Gage (Pittsburgh Titans 3)

And… it will make Gage happy. For me to be a part of it.

“Okay. I think you talked me into it.” I shore up my spine and resolve to slay this fear just like I have others.

“Don’t let your demons ruin this for you, Jenna,” Emory says, her voice somber. “You deserve every happiness in the world, and right now, I think the only thing that can sabotage it is you.”

I hear her loud and clear. Now I just have to dig deep and decide what type of woman I want to be going forward.

CHAPTER 23

Gage

“When are you going to decorate this office?” I ask Baden, running a finger along an empty bookshelf and finding it dust-free.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he drawls from behind his desk as he types on his laptop. “Probably never.”

“He’s got a picture of Sophie,” Stone says lazily from his perch in one of the guest chairs. “What more does he need?”

True enough… Baden has a sole picture of Sophie framed and sitting front and center. We’re waiting for him to finish typing up notes to work on for next practice with his goalies. We’ve just finished a light workout, and we’re about to grab lunch.

Stone leans back in his chair, legs stretched in front of him as he tosses a hockey puck up in the air, catching it skillfully as gravity pulls it toward his face. “The media wasn’t overly critical this morning,” he muses as he tosses the puck.

The story of Matt Keller’s dismissal before the game that would clinch a playoff spot spread like wildfire, but the reporting has been remarkably tempered. It must’ve been Callum’s vaguely benign statement that “Matt Keller and the organization mutually agreed to part ways for unspecified reasons.” News outlets have speculated about possibilities, of course, but no one has said a negative word about anyone.

Keller, so far, is upholding his end of the confidentiality agreement, as is everyone on the Titans. No one wants to gossip about what a douche he’s been, and there’s no way in hell the three men in this office will talk about what went down.

As far as everyone is concerned, it’s in the past.

Except for Jenna. She’s holding on tight to Keller’s reaction to her, and it makes me want to hunt him down and kick his ass again. But I can’t expect her to banish all her insecurities overnight. All I can do is encourage her to fight them, and hopefully, she can do it.

I wasn’t bluffing earlier when I told her I can’t hide in the shadows with her. I love this woman, and that means I want to do life with her. Doing life with her means she does life with me, which involves supporting me in my career. Delving in deep with me. I can’t be with someone who hides all the time, but more than that, I know she has it in her to be so much more than she is right now. She’s made such positive steps already in exposing herself to the world and being more comfortable in her own skin.

Baden groans and leans back, shutting his laptop. “The goalie situation is going to kill me.”

With Jesper being out the rest of the season, Baden has had to scramble. Patrik moved up, and while he had a great game last night, he’s not a net minder we can count on for the same performance in the next game. He’s too erratic, and his backup is a player we pulled from a farm team who has yet to be tested in a pro league game.

Stone pushes up in his seat. “We’ve got so many things stacked against us going into the playoffs, you can’t take on too much weight of this.”

“I know,” Baden says, drumming his fingertips on the desk. “I’m just looking ahead to next year and trying to problem-solve before problems arise.”

“Maybe you can talk Drake McGinn into reconsidering the team,” I suggest. “New season, brand-new start.”

Baden shakes his head. “Oh, that ship has sailed. Drake burned that bridge with Brienne good.”

The story of Drake McGinn and how he was blacklisted is known throughout the league, but Baden was sure he’d make a great addition to our team as starting goalie. But Brienne and Drake butted heads when they met, and he stormed off after some nasty words to our esteemed owner.

At least that’s the short version of the story Baden shared. He didn’t elaborate.

“Let’s not even talk about our need for a new head coach,” Stone drawls. “That’s going to be harder to find than a goalie.”

“Callum and Brienne are meeting with a candidate this weekend,” Baden says.

“Who?” I ask, curious as to where their minds are going. Matt Keller seemed like a good choice on paper, but that didn’t work out well.

Baden looks past both of us to his open door, then lowers his voice. “Not to be shared, but I think they’re looking hard at Cannon West.”