Big League: MMF Romance

by Bianca Vix

  And Miles was determined to make it.

  The Stormers had to be in the playoffs with him as captain. Hell, he intended for them to go all the way. To take the Stanley Cup home.

  And if that was going to happen, he needed to be on top of his own game. To lead by example and inspire the others. Being able to do just that was what had gotten him into the position of team captain, and he worked as hard as he could to be the best he could be.

  That had never been a problem for him before. Not until lately. It was only now that his focus was slipping. Now he had to pull it together. Perform on the ice the way he was supposed to.

  Miles couldn’t help but wonder if he’d made the right choice in agreeing to what Claire and Reid wanted. Of course, he was wildly happy off the ice. Letting them open up his eyes to the possibility of a relationship with them had been one of the best decisions he’d ever made.

  Or so he thought.

  It had worked out just fine at first. They’d been spending a lot of time together, all three of them, in and out of the bedroom. It was going good.

  Until lately. They weren’t seeing each other as much as they had been. Their schedules simply hadn’t matched up, sure. The Stormers were playing constantly, and they’d just had a long run of away games. Neither Claire nor Reid could come along with him when he had to hit the road. So they stayed behind while he went off, spending his nights alone in a hotel while the two of them spent their time with each other.

  It shouldn’t have bothered him. They’d all agreed in the beginning that they needed time with just each other as well as the three of them together. And that made sense.

  But it was bugging Miles more and more. Claire and Reid had already had time together, just the two of them, to establish their own relationship. Their relationship was already in place before he’d come into the picture, even though they’d broken up. He needed to have a better connection with both of them. And yet in the last few weeks, they’d barely spent any time together at all, just the three of them. Let alone Miles getting any one-on-one time with either Claire or Reid.

  Now Miles was finally back in town and he’d even had a couple days off. And while he had to go to physio and keep up with his training, he had a lot more free time. Trouble was, Claire and Reid didn’t. His days off were weekdays, and they were both working.

  It was the nature of pro hockey, of course. A lot of travel, and every game starting off in the evening and going well into the night. But still. It was like he was the outsider while the two of them were together. And Miles didn’t see how that could possibly change.

  After lacing up, Miles headed out for a slow skate by himself. Usually he loved skating. It was fun and it cleared his head.

  Not today.

  Everything had been good at first. He hadn’t even minded staying in one night and watching a movie together, all three of them curled up on the sofa together the night before he had to leave for one of his away games. Miles liked to go out, and it wasn’t like him to enjoy a night in very much. But he had when he was with the two of them.

  At least Claire and Reid were going to be able to make it to his game tonight.

  He wished he could say he was absolutely confident about the Stormers’ chances. But the way they’d been playing lately, there was certainly no guarantee. A loss tonight and everything would be over. Giving him lots of free time to think about what he was doing.

  Oh well. One thing at a time. They had to win tonight. And Claire and Reid were going to be there in the stands, cheering him on. It should be a great night.

  They did it.

  They pulled it off. Once again the Stormers had been ahead, and then the other team pulled out in front of them again. They were tied throughout the entire last period. No matter what they did, they couldn’t get a goal in.

  And then in the final few minutes, they did it.

  Miles did it. He’d scored the winning goal himself. And the game ended with a victory for the Stormers.

  They were in. It was all Miles could think about as the crowd roared.

  The playoffs were theirs.

  Off the ice, Miles hurried off to the press conference, eager to get it over with and join what would be a huge victory celebration in the players’ lounge.

  But the media wouldn’t let up, and the press conference went on way longer than usual. Miles figured it would. It was a big deal, making it into the playoffs. After fielding question after question, he was getting tired of it. Although nothing could dampen his elation.

  Leaving the room when they were finally done, he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was even later than he’d thought. Miles headed straight to the players’ lounge, where the celebration was well underway.

  “Our hero!” Everyone started chanting his name. He grinned as Cooper toasted him. His thoughts were interrupted by Denis, who was being tailed by a camera tonight. It had slipped Miles’ mind that it was behind-the-scenes night for one of the major sports networks.

  As eager as Miles was to find Claire and Reid, he let Denis stop him so he could answer even more questions for them. He didn’t mind too much. The team was in the spotlight tonight and it was part of the drill.

  Still, every chance he got, he looked over the crowd, hoping to spot Claire and Reid. No luck.

  Once the network was done with him, Miles joined the rest of his team. They’d won this together. They were going to celebrate their big victory together.

  “Hey, we’ve been waiting for you,” Cooper said, passing him an empty glass.

  “Waiting?” Miles grinned at the empty bottles strewn over the nearby table.

  “Waiting to have the big toast.” Cooper produced an oversized bottle of champagne, called out for everyone to join them. The entire team gathered around Miles.

