7. Zack

ZACK

The past monthhas flown by. Somehow, we"ve already reached the week of the trade deadline. A week that always has so many guys on the edge of their seats. I remember those days, never knowing if you were going to get the call that you had to pack your shit and get on the next flight to a new city.

Thankfully, with my last contract extension, I was able to negotiate in a no-trade clause. I wanted to be close to Sawyer, and that was my guarantee that I would be with him as much as possible.

Coach walks into the locker room. "Listen up," he calls out, and everyone stops talking and turns their attention to him. "I know this week is stressful. We"ve got twenty-four hours left until the deadline. I know the suits have some cards still at play, and some deals might still come through. No matter who walks through that door"—he pauses and points behind him at the door—"we"re a team. We have one another"s backs at all times. I know this isn"t new for any of you. You"ve all been through trades at some point in your careers. Whatever happens, happens, and we keep moving forward toward the ultimate goal of raising that Cup at the end of the season."

"Hell yeah, Coach," Easton calls out, and the room erupts in laughter. Coach chuckles and shakes his head at Easton.

"I"ll see you all out on the ice in ten," Coach says before turning and leaving the room.

We all finish getting ready. I can see the look in the guys" eyes who are rumored to be on the trade block. I feel for them. That uncertainty can be so nerve-racking, not to mention how much harder it is if you have a family you have to worry about moving.

We hit the ice, and Coach runs us hard. I think he does so to help guys get the deadline off their minds. The shrill of the whistle blows again. "Again," Coach yells from the center of the ice. "Pick up your feet, Kaden. You"re getting sloppy on me."

"Fuck off," he grumbles from next to me.

"Don"t let Coach hear you say that," I warn him.

"I"m going to fucking puke," he tells me. "I haven"t had to do bag skates like this since early in my junior years."

"It"s good for you," I tell him as I suck in a lungful of air. He isn"t wrong. I also haven"t had to do a bag skate like this one in a long-ass time. I"ll be so ready for the ice bath when I hit the locker room.

The shrill of the whistle blows again, but this time, Coach doesn"t make us skate back to the other end. "Good job, men," he says, motioning for us to join him at center ice. We all slowly push off and skate to surround him. Everyone takes a knee, some out of respect to Coach, but mostly because our legs feel like limp noodles. "I"m proud of all of you. You didn"t quit when it got hard, even if you wanted to. You dug deep and found the will to keep pushing. That"s the kind of dedication and heart we need to push to the end of the season. Now go, get out of here. Relax and spend time with your families. You have tomorrow off. Training staff will be here if you need them. Otherwise, I don"t want to see your faces until the day after tomorrow. We"ll regroup and see where we stand at that time."

We make our way off the ice and into the locker room. The room is quiet compared to normal. I strip out of my gear and sit on the seat of my locker. I greedily suck down the recovery drink our training staff left in my space. They take care of us, making sure we have what we need before and after being on the ice.

Once I have drunk the first smoothie, I switch to the electrolyte drink and drain that in a few gulps. I grab my towel and head for the ice bath. My muscles are already screaming at me from today"s practice, so a good soak will do them some good. I sink into the ice-cold water, my body instantly shivering as the cold envelops me. I can feel my balls shriveling up into my body as they seek warmth. My mind instantly travels to Courtney and thoughts of her in my bed. We still haven"t made it there, but it will happen. I have faith that we will get to where we both want our relationship to go. Building our friendship has been an important step, and I know she needs things to go slow. She hasn"t been out of her relationship with Chad for long, so I"m willing to give her all the time she needs to feel ready. Especially when she lets me kiss her when no one is looking.

"Hey, sweetheart,"I say when the call connects.

"Hi, how was your day?" Courtney asks.

"Practice was rough, but we made it through."

"Ah, what are you up to now?"

"I"m waiting for Sawyer"s practice to end, then we"re headed home for some dinner. Any chance I can convince you to come over with Jax to join us? Coach gave us tomorrow off, so I"m all yours until the day after tomorrow."

