Open Net

by Mulliner, Brittney

  “I thought we were doing better.”

  She moved until she was standing right in front of me. “Olli, we are. I can see how hard you’ve been working. I’m feeling better too with the medication and talking to the support group. We’re both doing what we need to. Me going to visit my dad and sister doesn’t mean I’m leaving.”

  I sighed and nodded once.

  “Olli, I love you.”

  I closed my eyes as she rested her palms on my chest. “Nothing can change that. I love you and I want us to fix things. I’m sorry I didn’t bring up going back with my mom, but it was because I hadn’t decided yet.”

  I opened my eyes and stared into hers wishing I could read her mind or know the future. But I couldn’t. We had to trust each other.

  “I love you too, Emma. If you want to go, then I want you to.”

  She smiled.

  “But you have to promise to come back to me.”

  “Always.”

  She held my gaze for several beats before leaning up and kissing my lips briefly.

  I was too shocked to move. It was the most affection she’d shown since Jackson was born. She pulled back before I could respond. One short kiss and I knew.

  We were going to be okay.

  21

  Emma

  Coach Romney called me the day I got back home and asked me to come to practice the next day. I wasn’t sure why. He’d never done that before, but he wouldn’t give me any other information.

  I’d texted the girls from the Pride, but they were just as clueless. Maybe there was an event coming up Coach wanted help with. It was the only thing I could think of.

  I didn’t tell Olli I was coming. He and I had talked every day that I was gone, and I knew he was doing well. Coach wouldn’t be calling me in about that.

  While I was gone, I’d also got Addison to dish on what was happening with her and Grant. Apparently, they really hit it off at the gala. They’d exchanged numbers and met up a few times. She enjoyed spending time with him, and he didn’t run away when he found out about Eli, so she was willing to be friends. She said that’s all they were, but I had a feeling she was lying to herself.

  I called her and asked if she wanted to go to practice with me, and unsurprisingly she said yes.

  We walked in together, carrying our boys and were greeted like royalty by the Pride.

  Chloe was the first to see us coming down the stairs and ran to meet us. “I can’t believe you’re here.” She hugged me then Addison. “It’s so good to see you.”

  I was glad she was accepting of Addison. Sometimes she could be a bit territorial.

  “Thanks Chloe. It’s good to be back.” I didn’t just mean back in Salt Lake. I hadn’t been to a practice since Olli’s injury. It didn’t feel right being there when Olli couldn't. I went from missing only a handful of practices to months. It felt glorious to be back.

  Colby and Sasha, Porter’s wife, came up and relieved us of the babies. Addison didn’t seem to mind a near stranger taking Eli which made me laugh. She was becoming a part of the Pride without knowing it. Hopefully, Grant knew what was going on.

  “Come on down.” Chloe led the way to the section we always sat in. “We’ve been coming up with theories why Coach asked you here. So far, we’re split. Some think there’s going to be a new spirit group or something he wants you to help with or maybe Madi has an announcement and asked him to get you here so it would be more of a surprise.”

  Those both shocked me. “You think she’s pregnant?”

  She shook her head. “There’s no way Erik could have kept that a secret from me.”

  That had been my thought too.

  “So, a spirit group? Like cheerleaders?” There was one team in the league that had cheerleaders, but I didn’t see the Fury joining in on that. And what did I have to do with that?

  Colby shrugged. “We’re stumped, okay?”

  I turned my attention to the ice. The guys had just stepped out and were starting to warm up. A few minutes later, Coach walked through the tunnel. I sat up, expecting him to wave me down but he didn’t even look up. He was talking to Coach Rust, then called out for the guys to start drills.

  “What the heck?” I murmured.

  Sasha laughed behind me. “Maybe he just missed you.”

  At this point that was the option that made the most sense.

  Since there didn’t seem to be anything urgent going on, I relaxed in my seat and studied the players. It had been a while since I’d seen them in person, and they were looking as good as ever.

  “Reese has improved his backhand.” I was impressed by the shot he got past Derek at the goal. I hadn’t seen him try that angle before.

  “Yeah he’s been working on that one.”

  Huh. I felt bad I’d been missing out on developments like this. Maybe I should start coming back for practices. It wasn’t like I had to worry about keeping Jackson entertained. I peered around and laughed when I saw he’d been passed down the entire row.

  “Hey, isn’t that Olli?” Addison asked.

  I turned and nodded. “What’s he doing?”

  Coach was talking to him and I wished more than anything I could hear what was being said. After a moment Coach pointed up at me and Olli slowly turned. I waved when he glanced up and his smile grew. He disappeared though before I could figure out what was going on.

  The drills continued and I assumed Olli went back to shower or maybe he had a session with Dr. Elliot now.

  “Um Emma?” I turned to see Chloe pointing across the arena. Olli had just appeared and was running through sections toward us.

  “What is he doing?” I thought out loud.

  “Go find out.” Addison nudged me.

  I stood and walked through the empty rows until Olli and I met behind the goalie net. “What’s going on?”