  “To you, captain. You are truly The Master!” A big cheer went up. “We wouldn’t have made it without you, Masters.”

  Miles raised his glass. “We all did this. To the Stormers, soon to be taking home the Cup!”

  He’d hardly finished his champagne before his glass was refilled. The toasts went on as he checked around for what seemed like the hundredth time.

  Their victory would have been so much sweeter if his two partners had been there to celebrate it with him. There was still no sign of them. Frowning, Miles checked his phone and found a text from Claire.

  Congratulations! We’ve been waiting for you, but it’s getting so late. Heading back to my place now. Meet us there?

  Shoving his phone back into his pocket in irritation, Miles set his jaw. Claire and Reid should be celebrating the team’s victory right along with him. It was a big deal.

  Maybe it wasn’t fair to want them to wait for him. He probably shouldn’t blame either one of them. He knew it. They both had to be at work early.

  And yet. Wasn’t that what being in a relationship was supposed to be? People being there for you, no matter what? For the good and the bad?

  It didn’t matter. He’d see them at Claire’s place. Even the two of them not being around now wasn’t going to drag him down.

  Everyone was in such a good mood. Drinks were flowing steadily and the celebration was growing, not fading as time went on. Miles didn’t want to leave, but he couldn’t wait any longer to be with Claire and Reid. Polishing off his drink, he started to say his goodbyes.

  “Hey, it’s the Man of the Hour,” Blake said. “You’re leaving? Had enough already?”

  “No, but there’s somewhere I need to be.”

  “Miles! Our hero.” Lora gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Great game tonight.”

  “Nice stick work, man.” Scott slapped him on the back.

  “Thanks, guys. I’ll see you later.”

  Miles tried not to let it bother him that Lora and Scott were here with Blake, and Claire and Reid weren’t around for him.

  At least he’d see them soon enough.

  As the cab sped its way over to Claire’s place, Miles’ excitement grew. He couldn’t wa
it to get there.

  When he let himself into Claire’s apartment, however, Miles found it quiet and dark.

  “Hello,” he called out. There was no answer. Had they gone out somewhere? He checked his phone. Nothing.

  Miles walked down the short hall to Claire’s bedroom. Probably they were in there, waiting for him.

  And there they were. But not waiting for him.

  Claire and Reid were in bed, already asleep. Miles’ heart twisted as he gazed at the sight in front of him. Claire’s head was resting on Reid’s chest, curled up against him with her eyes closed. Reid’s arms were wrapped tightly around her. They were sleeping peacefully, looking for all the world like a happy couple.

  Miles’ heart constricted. It was true. That’s exactly what they looked like. A couple. The two of them. He’d never felt more like an outsider than he did in that moment.

  He could’ve gone and joined them. But he didn’t move. Something was holding him back. It felt wrong. Like they were together and he was really just an outsider. Someone who would just be around for a little while.

  Miles stared at them for a few more seconds. Why wasn’t he joining them? It didn’t feel right.

  Silently, Miles turned on his heel and walked off.

  Chapter 16

  “What’s up with you?” Lora slid into the seat across from Claire. “You don’t look so good. I thought you liked doing yoga because it’s relaxing.”

  Claire winced, although she was sure that Lora was right. She couldn’t even try to hide how she felt from anyone right now, especially not her best friend.

  “It’s Miles,” Claire said sadly. “He broke up with us.”

  “What? What on earth happened?”

  “That’s the thing. I don’t know. It was the day after their last game, you know, the one that qualified them for the playoffs.”

  “Yeah, about that. How come you guys left so early? That was their big night. The big victory.”

  “It wasn’t that early,” Claire said. “Both Reid and I had super early shifts the next morning. And I’d just pulled a double shift that day. I was falling asleep on my feet. So was he.”

  Claire ran her hand through her hair. “Besides, we did go to the player’s lounge to meet him, but Miles was taking so long with the press conference and all of the other interviews he had to do. I mean, I let know him Reid and I were going to go back to my place and that he should come over when he was done. But he never showed up.”

  “Claire, you didn’t,” Lora gasped. “Well, there’s your answer, right there. You left way too soon.”

  “But we saw the whole game. And we stayed afterwards, for as long as we could. I don’t get why he didn’t come over after.”

  Lora frowned. “When Miles left that night, he said he was going over to your place. He probably did. What did you guys do, did you go straight there, or stop anywhere first?”

  “We went right back to my place and we were asleep like five minutes after we got there. If he did come by, he could have woken us up.”

  Lora’s eyebrow arched. “Yeah, that’s just so wrong.”

  “But why? I don’t understand.”

  Lora give her a steady gaze. “Have you ever been involved with a hockey player before?”

