanted you more. You were told this at the time, but for some stupid reason, you've apparently forgotten. And you only ever wanted to play for the Eagles. You have tunnel vision when it comes to the Eagles. They are all you see." Ash points at my food again. "Eat. I played with you the year you were drafted before I became an assistant coach. Then I had the honor to watch you grow into an incredible player when I became head coach. I believed in you. Why do you think I spent so much of my own time trying to bail you out of jail?" He points at the screen and yells excitedly. The love for the game he has is contagious, "Fuck, did you see that goal? You are fast, my friend," he mumbles around his food and stops the video, then adds, "You don't see what we see, but you're no ordinary Eagle. You are special. You have passion."

"Loyalty." Brayden backs him up.

Buster adds, "And resilience. Your ability to play after Gretchen passed away shows how determined you were to show up, even when you shouldn't have."

"That's called stupidity." Leon laughs at his own joke. "You should have had time off then."

"That's called having a great work ethic," Thomas says, grabbing a bottle of water from the middle of the dining table.

"Commitment," they all say together.

"Did you guys rehearse this?" Laughter makes my chest shake and I feel better than I have since the news broke.

"Yes. We're team cheer up Wade."

"You achieved what you came here to do," I confirm. Seven other teams wanted me. That's information I had forgotten and it's a big deal. I was good enough.

"Good. Now do you have beer? Because we'll need some in an hours' time when that press release hits the news. To celebrate, not to fucking wallow in, though," Buster says. "You hit the fucking big time, baby. Bagged yourself a hockey team. Can you imagine?"

Everyone goes silent around the table. These guys live and breathe hockey.

If I tell them I don't care much for the business side of things, I will never hear the end of it. I don't want the team. I want to play.

"I don't drink," I answer Buster's previous question, looking around the table and winning a nod of approval from Thomas.

"Does Kali know how boring you are? You must have a big dick." Buster grins through a mouthful of food.

"I've seen it in the showers. He's fucking hung." Ash throws his head back, laughing.

"I fucking knew it." Leon sits back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest and licking his lips as if savoring the taste of the food he's just finished. I still haven't touched mine. "That's the only reasonable explanation she turned me down."

"It's not." I shake my head, grinning. "She doesn't like old men."

"Well, there's that, but you're really fucking annoying sometimes, Leon." Brayden ducks down when Leon makes a swipe to the back of his head. "She's a sensible woman."

"Legs for days." Leon looks starry eyed.

"Don't go there." I smile, but he knows I'm being serious. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Yes. Stanley Cup. Who are we placing a bet on this year?" Brayden proudly looks around the table, knowing the Eagles will.

"Are you kidding me?" I throw my hands in the air.

Brayden scrunches his napkin into a ball onto his empty plate. "What chance do we have? You're missing in action, as is your brother."

"Half-brother," I state, finally picking up my grilled cheese to take a bite.

"Now that's progress," Thomas adds his thoughts. "One step at a time, Wade."

I still have a long way to go.

"I see dollar signs now. Highly fucking marketable." Leon rubs his hands together, then draws an invisible curve in the air. "The Edwards Brothers. You two are handsome motherfuckers."

I groan.

"Too soon?" Leon winks and I know he's kidding, but also know he has a plan.

"Far too soon."

Joe rakes his fingers through his hair. "When the goofballs leave, Thomas and I are staying on to talk some things through with you, okay?"

"Yeah." It's exactly what I need.

"Thomas and I drove here separately." He looks around the table at the men who made the Eagles great. But two hours in the car with all of them together would drive me to drink again.

Thomas, Joe, and I watch Buster pull Leon into a headlock.

"That was a fully justified decision." I laugh, then take a bite of my grilled cheese.