by G. K. Brady
Sarah: Yep. We’re Wolf-proof.
Whatever the hell that meant. At least Gage was there to protect her, though from the most recent report Quinn had received, Wolf was too busy juggling new trouble in Seattle to come Sarah-hunting. Accusations of fraud—brought by his wife, no less. What goes around … Quinn couldn’t think of a more deserving candidate.
Quinn: So you’re back in the Pepto-Bismol room?
Sarah: Just for a few days until we move and I have the guesthouse to myself.
His fingers hesitated over the keyboard. What could he say? Killing me here. Come back. I love you. No. She didn’t want him. She’d walked out. Instead he typed, Hope the move goes well. Thanks for letting me know.
He got a thumbs-up emoji in response. That was it, then. His heart constricted, on the verge of imploding.
Needing a lifeline, he dialed a different number.
“Mom? You and Dad busy? Can I stop by and say hey?”
His anger and hurt retreated a fraction when she said, “Of course! We’d love to see you.”
Quinn patted his belly in the tidy eat-in kitchen at his dad’s place. “Dad, that was great! Didn’t know you could cook.”
“Neither did I,” his dad chuckled, “until I had to live on my own. Your mom did make the potatoes.” His dad threw his mom a smile, and she beamed.
Quinn was surprisingly gratified by his dad’s efforts to please his mom, treating her with the reverence she deserved. Not to mention he was highly amused observing his dad trotting out a domestic side Quinn had never seen before.
Father and son worked side by side cleaning the kitchen while his mom lounged on the couch out of earshot. They talked about Quinn’s return to play, then Quinn asked his dad about his plans.
“I’m not sure yet.”
“But you’ll still coach, right?”
His dad shook his head. “It’s probably time for a change.” Pausing what he was doing, his dad turned and looked him dead in the eye. “I’m no good at it.”
Astonished, Quinn frowned. “Since when?”
An extended, cheek-puffing sigh. “Never had a winning season in Poland.”
“Because you didn’t have the right talent.”
“No, it goes way back. Started with you and your brother. I … I’ve needed to say this for a long time, but it isn’t easy, so bear with me.” His father’s voice shook, and Quinn could have sworn his eyes glazed. He swallowed around a lump in his throat and stood still as his dad continued. “I recognized you and your brother’s talent, so I pushed both of you. Too much, too hard. I thought Ronan had the better chance at The Show, and … In the end, Ronan didn’t make it, and that was my failure—on so many levels, especially with the accident. In the meantime, you were on the rise, and you were doing it without my help. Maybe that ate at me too. Bottom line, I messed up royally, and then I ran. Ran to Poland to lick my wounds and forget, I guess.
“I’ve regretted it every single day. If I had it to do over again, I would’ve stayed and confronted my demons like a man.” He paused and swiped a thumb over his eye. “I screwed everything up with my sons and my wife. For that, I’m truly sorry,” he choked.
Tears welled, pricking Quinn’s eyes. Stunned speechless, all he could think to do was draw his dad in for a fierce hug, pounding him on the back. “It’s okay, Dad. It turned out the way it was supposed to.” His dad returned the embrace, nodding against Quinn’s shoulder.
After a few moments, it grew awkward, so they pulled apart. Tears streaming down his face, his dad squeezed Quinn’s nape. “In spite of your old man, you made it—all on your own. I’m so proud of you, son.”
The tears Quinn had been blinking back rimmed and spilled. “Not all on my own, Dad. You set the bar high, and that was the best thing you could’ve done for me. It gave me something to shoot for, something to prove.” He paused and smiled. “And maybe it’s better you didn’t butt in.”
His dad laughed, and the mood lightened, lifting an old, toothy wound out of the way. The air was clearer, sweeter, as father and son continued their chores, exchanging stories and bantering about this and that.
“What are you two yukking it up about out there?” Quinn’s mom called. “And why wasn’t I invited?”
“Nothing, Mom. We’re just giving Ronan a ration of sh—crap behind his back.”
His dad laughed low. “She’s really got you buttoned up with the swearing.”
