Game Winner (The Penalty Kill Trilogy #3)

by Lindsay Paige

  “It was not my first hat trick,” I defend, but it doesn’t really matter.

  Food comes and distracts half of us, myself included. Jayson starts talking with one of the guys about the pair of girls. The constant movement of Landon’s eyes tells me that he’s listening to them and watching the girls too. But he still manages to make conversation with me.

  “Think the NHL will come calling again soon?” He asks.

  “Do you?” I question, because I still don’t want to think about that just yet.

  “If you keep playing like tonight, no doubt that they will. We all just have to keep playing our best. You basically disappeared and we haven’t really talked about your-”

  “And I rather we didn’t,” I interrupt. “Things are better; let’s leave it alone.”

  He nods with understanding. “I’m going running in the morning, if you want to come. Jayson can’t keep up.”

  Jayson sends him a glare before leaving our table, walking confidently to the girls he’s been watching. For a moment, I wonder what he says because they seriously laugh within seconds of him opening his mouth.

  “Sure, I’ll go,” I finally answer. I need to be working out more anyway and make sure I’m in tiptop shape at all times. I’m even having only one beer tonight. A mental grin appears in my head because being in shape makes me think about Presley.

  Sometimes, I can’t believe my life. I get to surround myself with hockey, play it every day, and live the dream. One day, I’ll be in the NHL and it’ll be unbelievable, I’m sure. Momma would have been proud of my accomplishments so far, but I know that she wouldn’t be entirely happy about my current school situation. I’ll finish my degree eventually because I know she would want me to do that and I want to too.

  Then there’s Pops, and having a man like that not only be my father, but to put up with me when I’m particularly difficult too has been just a blessing. He’s been a mountain of strength, love, and support my entire life, and even more so after Momma died. I hope that one day I can be even a little bit of the man he is. My parents and Presley deserve that.

  And Presley. She has brought something into my life that neither my parents nor hockey could. Without her, I would be a disaster and my injury wouldn’t have healed as well either. Presley has helped me be better, in every sense. There’s no questioning that she supports me, keeps me going, and kicks me in the ass when I need it. She wants to be with me in the future? Good. Because I need her to be.

  Every single second that has yet to come I need her to be in my life. Good, bad, wonderful, horrible, sad, or happy, I want to experience it all with her. My life requires that Presley be there for every moment. When I’m old, retired, and sitting on the couch watching hockey, I want to look back and see Presley in every single memory. It’s the only way I’ll live a happy, fulfilled life.

  My mission is to make that a reality.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Presley

  I sit at my table, looking at the books spread out in front of me. Thanksgiving isn’t that far away, the semester will end after that, and then I’m moving. I take a deep breath, think of the next several weeks, and hope that I don’t have a mental breakdown. At least when I get to Pittsburgh, there will be a couple of weeks break. Then I’ll be able to get everything in order and settled before diving into law school.

  Law school.

  I shake my head in disbelief. It’s really happening. Everything is falling into place like I want it to. But there’s Levi. He’s on track to be in the NHL, and by the looks of it, sooner than he thought. Between the hat trick and how great he’s played the other games, he’ll be there soon.

  My mind wanders to the last time he and I were together. That talk about marriage and kids is still playing in my head. Maybe I revealed too much to him, but I wanted him to know that’s what I had planned. I can picture myself at the rink with our kids, watching Levi play, or driving the kids to their own pee-wee league games or dance classes. Maybe a house in the suburbs, while I go to work everyday, and Levi there making chili on his days off. Victor coming down, playing with the kids. Trevor and Marley having a backyard cookout with us

  “Oh my God,” I say out loud, throwing my pen down. Why am I thinking about this? This is nuts. If our lives do go in this direction, it will be five or six years down the road, right? Right. Next, I’ll be doodling “Mrs. Levi Carr” in my notebooks if I keep it up.