"Sure, when will you be home? And can I bring anything?" she offers.

"Just the two of you, and his practice ends in about five minutes. It should take him ten or fifteen minutes in the locker room. We can be home in thirty, maybe forty minutes."

"Perfect. I"m on my way to pick up Jax now. We"ll meet you at your place."

"See you then," I say before we disconnect the call. Knowing I"ll get to see her tonight has my day turning right around. Just as I slip my phone into my pocket, it vibrates with an incoming text, so I pull it back out to see who it"s from.

Ryan

Hey man, what"s up?

Zack

Not a whole lot, just hockey, hockey, and more hockey.

Ryan

I bet. I just saw the newest trade rumor. Wouldn"t that be sweet if it"s true?

Zack

I haven"t paid any attention to anything going on. I don"t like to focus on the what-ifs.

Ryan

Camden freaking Rowe is rumored to be coming here from San Francisco.

Zack

No shit? He"s fucking good. Who"s going?

I worry slightly as I run through my teammates and wonder who we have to give up to get Camden.

Ryan

This report is just talking about some draft picks and maybe a few guys down in the AHL.

Zack

That would be fucking amazing.

Ryan

I"ll keep a watch on it and let you know if they say anything more about it. What else is shaking?

Zack

Not a whole lot, just at Sawyer"s practice. It just ended, so we"re headed home for some dinner. He"s got school tomorrow, so nothing crazy going on tonight. I have practice on Saturday, but nothing in the evening. We should get together unless you"ve got a hot date? I"ll have Sawyer again since he"s actually home for once when I am, so it"d need to be kid-friendly.

Ryan

I"d be down for sure. I can introduce you to Allison. Hell, maybe I should have Courtney and Jax come at the same time. Get introductions over with all at once.

Zack

Whatever you want to do, man. Courtney and I met up a few weeks ago so the boys could meet. They got along great, so I"m down for anything. What about Topgolf? Sawyer has been begging me to take him there again.

Ryan

Sure. What time?

Zack

I"ll call and see what time we can get a bay. Maybe shoot for around five or six? We can order dinner and drinks while hanging out.

Ryan

Sounds like a plan.

Zack

Sawyer"s on his way out of the locker room, so I"ll catch you later once I have a time nailed down.

I slip my phone back into my pocket as Sawyer runs up to me. "Dad, did you see my nasty goal?"

"Sure did. You looked good out there." I rub the top of his sweaty head. "Missed you this week, kiddo."

"Dad," he grumbles as he shakes off my hand.

"Zack." I hear someone calling my name. I look up and see Sawyer's head coach jogging down the hall in our direction.

"Carter," I greet him, offering my hand for him to shake. "Nice to see you."

"Glad I caught you. I wanted to ask if you"d be available to help out with a clinic we"re planning during spring break. I looked at your game schedule, and depending on your practice schedule, I"m hoping Wednesday of that week would work for you to come out for a few hours."

"I"m happy to help. Can you shoot me a text with the details? I"ll check and get back to you. Do you want a few of us, if possible?"

"The more the merrier, but no pressure if it doesn"t work."

"I don"t see why I can"t at least come. Even if it"s after practice, if I can"t get out of it."

"Thanks. I"ll text you the information when I get home."

"Sounds good. Have a good night, Carter."

Sawyer slings his bag over his shoulder, and I take his sticks from him. "You ready for some dinner?" I ask as we make it out to my truck.

"Yes, I"m starving," he says, exaggerating the sentence.

"You make it sound like you haven"t eaten in a week, and I know damn sure your mom packed you a snack to eat before practice."

"Gross veggies and dip," he grumbles.

"Junk food won"t keep you fueled on the ice."

He mumbles some more, but I don"t catch what he says.

We both get settled into the truck, and I crank the engine. He"s focused on drinking the electrolyte drink I grabbed for him and had waiting in the cup holder.

