But the fans started to notice.
And apparently, the Hounds arena had a few Comets fans because a slow chant made him smile. “Back off Trane. Back off Trane.”
When would this game end? Tiny skated in front of Trane’s face no matter which way he turned. Finally, Trane just zoned out in space somewhere above the short man’s head, until the puck headed his way. He could see it coming, Zane cradled the black piece, and Trane wasn’t sure what he planned to do at the speed he was barreling towards the goal in, but Trane was grateful he’d taken his pain meds this morning. He braced himself and bent his knees. When Zane came barreling in, he slammed Tiny forward, pushing both of them at the goal, but Trane pushed back against him, lowering his head and shoulder into Tiny’s chest. But Trane kept his eye trained on the puck. Sure enough, Zane released it, and Trane blocked it, then he shifted and let Tiny and Zane tumble into his goal. His wing took the puck down to the other end, and with Zane still tied up, Comets scored.
Zane nodded to him and then raced to get ready for the next puck drop.
The game ended in a close-fought fight with the Tennessee Hounds ahead. As he exited the locker room, a couple news guys wanted to talk to him. “So Trane, that was some battle going on down by your goal. What happened to Reed McMillan to make him fall back on the ice like that?”
Trane shrugged. “Ice is slippery.”
The guy laughed and then moved on. “We noticed you might have had someone special sitting behind you today. Can you comment on that?”
He took off his helmet. “We here to talk about hockey?”
“Okay, understood. Let’s stick to the game. You had some tough action going on down by your nets. What did you think of that?”
“I think I was real lucky to be able to keep an eye on the puck when I had Zane barreling in on me.”
“You guys go way back, don’t you?”
“Yeah, we do. They don’t make them much better than Zane.” He tipped his head. “We all played a real tough game, and it’s a shame it didn’t turn out better for the Comets, but we can be proud of the way we represented Detroit. Thank you.”
Chapter 20
Janae danced on her toes, super anxious to see Trane. What a game! The players had been all over him, and he just took it. And what was wrong with that guy on the other team? Number 24. He was mean being in Trane’s face like that. She’d wanted to pound him. Maybe she’d use some of those boxing skills she’d picked up the other night. What a night.
And now what? Maybe a quiet night in…dinner first with Zane and some of the players. She had no way of knowing what kind of mood Trane would be in.
She leaned up against the wall, the cool cement seeping in through her jacket to her back. The players came out with duffles over their shoulders. They were all big guys. They joked and laughed with the person next to them. Hockey was just a game. They were paid to play as tough and as fast as they could and then, off the ice, they looked like they were normal guys. Just like her Comets.
Number 24 stepped out of the locker room. He looked worse with his uniform off. Was greasy a good descriptor? Maybe. She didn’t think he and Trane were going to be friendly off the ice.
And then he caught sight of Janae.
“Oh no. Go. Away.” She whispered and looked the other direction.
But before she could find a ladies’ room, he was standing in front of her. “Just the lady I want to see, Trane’s little poodle.”
She gasped, but before she could say a thing, Zane called down the hall, “Tiny!”
“I’m leaving. I’m leaving. Just a little chat here first.”
“You never learn, Tiny.” Zane sidled up next to him. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“Dude, I’m just talking to her.”
“No, you’re not.”
When Tiny wouldn’t budge, Zane stepped back, “Okay, you know what? I tried to help you out. In about thirty seconds, this little lady’s three-hundred-pounds-of-muscle boyfriend is going to come walking out of that door. He doesn’t like you right now, and this scene right here, is going to make him like you even less.”
“Is he that afraid he can’t keep ahold of his girl?” He stood taller and put his arm around Janae’s back. “Come on and be with a man who can keep you happy.”
He started laughing, and everything about the man ignited a fire inside Janae she didn’t know what to do with. So she shoved his arm off her shoulder, fisted her hand, and punched him in the eye.
He grabbed his face. “Oh ow! Hey, she punched me!” He called out to anyone who might hear.
“Oh wow! Okay. That was something.” Zane wrapped an arm around her shoulders, checking all around them. Trane joined them and stood at her other side, and they hurried out to the parking lot before the guys burst into laughter. “Did you just punch Tiny?”
Trane lifted her hand in his, studying her knuckles. They hurt, but she could move her fingers.
“You’re going to be bruised, I’m sure.”
“I’ll be fine.” She shook it out and smiled. “Wow, I can’t believe I did that. It felt good.”
Zane and Trane exchanged looks and Trane laughed. “I took her boxing the other night.”
“Epic move, brother. Every woman should go boxing now and then.”
“He deserved it, right? He was insulting you. I couldn’t take it. So I went for his eye.” She snorted. “I can’t believe I did that.”
They kept walking out to the lot, and Zane held a door open for her. “Let’s just take my car. Diesel here can call a limo from the restaurant.”
Trane climbed into the back. Zane was about to pull out when a man stepped out from nowhere in front of his car. “What the…”
Trane’s dad.
Zane tapped his steering wheel. “You don’t have to talk to him. Want me to nudge him with my bumper?”