  I put my head in my hands. I blame Trevor for getting me to think about my future. If he didn’t drag me along to look at rings, my daydreams wouldn’t be so out of control. The knock at the door brings me out of my hallucination of the future.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” I greet Marley, stepping to the side to let her come in.

  “I think Trevor is breaking up with me.” And for the first time since we were kids, I see Marley shed a tear.

  I gasp, pulling her into a hug. “No way, I don’t believe it. Why would you even think that?” I guide her over to the couch and we sit down.

  “Since we came back from Pittsburgh, he’s been acting all weird. It’s like he has something to tell me, but he doesn’t say anything. Is…Is he cheating on me?” Her question comes out as a whisper. “Please, Pres, tell me the truth.” Another tear falls down her other cheek.

  “No. I swear on my Penguins jerseys and the Stanley Cup. He isn’t cheating on you. I would kick his ass if he was doing something like that.” My voice is stern and serious.

  Marley lays back and nods. “I believe you. I wish I knew what was going with him. And I know you don’t want to hear this, but the last time we finished having sex, he kept staring at me with this serious expression on his face. I mean it wasn’t creepy, but it seemed like he wanted to say something.” She looks up at the ceiling, unsure of what to think.

  I want to tell her that it isn’t what she is thinking, but I can’t ruin the surprise either. Trevor put me in an awkward position with this marriage proposal. I need a plan to keep her mind off this situation for a little while.

  “Hey, we need a girl’s day,” I almost shout at her.

  “What?” Her expression is mixed with confusion.

  “Yes, I’m leaving soon, and I want to spend as much time as I can with you. How about we go to the spa today? I think we both need to de-stress and a massage and a mani-pedi is just the cure we need,” I firmly tell her.

  “Well, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all, actually,” she concedes.

  “Great. Go wash your face and let’s go.” I clap my hands and jump off the couch. Marley goes to the bathroom, while I send a text to Trevor.

  Me: Hey dumbass, Marley is at my place thinking you’re cheating on her.

  Trevor: What? Why?

  Me: Because you’re acting like a fool! Propose before she breaks up with you.

  Trevor: I am. Soon!

  I roll my eyes at my phone screen. He better because I’m going to have to convince her that he isn’t cheating to keep her from breaking up with him. When Marley comes out of the bathroom, I call the spa and set up two appointments for us. Luckily, they had a couple of cancellations, and we take off.

  For almost three hours, we have deep tissue massages, manicures, and pedicures, along with a lot of laughs. I keep her mind off of Trevor and reminisce about our childhood. I needed this as much as she did. When we finish, we go to dinner and continue our girls’ day.

  When we finally head back to my apartment, I am so glad that I suggested the spa. It was worth every penny. I give her a tight hug, telling her everything is going to be fine with Trevor and her. Walking into my apartment, I feel renewed. My future with Levi, my career, and everything around me is working out, and I can do this.

  After finishing my homework, I crawl into bed and send a text to Levi.

  Me: I love you and miss you.

  I don’t expect him to reply right away, but he does.

  Levi: I love you too. Miss you more.

  I think that I’ll tease him a little b
it, mainly as a joke.

  Me: I’m laying in bed, naked.

  That’s a complete lie. I’m in baggy sweats, a Penguins t-shirt, and my hair is in a messy bun.

  Levi: Smarty, are you ‘sexting’ me?

  I ignore the question and continue.

  Me: The bed is so cold. I wish I had something hot next to me, like God Levi.

  I giggle as I hit send. Within ten seconds, my phone begins to ring, and Levi’s picture appears on the screen.

  “That’s cruel, Smarty,” he growls before I say anything.

  I laugh out loud because I know that he;s turned on. “I’m just messing around.”

  “Well, now I’m going to have trouble going to sleep.” I hear him rustling around in the bed.

  “I’m sorry, I really was kidding.”

  “It’s okay. How was your day?”

  I want to tell him about all my daydreams, but I think I’ve scared him enough. Instead, I tell him about Marley, her fears of Trevor cheating, and our spa day.

  “Do you know when he is going to propose?” Levi asks.