"I invited Courtney and Jax over for dinner tonight," I tell him as we drive home.

"Is she your girlfriend?" he asks.

I don"t want to lie to him, but we haven"t put any labels on what we are yet.

"No, not that she might not be, at some point. Right now, we"re just friends. Would you be okay with that if she was?" I ask.

He shrugs. "She"s nice, and Jax isn"t annoying."

I chuckle at his no-shit attitude. "I agree. Does it bother you that your mom and I are moving on?"

"No, Joe is great for Mom. She"s happy, and that makes me happy," he says, referring to his stepdad. Emerson got married a few years ago after a few years of dating Joe.

"I agree, kiddo. Joe"s been good for both of you."

"So if Courtney makes you happy, then that"s okay with me," he says, and I wonder where this grown-up kid came from. It feels like he"s ten going on twenty some days.

"I"ll keep that in mind."

"Isn"t she Uncle Ryan"s sister?" he asks.

"Yep," I confirm, not like I can hide that fact from him. I can"t ask him to lie about what he knows, so it sounds like I need to have a little chat with Ryan sooner than later about the possibility of Courtney and me being in a relationship.

We make it home a few minutes later, and Courtney"s car is already in the driveway, waiting for us to get home. I pull into the garage and hop out.

"Zack, I got my own stick!" Jax yells as he runs my way after getting out of the car.

"You did? Let me see," I say. He holds up the mini stick that I"d ordered and had sent to their place. It came with a little net, some foam balls, and a couple of other sticks.

"That"s a pretty sweet stick. Maybe you and Sawyer can play some knee hockey after we have dinner."

"Can I take a shower first?" Sawyer asks as he unloads his bag.

"Of course. Why don"t you go run in and take one while I get dinner going."

I open the door from the garage to the house and motion for everyone to go in before me. The boys run inside, Jax on Sawyer"s heels. I snag Courtney"s hand as she passes by and hold her back. The door closes most of the way and I take advantage of the moment and press a kiss to her lips. "Hi," I whisper against her lips when we break apart.

"Hi." She smiles up at me.

"Sorry, I just couldn"t resist any longer and didn"t know if I"d get the opportunity again."

"I"m glad you did. I"ve missed you," she admits. I knew she did, she"s told me daily when we"ve talked. It"s been almost a week since we saw each other.

"I was texting with Ryan earlier and suggested we all get together on Saturday, maybe around five or so. I need to see if I can get us a reservation at Topgolf. What do you say? Are you and Jax in? Ryan is going to bring Allison for us to meet."

"Is he now?" She purses her lips as we walk into my house. I head straight for the kitchen, and Courtney follows me. I pull out the package of chicken that has been marinating all day, along with my grilling tools. "Can I help with anything?"

"I have some macaroni salad in the fridge if you want to pull that out and give it a good mix. Then, there"s also a bagged salad you can toss together. I"m going to go fire up the grill."

She heads to the fridge as I head outside. I give the grill a few minutes to heat before I get the chicken down on it to start cooking. I set the timer on my watch and head back inside to see how things are going in there. Jax is in the kitchen helping Courtney as she adds things to the salad bowl.

"Can I get either of you something to drink?" I offer.

"Already a step ahead of you." Courtney flashes me a smile over her shoulder. "I hope you don"t mind that I helped ourselves to stuff in your fridge."

"Of course not. Whatever you want is free for the taking."

Sawyer joins us a moment later, his hair still dripping from his shower. "When will dinner be ready?" he asks.

"Another ten minutes or so for the chicken," I tell him, since I still need to flip it. Just then, the timer on my watch goes off, and I head outside to flip the food. Sawyer follows me outside and sits down on one of the chairs.

"Can we eat outside?" he asks.

"I suppose. Just turn on the outside lights as the sun has almost set, and it will be dark."

He heads inside and does as I asked. He returns with Courtney on his heels, her hands filled with the pasta and salad.

"I hear we"re eating out here," she says. I grab one of the bowls out of her hands and set it on the table.

