Power Play: A Second Chance Hockey Romance (Sinners on the Ice)
Power Play: A Second Chance Hockey Romance: Chapter 16

Now, September

I smile down at my phone, feeling smug and happy at the same time. Smug because her words are stroking my ego, but happy because this means she’s been paying attention to my career.

The pause is long and dramatic. My eyes are glued to my phone; not even my teammates talking all around me distracts me. It’s been two weeks since we went to Angie’s shop, and while there wasn’t a day when we didn’t text, I haven’t seen her since. And I want to.

When my phone dings, I almost send it falling to the ground. My goddamn palms are so sweaty. I unlock it, read her text, and start shaking my head, smiling like the hopeless fool I am.

This woman…

“Who are you texting?”

I lock my screen and look up, meeting Colton’s gaze. A taunting smirk is on his lips as he studies me.

“No one,” I say dismissively.

Thompson rolls his eyes and plops himself down on the seat beside me. We’re on our way to the hotel from the airport in Dallas. Our first neutral-site preseason game is tomorrow.

“Sure.” He nods. “Did you finally ask for your neighbor’s number?”

“Why do I need Dylan’s number?” I frown, eyeing him in annoyance.

Colt’s smile widens as he leans back in the seat, resting his head against the headrest and closing his eyes. “You don’t,” he finally says. “It just means you’ve been texting with a certain blonde whose name starts with L.”

Smart-ass motherfucker.

“I need to take my car in for a tune-up. My friend from Chicago suggested his uncle’s shop, so I’ve been texting with his cousin about the details.”

Colt opens his eyes and stares at me from under furrowed eyebrows. “Where is the shop?”

“It’s like a ninety-minute drive from my house.”

“You can’t replace anything in Santa Clara?”

“Obviously, I can, but I trust Ethan, and if he says his uncle and cousin are good, I’m going to listen. Plus, supporting small businesses is great. You should know that better than anyone.” Ava runs an independent PR company for authors. Colt knows how important word of mouth can be.

“I do. And I think it’s awesome that you’re willing to drive so far to support your friend’s family.” Colt glances over his shoulder at Drake and Roman. They’re sitting together, engrossed in conversation. I’d bet a hundred bucks they’re talking about Nevaeh. Everyone’s so worried about Roman and Nevaeh’s accidental marriage that they’re not letting them breathe. I wonder how they can be so oblivious to the fact that the guy is head over heels for his new wife. Colt continues, “And I’m not going to snitch on you, you know that. You don’t need to keep everything to yourself. Talking things through can be good.”

My chest warms; a searing energy overflows my veins. I missed this when I was in Chicago. These talks and reassurances, undeniable support, and just having a friend there for me when I need it—especially on days when I don’t think I can handle everything on my own.

“I appreciate it,” I tell him slowly. “For now, I want to keep it to myself. It’s all way too fragile. We’re starting from scratch, as friends. We’ll see where it goes.”

“You’re talking; that’s already a good sign.”

I nod. “It is.” Then I narrow my eyes on him, looking him up and down as if I’m seeing him for the first time in my life. “Never thought you’d be the group dad. I was totally sure that would be Benson.”

“I’m not the group dad!” Colt argues, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You so are, dude.”

He gives me an eye roll. “I just care about my friends and family, always have.”

“Of course.”

His phone starts ringing, and when he answers the FaceTime call, I see Meghan’s face. Her pacifier moves relentlessly as she stares at the screen, and the corners of her mouth around the pacifier quirk up. I bite the inside of my cheek, a very weird feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. There’s no envy but definitely a dash of sadness mixed with the happiness that I feel for my friend.

That could’ve been me…with Layla.

“Hey, baby,” Colt says, waving his hand. “Where’s your mommy?”

“Here. I’m here.” Ava’s voice comes faster than her face appears on the screen. She takes the phone in her hand, sets Meghan on her lap, and points the screen at them both. “I just saw your text that you landed safely in Dallas. I decided to FaceTime you, but you’re still on the bus.”

“Yeah, we’ll be at the hotel in ten minutes, I think.” He shoves the phone in my face. “Say hi to Clay.”

Ava smiles brightly. “Hi!” She bends down to her daughter and tells her, “Meghan, look who’s with your daddy. It’s Clay. You remember him?”

Her pacifier pops out of her mouth, and she starts smiling as I wave at her. “Hey, angel. How have you been?”

“She’s teething.” Ava wipes Meghan’s chin with her palm. “There’s a lot of drool and a lot of tantrums. This household isn’t quiet.” Her gaze bounces to her husband. “You’re lucky you needed to leave. She would’ve been on you.”

“Book a massage or a spa treatment for tomorrow evening. Once I’m home, I’ll watch the kids, and you can do something for you.”

“Love you, Colt,” Ava murmurs, her gaze softening.

“Love you too, honey.” He smiles gently. “I’ll call you back from the room, okay? I want to know how your day was and how Michael’s practice went.”

“Bella will bring him home in thirty minutes, so we can talk then.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

“See you soon, Colt.” Ava blows an air kiss and ends the call.

“Why is Bella bringing Michael home?” I ask once Colt tucks his phone in his pocket.

“Isla has practice at the rink today too. They finish like ten minutes apart, so it’s always either us or them picking the kids up and bringing them home.”

“I think he likes her.”

Colt shoots me a glare. “They’re just kids. Michael admires how talented she is, that’s all. When Isla is on the ice, she has perfect coordination and speed, and her moves are always precise. He respects that.”