  “I don’t, but I told him to do it soon.” I sit there in silence with my phone to my ear. “I do miss you, Levi,” I finally say.

  “Miss you too, but don’t worry. I’ll see you for Thanksgiving.”

  “There are two things that I want when I see you,” I say firmly.

  “And that would be what?” I hear the confusion in his voice.

  “A big kiss and hard bite.” I bite my lip to hold back my laughing.

  “You have a deal, Smarty. I love you.”

  “Love you.”

  I hit end on my phone and throw it next to me. I lay there for a minute, wishing for Levi to be next to me, holding me.

  Well shit, I’ve turned into one of those girls. I sigh deeply because I’m okay with it. Levi’s the one I want. It doesn’t matter if we get married or not. We’ll be together, and that’s what I want most of all.

  ~

  I survive another week of tests, projects, and talking with Levi on the phone. I realized that I need to get use to this because this is how it’s going to be; away games, appearances, and I’ll be at home watching it through TV and YouTube.

  I stop at the diner to order some food since I won’t be leaving my apartment this weekend. I have some more homework to do, and I need to start packing up the place, especially items I won’t be needing from now until I move.

  I sit at the counter, waiting for my food, when a bleached blonde takes the chair next to me.

  “What are you doing on this campus?” I blurt out. seeing Sunny smiling back at me.

  “I’m seeing some guy over here. How are you?” She gives me a fake smile.

  I haven’t seen her since that night I went begging Levi to come back to me, and I stopped at her house. “Um, I’m fine. Just busy with school and stuff.”

  “How’s Levi?” She coos. It makes my skin crawl a little bit because I know that Levi and her had a physical relationship.

  “Doing good, actually. He got his first hat trick in the AHL.” I don’t need to tell her that, but I do.

  She doesn’t say anything at first, turning her attention to the shuffling waitresses behind the counter. “You might not believe me, but I’m glad that you two worked out your differences.” This time, her smile is real.

  My bag is sitting down in front of me. I hand some cash to the lady and turn back to Sunny. “I do believe you and thank you.” I smile at her as I walk out of the diner.

  The snow on the ground crunches under my feet as I quickly head home and rush into my apartment to keep from freezing to death. I sit my food on the table and shrug off my backpack and my coat. I pull out all the books, trying to get organized for my long weekend of studying. I put my food on a plate and get settled in when there’s a frantic pounding at my door.

  I hurry to the door, unsure of what to expect when I catch a quick glimpse of Marley before she’s leaping into my arms. I lose my balance and fall to the floor, all the while she is still wrapped around me.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” Marley kisses my cheek with a large smack.

  “I can’t breathe,” I push out. Her weight on my chest and her tight grip around my neck are choking me.

  “Let her up, Mar,” I hear Trevor from the threshold. He pulls her up and then helps me. “She wanted to come here first.” He chuckles.

  “So, what’s going on?” I rub my neck, trying to still play dumb, in case she’s excited about something else.

  “This,” Marley squeals showing me the diamond I helped my twin pick out. “You should have told me.”

  I smile at her. “I wouldn’t do that.” I reach for her hand, and the ring looks amazing on her. “I’m so happy.”

  “Okay, you’re coming with us tonight,” Trevor announces.

  “No, you two should celebrate, and I have a lot of stuff to do here.” I point over at the table.

  “You obviously didn’t understand me. I have a big game tonight, and you haven’t been to one game this season. You’re coming.” His tone tells me that there’s no room for argument. He’s right about one thing, I haven’t been to a game yet, and that’s wrong of me.

  I nod as Trevor says he is heading to the rink. Marley agrees to wait with me while I change, and then we’ll head over there.

  After he leaves, I go into the bedroom with Marley following me, staring at her ring.

  “I just have no words to express how I am feeling right now.” She falls back onto my bed, holding her hand up in the air.

  “So, how did it happen? Was my brother all sweet and romantic?” I tease her, changing my shirt.