"It"s a nice night, might as well take advantage of it."

"Of course," she agrees.

"Remind me later to expand on that," I quietly whisper so only Courtney hears, since both boys are now outside with us.

She gives me a curious look, but I don"t elaborate.

The timer goes off once again. This time, the chicken is done, so I plate it up and take it to the table. In the meantime, Courtney brought out plates and silverware for all of us. It feels so natural for the four of us to sit down together for dinner.

We all make small talk while we eat. The boys each tell us about their days at school. Sawyer tells us about his tournament last weekend and the goals he scored. His team won another championship, adding to their tally for the season. If they keep it up, they"ll end the season as the best team in their league.

Once we"re all done eating, the boys go pull out the knee hockey stuff, and Sawyer helps teach Jax how to play as Courtney and I watch from where we"re relaxing. "He"s so good with him," Courtney says as she watches with pure happiness showing on her face.

"I agree. Oh, more about what I mentioned earlier. Sawyer asked me some interesting questions on the ride home after I told him the two of you were coming over. He also put two and two together and knows that you and Ryan are siblings. I think I"m going to have a conversation with Ryan before we get together on Saturday. I don"t want Sawyer to say something and it get taken out of context or catch Ryan off guard."

Courtney blows out a breath before turning her eyes to mine. "And what are you planning on telling him?" she asks.

"The truth. That I"m incredibly infatuated with his sister, and I believe the feelings are mutual, but that we"re taking things slow and seeing where they go. I"ll be straight with him that I"m not looking for his permission to date you, but I hope he gives his blessing, especially knowing that we make one another happy when we"re able to spend time together."

"Do you want me with you?" she asks.

"I"ve thought about it, and I think just him and I is the best. That way, if he flips out, he only does so on me."

"He"s not going to freak out."

"I don"t think he will, either, but just in case." I wink at her to try to lighten the mood.

"What happens after the conversation?" she asks.

"Whatever we want to happen."

"When"s the next weekend night that you are home but don"t have Sawyer?"

"I think next weekend, why?"

"Maybe I"ll ask Ryan if he can keep Jax for me overnight, and I can come spend the night," she suggests.

"Yes, make it happen," I say, the words flying out of my mouth. "Ask for the entire weekend."

Courtney laughs. "We"ll see. I don"t want to push my luck, but maybe between him and my parents. I think they"ll be back by then."

"If all you can do is one night, we"ll make the most of it," I promise her. My dick hardens at the thought of having her all to myself for an entire night. My mind flashes back to that night I showed up at her place and got my first and only taste.

"What"s that smirk for?" she asks.

"Just remembering my first taste of you and dreaming about it happening again." Courtney"s cheeks instantly blush from my words, and I know I"ve hit my mark. "Don"t worry, sweetheart. There"ll be more of that, plus a whole lot more when I have you all to myself for an entire night. I"ll have you screaming my name without a pillow over your face to hide your pleasure."

Courtney fans her face with her hand. "Damn, you sure do know how to tease a girl."

"No tease, honey. I"m all about promises to come. See what you do to me?" I say, pointing at the bulge in my pants.

"You going to be okay until next weekend?" She grimaces.

"I"ll be just fine, unless you want to sneak away for a few minutes?" I quirk an eyebrow in question. Courtney"s eyes flash over to where the boys are playing together, then pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, lightly chewing on it as she thinks.

"As much as I"d love that, I don"t think now is the right time."

"It kills me to agree with you, but you"re right. Will make next weekend all that much sweeter when the time comes."

"And you"re sure you won"t have Sawyer?" she asks.

"Positive. I have a home game on Friday night and he"s got an out-of-town tournament that weekend, so he"ll be with Emerson until sometime on Sunday."

"Did you want me to see if Ryan can take Jax on Saturday night then?"

"If you can only get one night, then yes, otherwise, you can come to my game, then we can head back here together afterward."

"I"ll see what I can arrange," she promises.