  His smile could have lit up the entire arena. He pulled me in for an incredibly tight hug then stepped back. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

  I nodded and laughed. “You know I got home yesterday.”

  “I know, but you’re here. Why are you here?”

  “Coach asked me to come.” So, he didn’t know why I was here either?

  His laughed. “That sly man.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Who? Coach?”

  “He asked me to come talk to him, which you saw.” I nodded. “He told me Dr. Elliot cleared me. She only wanted to meet with me once a month or as needed.”

  That was amazing news. I knew Dr. Elliot wouldn’t have done that unless she truly believed Olli was in a better mental space. If she thought he was ready for that.

  “That’s great, Olli. I’m so proud of you.”

  “Coach also told me Madi said I could start practicing with the team. Off ice, of course.”

  I threw my arms around him. “Congratulations.”

  He held me to him and kissed my forehead. “Thank you, Emma.”

  I leaned back and nodded. “You’ve worked so hard. I’m so proud of you.”

  “That means everything.”

  I pulled his shirt and lowered him to me. I kissed his lips and felt fire burning within me. We’d made it. We’d pushed through for each other. There was plenty of time when I doubted that was going to happen. He deepened the kiss and pushed one hand around my neck and the other through my hair.

  My knees buckled and I fell into him. He supported both of us, never breaking the kiss.

  I ran my fingers over his jaw and sighed. My man. He was back.

  Cheers erupted and we broke away. The team had stopped practicing and were clapping and hollering from the ice while the pride whooped and yelled out from their section. Apparently, we weren’t in our own little world like I thought.

  I didn’t care though. They’d seen us like this before, just not for a long time.

  Olli kissed my cheek and I turned to meet his hooded eyes. “Emma?”

  “Yeah?” It came out in a whisper.

  “Can I come home?”

>   I closed my eyes and nodded. A tear fell down my cheek and I felt him wipe it away. I blinked and gazed into his eyes. “Please.”

  Instead of answering, he kissed me again with even less concern that we had an audience.

  The cheers started up again, but I didn’t care. I kissed him back knowing what it meant. It was a promise. A recommitment. We were back.

  22

  One Week Later

  The Pride decided a party was necessary to celebrate Olli’s recovery. I tried to stop them. He wasn’t back to playing or even ready to take his brace off, but there was no telling them no.

  Chloe insisted on hosting, of course. She had pizza from The Pie, the team’s favorite place, and everyone had shown up.

  Coach clinked his glass and waited for everyone’s attention. I turned and put my arm around Olli’s waist.

  “I just wanted to thank Chloe and Reese for having us all over tonight.”

  Everyone cheered while Chloe acted bashful.

  “Tonight, we’re celebrating not only a major milestone in Olli’s recovery.“ Everyone broke out in another round of cheering and clapping. Coach smiled and waited for it to die down. “See everyone loves you.” He winked in our direction. “But we’re also here to celebrate our team. I’m proud of each and every one of you. I admire the way you all rally around each other. You have each other’s backs on and off the ice.”

  I squeezed Olli and looked around for Grant. I really owed him a thank you.

  “You guys are more than teammates. You’re brothers.” The guys clapped before Coach continued. “That’s true for the Pride. You ladies are remarkable. You do so much for the team, for each other, for the Fury family. This is something unique to our organization and I want you to know I don’t take that for granted, and I don’t want anyone here to either.”

  I locked eyes with a few of the women and smiled. They were my family too.

  “It takes a team to win, and a team to lose. You’ve all supported each other through challenges in the past and I couldn't be prouder. Olli has expressed how much you did for him and continue to do, and I know I speak for him when I say thank you.” There was more clapping and cheering and Olli waved to everyone.

  Coach held up his glass. “To the Fury!”

  “The Fury!” We repeated in unison.

  I was getting emotional thinking of how important these people were to us. How much they had done for us. Showing up when I was in labor. Stepping up when I needed help. Getting Olli to realize he needed help.

  Our lives would be nowhere near what they were without this team.

  Chloe walked over and gave me a hug. “Thank you. For everything.”

  She stepped back and held my hands. “I’d do anything for you, Emma. We all would.”

  I’d never doubted that. She went off to mingle and I noticed Grant across the room. “I’ll be right back.”

  Olli smiled and started talking to Noah.

  “Grant.” I called before he could get lost in the crowd. His eyes met mine and he moved to meet me halfway. “I really want to thank you for letting Olli stay with you. I know it couldn’t have been easy to have him around, especially when he wasn’t exactly in a great place.”

  He shrugged. “He would do the same for me.”

  I nodded. “We would.”

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Where’s Addison?”

  I assumed they would come together tonight. I’d invited her and she told me Grant had already mentioned it.

  He ran a hand through his hair. “I screwed up.”

  I sighed and looked him over. I didn’t catch it before, but he seemed a little rough, like he hadn’t slept for a few nights. He wasn’t his smiling joking self.

  “How bad?”

  He cringed and looked everywhere but at me. “Bad.”

  Thank you!

  Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed Wyatt and Kendall’s story!

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  Xoxo B

  Coming in May:

  Grant and Addison’s Story

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  Addison Depree's a single mother and needs to focus on her baby, even if that means denying her attraction to the Utah Fury's rising star, Grant Fisher. Can Grant prove to her that he’s ready to take the next step in his life?

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  Keep reading for a sneak peek into their story.

  Full Strength

  Grant

  I knew I’d screwed up when Addison texted me on my way to pick her up. All she said was that she couldn’t come. No explanation. No apology.

  We might not have known each other for very long, but I knew her well enough to know that a clipped response was a bad sign. She usually writes long texts with details and emojis.

  There were no smiling faces or shoulder shrugs in this text.

  “Where is she?” Emma looked worried. I wanted to assure her everything was fine, but I couldn’t lie.

  “At home, I think.” I tried to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal. Like Addison bailing on Olli’s return to normal party wasn’t a huge shock. Like I hadn’t pushed away one of Emma’s friends, making her stay away instead of supporting Emma and Olli.

  Her eyes narrowed and she took a step toward me. Emma wasn’t normally an intimating person, her blonde hair and easy smile made her too loveable, but right now I wasn’t feeling any love. “What did you do?”

  I blew out a breath. “I’m not sure.”

  That was the truth. I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d done wrong, but I knew I’d done something. I’d heard from the guys on the team that this was common in relationships. Their girlfriends or wives were upset, and they had no idea why. All they need to know was that they were in the wrong. They always were.

  I used to laugh and shake my head when I heard about the punishment they were facing. Dish duty, sleeping on the couch, an expensive credit card bill. I’d avoided all of that. Women were drama and I didn’t need that in my life. Life in the NHL had enough ups and downs and twists and surprises for me.

  “You better fix this, Grant. You might be family, but Addison is too. Don’t screw with her.”

  I nodded and took a step back. I hadn’t asked for this. I was perfectly happy being the single guy, the one that gets invited to a couple’s trip alone. I was comfortable in my routine. My quiet existence.

  Until Olli crashed at my house and Emma introduced me to Addison. We were friends. Just friends. At least that’s what we’d agreed to, but my body reacted to her in a way that was entirely unique to her. My stomach didn’t clench when I saw Emma or Chloe or any of the women from the Pride. Those women were my friends. Addison was more. Well, she could be more if either of us were brave enough to take the next step.

  I didn’t want to push her though. I was fine going at her pace. Not only was she the more relationship-experienced one, but she also had Elijah to think about. I knew her son came first, and I respected that. She was an amazing mother and I had no interest in taking time away from her that she could be spending with her baby. But when he was asleep....I wouldn’t mind some Addi time of my own.

  After making the rounds and congratulating Olli on his progress with his recovery and moving out of my guest room, I left. I needed to fix whatever I’d done. Beg for forgiveness, grovel if needed. Addi might only be a friend, but I cared too much about her to let her walk out of my life. I was determined to fix this.

  I got in my car and headed to her apartment. I needed something though. A peace offering of sorts. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. What did she like? Ice cream, chocolate, smoothies, cake. It was only eight so most places would still be open I just needed to decide what would be best.

  I pulled into a grocery store and hurried in. I knew what I was going for, a double chocolate bundt c
ake. She’d had one a few weeks ago and said it was life changing. She savored it for almost five days. She had more restraint than I did.

  Now that I was armed, I headed to her place. I parked and stared up at her apartment for a moment. There was a light on in the living room, so at least she was awake. What if she had someone else over? Maybe that was why she couldn’t come tonight. That made me feel better for about three seconds before I realized that guest could be a male.

  I shouldn’t feel like punching a wall. We weren’t dating. She was free to have anyone over she wanted. Male or female.

  I blew out a breath. The not knowing was worse, so I got out of car holding the cake and walked up the stairs to her door. I knocked quietly in case Eli was already asleep and waited. I heard footsteps and the lock turning. She opened the door a few inches and sighed when she saw me.

  “What are you doing here?” She opened the door fully and I was relieved to see the kitchen and living room were empty.

  “I brought you cake.”

  She eyed the dessert for several seconds before waving me in. Good thing I’d thought ahead. I was fairly certain it was the only reason she hadn’t shut the door in my face. I’d really done something bad. If only I could figure out what it was. I wanted to apologize and end this fight, or whatever this was, but I didn’t know what I should be sorry for.

  She led us to the kitchen and turned with her arms crossed over her chest. “What is it, Grant?”

  I slid the cake toward her on the counter. “Emma missed you tonight.”

  Guilt washed over her face, but it only lasted for a second. “I’m seeing her tomorrow.”

  “Why didn’t you want to come tonight? Is Elijah okay?”

  She nodded, “He’s fine.”

  “Then why?”

  She ignored me, gathering plates and forks and a knife. She sliced a large piece and placed it on a plate then went back and cut a piece half the size. She slid that one toward me with a tiny smirk. I got it. I was in trouble, but she was still a good host.