Pucked Love (Pucked 6)

He doesn’t smile as his teammates pat his back, eyes on the scoreboard and the minutes counting down the second period.

“Holy shit.” Lily nudges my arm and points to the screens above us. Darren and Randy’s faces flashes across it. While Randy wears a cocky smirk in his picture, Darren’s eyes are dark, mouth almost set in a scowl. Their stats flash across the screen. Darren’s sitting just below Randy this season, which makes him an incredibly valuable player—the kind who is covetable despite his age.

It’s the reason he’s been passing when Alex has asked him not to. He hasn’t wanted all the points because of the draft. It all makes sense now.

The heavy feeling I’ve been carrying all day grows as the game continues. Randy scores a goal in the top of the third period, giving Chicago the lead, but Toronto ties it again halfway through. Alex and Darren are back on the ice together with three minutes left in the game. I can barely breathe when Alex gains control of the puck and skates down the ice toward the net, Darren parallel to him.

I cross my fingers as Alex makes the shot, but it goes wide. Darren catches the puck as it glides past the net and skates around behind it. It looks like he’s going to pass to Alex, but he takes the shot instead, scoring his second goal of the game.

Toronto fans give a collective groan as the Chicago fans go crazy. It’s a matter of keeping the puck away from the net while the final seconds tick down, securing Chicago’s place in the next round, bringing them that much closer to the finals again.

TV crews swarm the players once they’re off the ice. Darren looks uncomfortable with cameras on him, especially when they start talking about how his stats are the best of his career and then ask questions about the expansion draft and trade possibilities. Alex plasters on a smile when they turn the mic on him, but there’s tension in the set of his jaw. He’s unhappy with his performance.

“Guess I better get the Epsom salts ready. Tonight’s going to be hard on the beaver,” Violet says as we file out of the arena and pour onto the street, heading for the hotel.

We go directly to the bar, aware that it’ll be a while before the guys arrive. Daisy and Skye appear to be three sheets to the wind already, and they’ve ordered a round of shots. They’re having an inappropriate conversation—not unusual for those two—about their husbands and their sexual prowess.

Violet turns to Sunny. “That could be us one day.”

Sunny rubs her belly. “I wonder if this one will be another boy. I’m getting really big really fast this time.”

Violet leans her head on Sunny’s shoulder. “Wouldn’t it be great if we both had a boy or a girl at the same time? They’ll have so much fun together, and when they’re older we can have the kind of conversations our moms have and embarrass them.”

I watch their sisterly exchange and selfishly fear that this new bond they’re forming is going to usurp all the years of friendship between me and Violet. They’ll have so much more in common now that they’re both pregnant, and Sunny will be able to give Violet new-mom advice. They’ll have stories and experiences to share that I can’t be part of.

She’ll have new responsibilities. I’ve seen how motherhood has changed Sunny this past year, and I worry it will be the same for Violet. She’ll settle into her new role, and I’ll won’t fit into her life quite the way I did before.

Poppy pulls me out of my personal pity party when she hands me a drink.

Daisy and Skye’s conversation seems to have moved away from doing the dirty to hockey, which is a little better.

“Robbie used to play hockey in college. I loved going to the games.” Daisy sighs wistfully.

“I went out with a hockey player once,” Skye blurts.

“Really?” Daisy perks up.

Violet rolls her eyes.

“Mmm. In my first year of college I used to waitress at this little bar. It was near the stadium, so sometimes we’d get fans and players in there.” She waves a hand around in the air. “Anyway, this guy came in and sat in my section. He was a real hottie, and he played professional hockey—I think maybe for North Carolina? I can’t remember now, but he was charming, and one thing led to another.” Skye grimaces. “Sadly, he was terrible in the sack, and he had a tiny penis.”

“I love your mom,” I snicker.

“Wanna trade?” Violet grumbles. “Wait, it’s pretty much the same thing, so never mind.”

“Oh no!” Daisy puts a comforting hand on Skye’s arm. “That’s awful.”

“It was such a disappointment. The condom slipped off in the middle, and I ended up having to fish it out after.” Skye shudders, and Violet makes a gagging sound. “One good thing came from the experience, though.” She turns to Violet and pats her on the cheek. “I got you.”