“You’re right.” I choose to agree instead of explaining why I think it’s a crush. Instead of telling him what I saw. “Let the kids be kids.”

“Exactly.” Colt rises in his seat a little, looking over the heads of our teammates. Plopping himself down, he announces, “We’re here.”

And in confirmation of his words, the bus starts slowing down and stops at the entrance of the hotel. It’s time to stretch my legs.

I stand hunched over the board, my eyes never leaving the ice. It’s the last half of the second period, and so far we’re winning one to zero. I watch the game, studying my teammates and our opponents, learning their strong sides and their weak spots. Not playing sucks, but I know Dale deserves to start more than me. It’s his team; I need to work hard to prove that I deserve to be a starter too.

Colt opened the scoring in the second period. It was amazing to see him slide in from the bottom of the left circle, completely overplaying Utah’s defensemen and sending a puck in the right-hand corner of the net with a perfect backhand shot. I’ve seen him play plenty of times, been at his games and cheered him on. I’ve even played against him, but being on the same NHL team after all this time, playing an actual game and remembering how skillful he is, is an absolute joy.

That first goal has led to way too many penalties that Utah has pulled on us.

When we get another power play, with Kravtsov heading to the box for slashing Drake, I keep my gaze trained on Colt. His anger simmers off of him, with Roman stewing by his side. I know by their body language that they’re going to try to score.

Roman sends the cleared puck up the blue line for Crawford, who pushes off a pass to Colton as he crosses into the Utah zone. It fails; our opponent’s defensemen play great, sending the puck flying to the boards. Fuck. I grip the board harder, pulling my eyebrows together. I hate not being able to do anything to help my team.

When it’s time for our first line to get back on the ice, I stay still, my bottom lip pulled between my teeth. Coach said I should just observe. It’s only preseason, and if everything goes right, I will start just as often as Dale does. I’m counting on it, actually.

I want to play…No, I need to play. Hockey is like breathing for me. It’s impossible to imagine my life without it.

Colt skates fast past the boards, his full attention focused ahead of him. I squint, trying to figure out what he has in mind. And then I see it—there’s an open slot in a lane to Crawford. Colt offloads an elevated pass to his right. The puck sears through the air as Crawford drops to one knee and places the puck right behind Utah’s goalie with a precise snap shot.

We’re leading two to zero as the second period ends.

There are two minutes left in the third. At the start, right after the teams returned to the ice, Utah was able to pierce our defense and score their first goal. Though it wasn’t two minutes later when Drake, with a powerful slap shot, sent the puck flying across the ice and into Utah’s net, making the score three to one.

That pissed Utah off, and they turned up their five-on-five pressure, forcing us into a turnover, making for some longer shifts and pretty great shots on the net. They are good, I can’t deny that, but, fortunately for my team, our opponent isn’t successful.

The final score stays three to one, and I can’t contain my smug smile for the life of me. We won. My team fucking won. The euphoria of this win is nothing compared to the pure happiness I feel when I think about what this win means.

She’s going on a date with me. A friendly date, if she wants to call it that, but a date nonetheless.

She attaches a photo of her and Maya on the couch.

I pull into my driveway, still thinking about the texts I found on my phone the second I took it out of my locker after the game. A silly smile is on my lips and has been for the whole flight home. Her texts and that cute picture of her and Maya are inked into my brain and stored in a box marked “The most precious memory of my life.”

Now I need to figure out where to take them. Asking Ava for advice seems more than appropriate because she definitely knows the best places in Santa Clara for kids.

Getting out of my car, I hear a door closing and look around. Dylan is coming down the stairs of her house, dressed in a pair of tiny jean shorts and a white crop top. She notices me and waves. “Hey, neighbor!”

“Hey. How are you?” I ask her, taking my bag and stick from the back seat.

“I’m good.” She smiles, coming closer and stopping beside her car. Her blond hair is pulled into a neat bun on top of her head, and there’s zero makeup on her face. “I heard you won. Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” I tell her, grinning. My hand wraps tighter around the strap of my sports bag. “Where are you headed?”

“You’re going to laugh at me.” Dylan pouts. She crosses her legs at her ankles, propping her hip against her car.

“I promise I won’t.”

She flashes me a big, radiant smile, visibly happy with my answer. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m a terrible friend. I forgot that tomorrow is my friend’s birthday. I’ve been meaning to order her a bouquet for days, and then it slipped my mind. Now I need to figure out where I can buy her something. It obviously won’t be a bouquet, but that’s on me for forgetting to order one in time.”

I watch her in silence. The wheels in my head are slowly turning. If I bring Layla a new client, it sure will make her happy. And happy Layla is exactly what I want.

“You know, Dylan, it’s your lucky day. Or more like a lucky evening.”

“Why?” She arches one eyebrow at me.

“I know someone with her own flower business. She’s a florist.”

Her face lights up, and she starts swaying her hips and wiggling her shoulders, dancing in place.

“I’ll give you her number. Call her in the morning and tell her I sent you. She won’t say no.”

“Oh my God, Clay, you’re the best neighbor in the world!” She steps closer, and I stiffen a little, not sure what she’s going to do. I’m being friendly, that’s all, and I hope she sees it that way too. When she reaches over and pats my hand, I subtly sigh in relief. “Thank you. It means the world to me.”

“Of course. I’m happy I can help you and my friend. It’s always great to have a new client.”

We talk some more after I give her Layla’s number, and then I head inside. I’m tired but happy…so damn happy, I’m fucking bouncing with every step.

Calling Ava and asking for her advice is my top priority for tomorrow. Layla and Maya deserve only the best.