“She’s been training me for a while. I guess it’s sticking, which is too fucking bad because swearing is so goddamn … liberating.”
“Amen to that.”
Quinn’s mom appeared around a corner, surprising them both. “I heard that.”
“Of course you did.” His dad winked at her. “We said it for your benefit.”
“So what were you saying about Ronan?”
“Nothing interesting because Ronan’s not interesting,” Quinn quipped.
“Did you know he whisked Jen away for a romantic, us-only staycation?” His mother’s eyebrows bounced.
“Hadn’t heard that. What motivated him?” Quinn imagined a showdown where Jen threatened to leave the douchebag.
His mom shrugged. “Beats me. He said something about how lucky he is, and how he needed to step it up. Apparently, he’s got it in his head she might walk out on him some day, and he doesn’t want that. Wonder who planted that bug in his ear?”
He listened? “Who knows? Maybe he finally wised up.”
“Well, it was long overdue. Hopefully my youngest son will wise up too.” His mom bobbed her head as if to emphasize her words.
He gaped at her. “What does that mean?”
Gleaming, wise blue eyes darted to the ceiling and back again. “Don’t let Sarah get away.”
“I don’t want to,” he spluttered. “But that girl has a mind of her own, and I’m not sure that mind is convinced I’m anything but a fling.”
“Give her time. Then convince her otherwise. Show her you are the man for her, just like you showed your team you’re their best winning goal-scorer.”
Chapter 38
Boys in the Bubble
Sarah and Lily sat on the couch, eyes glued to the TV, where the Blizzard played Arizona in Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Blizzard were up three games to one, and a win tonight would move them to the Conference Finals. But the teams were locked in a heated two-two tie, and the clock was winding down on the third period.
In the background, Daisy danced with Blizzard pom-poms while Archer turned circles at her feet.
The buzzer sounded, and Sarah and Lily let out a collective groan. “Overtime,” Lily groused. “Anything can happen.”
“Let’s clean up the kitchen while we wait,” Sarah suggested.
“Okay. At least it’ll keep my mind off whether I’m flying to Canada tomorrow or not.”
Players had been living in COVID-19 “safety zones,” or “the bubble,” since arriving in Canada two months ago. No contact with people outside the bubble, including families, had been allowed, but that was all going to change for the teams headed to the Conference Finals, and Lily’s excitement was palpable.
Sarah rinsed dishes while Lily scoured the counters. “I don’t know how much longer I can wait, Sarah. Assuming I do go to Canada, I’ll have to quarantine in the bubble for four days before I can be with him.”
“Even if they don’t win tonight, they still have a good chance of winning game six. And if they lose the whole enchilada, he’ll be coming home. Either way, you won’t be separated much longer.” Unlike Quinn and me. They hadn’t seen each other since their breakup, though they’d texted a few times. Except for one message where Quinn had said he was having “Sunshine withdrawals,” their comments had remained on safe subjects firmly planted in the friend zone. And it felt all wrong.
“I know. I just miss Gage so much.” Lily inspected the counter, huffed, and immediately went back to scrubbing. “Quinn is sure looking good tonight,” she threw out casual
ly.
“Mm-hmm.” Hell, he’d been looking good the entire playoffs, and not just in his play. Sarah had kept herself busy trying to forget just how good by helping Lily get the main house settled and continuing her job hunt, though her enthusiasm waned with each passing day. Not that she wasn’t getting offers or a shot at some really interesting positions, because she was—all from out of state. Somewhere along the way, she’d fallen into a funk where she couldn’t muster excitement. Consequently, she kept putting off potential employers. She’d have to shit or get off the pot pronto. Being stuck in limbo wasn’t any way to live.
Lily bumped her hip. “That wasn’t a very enthusiastic response. I expected more from you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Quinn. Looking good. You miss him, don’t you?”
God, yes! “That full-of-himself pain in the ass?”
“I knew it!” Lily cried in triumph.
“Knew what?”
“Something did happen between you two, didn’t it? Gage said Quinn’s been grumpy ever since you moved out, and Quinn’s never grumpy.”
“Gage said that?”