“Yes.” Janae amazed herself. Since when had she become so violent?
“No.” Trane opened his door. “Stop me if I start throwing punches.”
When the door shut, Zane shook his head. “I’m not stopping anything.”
“Is he going to be alright?” Janae really hated confrontation, but today had been a weird one. She cradled her knuckles.
“We’ll get you some ice for that at the restaurant.”
“I still can’t believe I punched a guy in the eye.”
“He deserved it. And now he knows you don’t need to be rescued by a man. He’ll leave you alone.”
Trane stayed far enough away from his dad to keep some decent space between them, Janae noticed. He spoke calmly, or at least not loud enough for them to hear him from the car.
They couldn’t see Trane’s face, but his dad’s face twitched, and then he was shouting and pointing his finger, but he didn’t step any closer.
Trane rotated his neck but then he shook his head.
His dad stopped.
And Trane turned and got back in the car.
They all watched as his dad walked away, out of the parking lot on foot and out of sight.
No one said anything for a few minutes more, and then Trane let all his air out in a loud woosh and said, “That felt great.”
Janae and Zane turned to him, Janae searching his face.
“He tried all his stuff on me. He even told me how lousy I was at the game. According to him, I’m the reason the Comets lost. All of it.”
“That doesn’t sound so great.” Janae teased, watching the light dance across his face.
“No, but I didn’t care one bit. And then instead of decking him, I calmly told him I was filing a police report. They would issue a restraining order. He is not welcome in any place where I play. Then I told hime to leave my life forever.”
Trane leaned back in the back seat. “I’ve been waiting years to be able to do that.”
“I’m proud of you.” Janae reached her hand back to squeeze his for a minute.
“I wish you would have let me deck him.” Z winked. “No really man. I’m h
appy for you.”
“Thanks for sending security to kick him out of the game. When I saw that, I realized I don’t have to put up with him in my space.”
“No problem. He was in my space too, and I don’t like that guy.”
Z drove them across town.
“We going to Peg Leg?”
Zane eyed Trane in the mirror, and Janae would have given a lot to know what they were both thinking.
“We could…Peg Leg Porker Bar B Que.” Zane looked at Janae. “Is this something you want to eat tonight?”
Janae laughed. “If Trane suggests it, I have learned to go with it.”
Zane tipped his head to her. “It’s the best bar b que in town.”
“Then let’s do it.”
After dinner, they separated from Zane, and she sat in the limo with Trane, holding his hand. “Zane’s a good friend.”
“One of the best.”
“All your guys are loyal to the core.”
“Yeah.” He turned to her. “I’ve been happy with them, and for a lot of years I really did think that they would be my family and that would be enough. Zane has little Hope, and while I think she’s kind of scared of me, I love her like my own. And everyone’s finding women they want to be with. I thought that would be enough to make a family.”
“And now?” She watched his face, loving what she hoped he would say.
“Now I know that what I thought was sufficient, will never ever be enough.” His eyes stared into hers, and she felt his words sink into her, igniting a hope she hadn’t dared let herself believe.
“Let’s go for a walk.” He craned his neck to see where they were.
“Okay.”
He called up to their driver in a soft voice. “Take us to the John Seigenthaler Bridge.”
“Oh, that sounds nice.”
“I think it’s a warm enough night. It’s a pedestrian bridge. Pretty at night.”
“I’m game.”
He hummed to himself while they drove.
Janae enjoyed the lights of the city. They pulled to a stop in front of a long bridge that spanned the river. It was lit up with lights, strung all the way across the river. The night was warm. Trane laced his fingers with hers and they started to stroll across.
Couples and small groups shared the space, but otherwise it was quiet. Her arm tingled from holding his hand, and every now and then, their shoulders brushed as they walked along. Trane was quiet, and Janae wondered how to get him to continue along the lines he’d started in the car.
“I think we have a good thing going.”
She squeezed his hand. “Me too.”
They walked a little farther. And she couldn’t stand the quiet any longer. “What you said in the car…”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a grateful half smile. “Yes. That. I used to think what I had was enough. But now.” He pulled her to a stop and moved to rest his forearms on the bridge railing. While looking out over the water, he continued with a soft rumble in his voice. “But now that I’ve spent time with you, I could never be happy if you weren’t a part of my life.”
She sucked in her breath, staring at his profile in wonder.
He turned to her. “I’d love to date you, regularly—be official.”
“Of course. Yes. I’d like that.”
“And even if you leave or I leave, or whatever happens, we’re at the point where we don’t just say goodbye, we ask how to make it work.”
“I like that too.” His quiet uncertainty, this big giant of a person showing a little vulnerability was, charming. “And I like this, talking about things.”
“You do?” His eyes widened. “It’s kind of terrifying.”
She laughed. “What!”
“No, not really.” He turned to face her and pulled her into his arms. “Well, a little if I’m being honest. But Janae. I’m here until you push me away. Because I’ve found in you what I think I’ve been looking for my whole life.”
She smiled up into his face. “Okay. Let’s give us a real try.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “I thought I’d be here for four months tops. I’d start a new dance program, get some attention, and then head back to Broadway or for another dance program somewhere.”
