Power Play (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 2)

These play-offs have been a damn whirlwind. When people said we couldn’t do it, we found a way and capitalized. Our team is full of resilient, skilled dudes. We work our asses off, and we have a goal of bringing back-to-back Cups home to Nashville. Our coaches believe in us and have coached the shit out of us, including the love of my life.

Just thinking of her, even in this stressful, high-stakes situation, makes me smile. She has completed me in a way I didn’t even know I needed. I moved in the day after she asked. I’m renting my house to Wes, Branden Peca—our goalie—and Dermot Underwood, one of our new forwards Elli brought in for the play-off berth. They both think they are best friends with Wes, but Aiden and I know the truth. He only really likes us. He hasn’t found someone yet and doesn’t think he will. I’ve reminded him that, at one point, I thought I never would. But instead, I found my forever.

Things have been great, as if they always had been. Posey recovered pretty quickly from her surgery and returned to work sooner than expected, at five weeks. She wanted to go back at four, but no one would let her in the rink, per Elli Adler’s commands. We are still having a blast together, and now on trips, we can be together and no one says anything. Especially with how mean she is to me on the ice. That girl doesn’t let up. She expects perfection on and off the ice, and I strive to give her everything she wants.

Living together has been a learning experience. I still can’t tell the difference between good hand towels and ones I can use. I have no clue why I can’t leave my shoes by the door or why I have to spray this smelly mist when I take a shit. I also feel she pulled a bait and switch on me. She didn’t snore when I stayed with her before, but now she’s like a freight train at night. She acts like it’s not a big deal, but she honestly keeps me up! If she weren’t so damn good in that bed, I would leave her ass.

Ha! Who am I kidding? That’s a damn lie. I couldn’t leave that woman if I tried. She’s got me completely wrapped around her finger, and I’m okay with it.

“McBroenes!”

At the call of our line, we jump over the boards and get into position as the Knights come for us full force. They have some pretty dangerous forwards, and they use them to their advantage. What they don’t have that we do is Posey Adler, and she has figured them out completely. I go left for the winger, poking the puck away, but when I go to pass it up, he takes it again, going around me. I chase after him, and when I get in front of him, I steal the puck, sending it up the boards.

“Motherfucker!” he yells, but I don’t care.

I have a goal to assist in.

I start up the ice and have some space just as Aiden passes it to me to carry in. I go across the line, but right when I go to pass it to Wes, the guy from before is beside me, lifting my stick with his. He lifts it so damn hard that his blade comes crashing into my mouth.

I actually feel my recently replaced tooth implant flying out.

What an interesting feeling, one I don’t think I’ll ever get used to.

I fall to the ice, shaking off my gloves to hold my mouth to keep the blood in. “Damn it!”

I hear some commotion before Ryan Justice is beside me with a towel. He crouches down, holding the towel to my mouth as he takes a look.

“We gotta stop meeting like this,” I say as he checks out my mouth.

“I’ll let you take me out for a beer,” he says before sliding his gloved fingers around my gums. “He just knocked out your tooth.”

I give him a look and say sarcastically, “I don’t need that at all. No big.”

He laughs. “You can get another new one put in. You’re not hurting for money.”

I take the towel. “Remember, I took off all that time to take care of your cousin. I’m poor. Find that sucker!”

His laughter is comical as the ice crew comes out to clean the ice, and we head for the bench. Before we reach it, though, Wes is there with my tooth. “I found it!”

I take it, giving it to Ryan. “Hold on to that.”

“For what?”

“It can sit next to the Cup when we fucking win it, boys!” I yell, getting my team pumped. “We’ve got a four-minute. Let’s make something happen.”

Coach meets my gaze. “You good?”

I nod, waving him off. “It was just my tooth.”