Lily leaned against the counter and parked a fist on her hip. “Don’t worry. Gage doesn’t suspect a thing. So tell me what’s going on.”
“If I tell you, you’ll tell Gage, and I’m not ready for that.”
“I’ll eventually tell him, but I’ll give you a chance to tell him first. Fair enough?”
Sarah matched Lily’s posture and narrowed her eyes. “How long is ‘a chance’?”
“A couple of weeks? Wouldn’t you rather he hear it from you than Quinn anyway?”
“I don’t think Quinn’s going to tell him. Team chemistry and all that. Plus, Quinn’s fear of being spit-roasted slowly over an open fire.”
Lily giggled. “Gage doesn’t have it in him. If he weren’t so forgiving, I wouldn’t be standing here with you right now.” Lily’s eyebrows bounced. “So about Quinn?”
Sarah had been holding it in so long that when the story came out, the details spilled from her like water through a crumbling dam—with the exception of their incredible sexcapades, of course—and she felt a whoosh of relief. Somehow saying it out loud made it real and brought her closer to Quinn. How ironic, considering she’d been the one to cut away. In her own defense, she’d been convinced taking a break was the smart thing to do, that it would expose their relationship for the convenience it was before anyone got in too deep. As time lumbered on, though, she realized how far she’d fallen and how much she missed him, but she had no idea what to do about it. Run for the hills and protect her heart? Ask him to take her back? But what if he’d already moved on?
What was it about him she missed anyway? Besides his cocoa eyes, his mischievous smile, and his warm, easy laugh, it was the way he didn’t let her take herself too seriously. She missed collaborating with him in their own private world. His engineering curiosity. His pout when she beat him at games. His swagger. Wrapping herself around his big frame and how safe—and cherished—he made her feel when he held her. His heated looks that conveyed just what he wanted to do to her. His annoying, overprotective side. Hearing him call her Sunshine—her nickname alone.
Her mind and heart had converged, and she’d been turning over the same question: Could she build a life with Quinn? Lately, she’d been answering that one with another question: How would she know if she didn’t try?
“You know,” Lily said, snapping her out of her musings, “I was hoping you and Quinn would get together.”
Sarah’s eyebrows hit her hairline. “You were? Why?”
“I don’t know. He’s cocky, and you’re kick-ass.” She mouthed the last word. “I haven’t seen you two in action, but I suspect you may be the only woman on the planet who can put him in his place. You’re different from his usual disposable dates.”
“Yeah, I certainly don’t fit in his typical big-boobed-blond category,” Sarah chuffed.
Lily flicked Sarah’s arm. “Hey! What’s wrong with big-boobed blonds? Well, okay. Average-boobed blonds?”
“Nothing, if they’re you.” Sarah pecked her cheek.
Lily’s big blues brightened. “I have an idea! If—no, when—they move on and I fly to Canada, come with me!”
“Are you nuts?”
“Probably, but hear me out. Daisy’s going to stay with her grandparents for a few weeks. Come with me and keep me company.”
Sarah scoffed. “I’m not sharing a room with you and Gage. Sharing a house was bad enough.”
Lily reddened. “You weren’t supposed to listen.”
“I couldn’t help but listen!” Sarah elbowed her playfully. “Believe me, I tried not to.”
Lily’s blush turned crimson. “Moving on. You and I will share a room until our quarantine’s over, and then you can stay with Quinn.” She shrugged as if this were the most feasible arrangement in the world.
“You forget. We’re not speaking at the moment.”
“And whose fault is that, exactly?”
“Mine, but he went along with the ‘break.’” Sarah reminded herself of a bratty kid.
“Did you leave him any choice? No. Have you apologized?”
“For what? He’s the one who walked out,” the bratty kid replied.
Lily puffed out a breath that lifted her hair. “Let me ask a more basic question. Do you love him?”
Sarah’s knee-jerk reaction was to deflect, and she opened her mouth to do just that but stopped. And sighed. “I … Yes. Does that make me a total sap?”
“No, but it makes the other stuff just a bunch of noise. Besides, why would loving him make you a sap?”