“And now?”
“Now, I am staying. I want to build what we started…” She lifted her lashes. “In the ice girls dance program.” She stepped closer. “And with you.”
He pulled her close, his lips barely brushing hers. “I love you.” The words warmed her from her toes all the way up her core to the tips of her fingers.
“I love you too.”
He kissed her slowly, intentionally. Her lips tingled at his touch. Then his arms wrapped around her and held her close. He rested his chin on her head. “Thank you.”
“Mmm.” She didn’t want to ever let go. Being in Trane’s arms had to be the best thing she’d ever experienced.
And he was her boyfriend.
Chapter 21
The next couple weeks went by in a happy whirl. Trane picked up Janae on the way to the arena and dropped her back off late every home game. The guys played some great hockey, and the team made the playoffs. Janae’s dance routines for the Comets had gotten better and better.
They even included the players in one of them, and the crowd went wild. His favorite was one where he got to pick her up and skate in a circle with her high above his head. He was proud of her. The Comets were eliminated in the first round, but Jax’s team progressed to the Stanley Cup finals. He was proud of Jax too.
He and Janae were about to catch a plane to Chicago. Trane opened the door so Janae could climb up into his truck. He couldn’t remember life being this good, ever.
When he joined her in the drivers’ seat, she was already sitting in the middle, as close to him as was legally allowed. “Hey beautiful.”
They were on their way to game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. And the whole Pit were dropping in to watch and cheer on Jax. Coach would be there. Zane was even bringing Hope.
Trane would do anything for that little peanut, but so far, she’d been wary of him. Maybe if he had Janae with him, she’d warm up. “You ready for this?”
“A whole weekend with you and the Pit, watching our man Jax win the Cup? I’m so ready!” Her grin was contagious.
He dipped his head and kissed her. “We do have it pretty good.”
Their flight was easy. Trane checked his phone while they waited for the limo. “Hey, do you mind stopping by the Arena, Coach wants us to pick him up.”
“Sure. I hope Mrs. Fenway comes too.”
“I bet she will. This is a big deal for them and Jax. Northbrook will add his name to the wall of Cup winners.”
“Are you disappointed?”
Trane shrugged. “You know what? I’m not. I’ve been playing hockey with a new outlook or something. I just don’t care so much about the win.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I love the game, but…I don’t know.”
“Well, that’s good then, right?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
They pulled up in front of the center and went inside to find the coach. He was sitting in his office, staring at the wall. Trane approached slowly. The man’s tired-lines were visible. His hair thinner. Trane hadn’t noticed before but it was obvious to him now that Coach had lost weight.
When he noticed Trane and Janae in the doorway, he grinned and all evidence of the tired aging disappeared. He stood and hugged Trane and Janae. Then he placed a hand on Trane’s shoulder. “Son. I once told you to find something special.” He looked between the two of them. “And I told you to tell me when you’d found her. I can tell right now without you saying a thing, that Janae is something special. You two have something not everyone can boast of. Your love is obvious. And there’s a strength here that I like to see.” He pulled Janae back into a hug. “Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you, Coach.”
“Now, darling. I’m not always going to
be a coach, and Trane here can’t lose the habit I suppose, but you, I’d be honored if you’d call me Dad.”
“Thank you, Coach…or Dad.” She squeezed his hands. He had no idea how much that meant to her. “That sounds nice.” She shook her head. “No, more than nice.” She swallowed, trying to keep the emotion aside. “I’ve never really had a dad.”
They walked out of the office and down the hall. “Speaking of not always coaching…”
Trane turned, studying his face. He’d talked of health troubles a month or two back.
“I’m fine, son. Nothing to worry about. But I have been thinking that maybe there’s more to life than this place, more to life than hockey. That me and Mrs. Fenway can go on a vacation or something,”
“Who’s going to take over the center?” Janae’s concerned question woke a new thought in Trane, something he’d never considered before.
“I don’t know yet. But I wanted you both to be the first to know.”
Trane was quiet, his mind spinning.
Mrs. Fenway met them out in the parking lot. They were early for the game.
Jax had arranged for them to have box seats. Which Trane appreciated. They could enjoy their space, talk the game, and watch in relative privacy.
They were the first ones to arrive in the box. Trane pulled up his phone. And then he shared with the others.
Jax had been on there early this morning. You guys ready to see my name on a cup?
You mean like, at Starbucks?
No—He wants us to buy him one of those cups at the convenience stores that come with names.
What are you even talking about Dice?
I don’t know. I never got one. Go figure, Declan isn’t a regular name.
Someone get Declan a cup with his name on it.
There was Thomas, and Michael, and Jeremy even. No Declan.
Dude we’re going to get you a cup.
Back to Jax. Yes, the Stanley is yours!
They posted images of banners, flags, vases, cups, and even toilet seats with Declan’s name on them.
They laughed at the text stream until Janae was wiping tears. “What happens during off-season for hockey?”
Shootout (Northbrook Hockey Elite Book 6) Page 15