  “Ha! Trevor? You know your brother better than that.” Marley laughs.

  “Oh no, did he do it during sex?” I really hope that he didn’t do that.

  “You know, some would think that about him, but no.” She sits up as I go into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

  “So,” I push on.

  “Well, we were sitting on the couch, kissing, and you know…stuff.” She giggles, and I groan. “Anyway, he stopped everything he was doing.” She winks at me, and I actually feel my stomach roll. “And he tells me how bad my makeup looks. He went on and on about how my lipstick was all over my face. Finally, I got pissed off enough that I went into the bathroom and realized my stuff was all over the counter. Now, I know I didn’t leave it that way, but inside my case was one tube of lip gloss, and the ring was on it.”

  “Aw, that’s sort of sweet.” I laugh.

  “I thought it was.” Marley shrugs

  “Did you scream when you figured it out?” I ask.

  “Of course, and then, well, we celebrated.” She winks again at me.

  I turn my back to her and try to scratch the image out of my mind of Trevor and sex. Of course, Marley bursts into laughter.

  When I finish, I grab my jacket and purse, and we head out the door. I hate the fact that I haven’t been to any of Trevor’s games. Maybe he was right that night outside the bar. I’ve been neglecting them all. I will be leaving in a few weeks, and I don’t want to leave on a sad note.

  I forgot how many people go to JWU games. The rink is packed. Marley and I are able to find a couple of decent seats, and we sit there waiting for the game to begin. I love watching Trevor play, almost as much as Levi.

  The team hits the ice, and Trevor looks strong. He’s going to be amazing in North Carolina. I can feel it. I know that I will see him one day playing against Levi in the NHL. After warm ups, Marley and I purchase nachos before the game starts. I observe Trevor’s hard face as he glides to center ice. He wins the first faceoff to begin the game. I watch my twin brother slam into other players and steal the puck more than I can count. He looks to be right on his game.

  It’s still scoreless going into the first intermission when I turn to Marley and ask the one question that keeps bugging me. “Have you thought about the wedding yet?”

  She shrugs. “Well, I’
m not going to lie, but I think that every girl has an idea.”

  “And what’s yours?” I question.

  “Running away to Vegas, so I don’t have to wear some gown that makes me look like a white muffin,” she tells me in a serious tone.

  I laugh at her, because I can see her doing that.

  “What about you?” She bumps my shoulder.

  “Huh?” I look at her confused.

  “What about your dream wedding?” She looks at me, waiting for me to answer.

  “Never thought about it.” I brush the comment away like it’s nothing.

  “You’re such a bad liar.”

  I focus back out on the ice as the second period is about to start. I try not to think about a dream wedding, especially with Levi. I can’t keeping doing this to myself. I’m happy with the way things are, and I’m going to keep it like that. I keep my attention focus on the game and how well Trevor is playing. The second period is just as intense as the first, and during intermission, I’m able to avoid all wedding questions.

  Finally, in the third period, JWU scores, and the crowd explodes with cheers. I yell so loud, my throat hurts a little bit. Even though Trevor isn’t the one that scored, I’m still happy that I came. When the game ends, we head out to the players’ entrance.

  The snow is starting to fall, and it’s colder than when we had arrived. I stand there, listening to Marley talk to some other people standing around, and it hits me that I won’t be here next semester. Trevor will have a senior night without me, and I will miss his final game. Maybe growing up isn’t as much fun as I thought.

  It is then that Trevor comes out. My twin. My very first best friend. My protector. I have a bond with him that can’t be explained or duplicated. Of course, he hugs Marley first, and I can’t be anymore happier for them. They are perfect for each other. Trevor hugs me and asks me to go to dinner with them. I decline, telling them that I really do have a lot of homework. I hug him back, and Marley, tell them congratulations, and go home.

  Walking into my quiet apartment is a little surreal for me. Soon, this will all be packed up and on it’s way to Pennsylvania. I will be a college graduate, heading to law school. I’m an adult. My career is about to begin.