“Because I don’t want to repeat the mistake I made with Wolf.” The word “mistake,” spoken in Quinn’s deep timbre, rolled around in Sarah’s head, and she cringed inside.
“I never met Wolf, thank God, but the two men don’t sound anything alike to me. Besides, you have to break a few eggs to make a cake … or whatever the saying is. One mistake doesn’t doom you to a repeat, nor does it mean you never dip your toe in the water again. If you want Quinn back, you need to make the first move. Take this from a girl who learned how to grovel and was glad she did.”
“So I make my big move by busting into his hotel room? And what if …” Sarah’s voice cracked, and she shook it off. “What if he’s, you know, up to his old tricks and his bed’s already occupied, if you catch my meaning?”
Lily’s blond curls bobbed as she shook her head. “No. They’re in the bubble and can’t have anyone in their rooms—not even their own teammates.”
“Lily, don’t be naive. There are women in the bubble too. Servers, bartenders, NHL staff, you name it. Plenty of opportunity. And you think a horny hockey player isn’t going to sneak a woman into his room if he gets the chance? He doesn’t have a roommate to rat him out!”
“Then you’ll keep our room, just in case. I mean, you might take one look at him and decide you don’t want to share his room anyway, though I doubt that, just like I doubt he’s messing around.” Lily winked. “C’mon, Sar. What do you say? Come with me! We’ll get to see some great hockey in a cushy suite with the other WAGs.”
Sarah blew out a breath. “I’m not a wife or a girlfriend.”
“You’re the S for ‘sister.’” Lily grinned.
Sarah bit back a laugh. “I’ll think about it. In the meantime, overtime’s about to start.”
Lily topped off their wines, and they scurried back to the living room, where Crazy Daisy was starting up her pom-pom routine again.
An hour later, the teams were halfway through their second overtime. The boys should have been exhausted, but they still had jump in their skates, moving with speed and intensity up and down the ice. Sarah could scarcely breathe. Bouncing in place behind the couch with Archer at her heels, Daisy squealed with excitement. “That’s Gage!”
Deep in his own zone, Gage was in a scrum with two Arizona players, trying to fish out the puck trapp
ed against the boards while T.J. banged away at one of the Arizona guys. The puck squirted free, and another Arizona player corralled it. As he was teeing it up to fire on the Blizzard net, Quinn made a beautiful poke check and stole it. An Arizona defenseman stood him up at his own blue line, but Quinn executed a fleet sidestep and blew past him. As he raced through the neutral zone toward Arizona’s net, two opposing players hot on his heels, the remaining Arizona defenseman skated out to confront him. Sarah interlaced her fingers with Lily’s and squeezed. In a thrilling move, Quinn deked, skating a half-circle around the D-man before lifting a perfect shot over the goalie’s right shoulder that found the back of the net.
Lily, Sarah, and Daisy leapt into the air, screaming for joy, while on the ice Quinn’s teammates mobbed him against the glass.
“Oh, what a win for the Blizzard!” the announcer enthused. “That’s Quinn Hadley’s fourth game winner of the playoffs, folks! Number eighteen has found an extra gear and has become the team’s clutch player. What a post-season for the left-winger!”
Lily shook her hands in the air. “Oh my God! I haven’t seen Gage in two months, and now I only have to wait a few more days! I have to book my flight! Our flights! You in?”
Caught up in the moment and breathless from watching Quinn, Sarah didn’t hesitate. “I’m in.”
Quinn nursed his fourth beer in the sports bar—the only bar in the hotel where they were allowed to hang out tonight—where he shared a table with a few straggling teammates after their big win. Most of them had already turned in, but with a few days off, he figured he could kick back and enjoy the glow of victory—and avoid facing the same four walls of his room alone.
Nelson had just left, leaving him with Grims, Wyatt, and Hunter.
“So what do you boys think of the crowd noise they’re piping into the empty arena?” Wyatt asked.
“I think they’re getting more creative as we go. I hear cheering when T.J. hands out a bone-crushing check or the rare time Wyatt flashes the glove,” Hunter laughed.