  Claire shook her head. “No, I haven’t. What does that even have to do with anything?”

  “Oh, Claire. Everything, just everything. Take it from me, I live with two of them. They’re just not like any other guys you’ll ever meet.”

  “What do you mean?” Claire was getting impatient. “What are you talking about?”

  “You need to understand. Hockey is their life. It just is. It’s that way even when they’re not in the pros. They can have relationships and even fall in love with other women. Or men. But their first love will always be the game. It’s a cliché, sure, but it truly is like it’s in their blood. It’s good that you were there to watch the big game, of course. And you saw Miles score the winning goal that’s going to take the entire team to the playoffs. That was a big deal. But not being around after to celebrate with him? Oh, no. That’s just as bad as if you’d missed the game itself.”

  Lora paused to take a long drink of her smoothie before she continued. “The NHL playoffs are the absolute ultimate. For the Stormers to make it, and with Miles leading them, that’s a seriously high point in his career. Not having you around after to be with him was kind of like being at an awards show, and walking out before he got his award. Pretty disrespectful.”

  “But we didn’t mean to do that. And Reid and I both figured he’d come over after. And we’d celebrate with just the three of us. I was just so exhausted.”

  “I understand,” Lora said. “I get it. I know you didn’t think it would be that big of a deal, not to be there from the beginning to the end. But it’s not so easy to understand. It’s all a part of it. Celebrating in private isn’t the same as in public, with the whole team around. You need to keep this in mind. It’s like…the essence of hockey is being part of a team. Miles scored the winning goal himself, but he had the whole team behind him, backing him up and setting him up to do it. And he’s well aware of that, they all are. All season long, it’s all about the team and it becomes their whole life.”

  “Yeah?” It was a little strange to have Lora schooling her on men’s hockey culture. Claire had never known anyone who was more girly than her best friend. She still wasn’t sure what Lora was driving at.

  “And so, your guy needs to know there’s a team behind him off the ice too. That would be you and Reid, his own personal team. And when his ‘team’ of you guys left him after his hockey team’s victory, that was bad enough. But after his own absolute moment of glory? That’s pretty unforgivable.”

  “But we are behind him. We were there for him. How can the game not be the most important part?”

  Lora shook her head. “It’s a huge, important part, of course. But it’s not everything. Being together afterwards, celebrating all the highs and getting over all the lows. It’s all got to be done together. With everyone. You couldn’t pry Blake away from something like that, and Scott and I will always be there too.”

  “Scott’s not a hockey player anymore.”

  “Oh, Claire. He always will be. It’s in his blood, just as much as it is for Blake. If not more so. Even though Scott can’t play pro since his injury, his whole life is about hockey and it always will be. You should hear him and Blake when they’re watching a game on TV. They talk about things I can’t even pick up on. They analyze every single shot, every tiny little aspect of each play.”

  Lora smiled. “And they can go on for hours, even after the game is over. I mean, I’ve started to send them out to a sports bar every now and then so they can have their fun and I can get a break because sometimes, it gets to be just a little bit too much for me. And I knew what I was going to be getting into, living with both of them. But as much as I could do without their running commentary on TV games, I’d never, ever miss a live game of theirs, or the gatherings afterwards. Besides, Scott’s also getting back into it, in every way he possibly can. He’s going to start coaching a kids’ team soon, on behalf of the Stormers.”

  “Really?”

  “Miles set it all up. Scott wants to be involved in any aspect of hockey that he can be. Miles figured he’d be perfect for it. You didn’t know? ”

  “No, I didn’t.” A stab of sadness hit Claire again. She tightened her grip around her glass.

  It bothered her that she didn’t know what was going on in Miles’ life now. That Lora and Scott were more in touch with him than she was.

  “But I do support Miles. In everything. We both do. How can he think otherwise?”

  “You’ve got to show it to him. All the time. It doesn’t matter if you’re lying on your deathbed. Not showing up for your player means you’re not there for him, like not being in his corner. And that goes especially for Miles. He’s the team captain. He leads the whole team. He’s the one who always has
to be on the ball, always ready with an answer, the right solution, always talking to everyone. He’s the face of the Stormers. If he’s not certain that he’s got you and Reid behind him, there for him…I could see that bothering him a lot.”

  “I guess I understand. But I don’t know how to fix it now. Miles won’t even talk to me or Reid.” Claire stared despondently at her juice. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “That’s a tough one,” Lora agreed. “You know, I could try to get Scott to talk to him. They’re getting together on the weekend with the kids’ team.”

  Claire rubbed at her eyes. “Maybe that would help.”

  “You know, Claire. You’ve seen the way they play. Well, all that drive, all that intensity that they have on the ice at every game, and in every practice? It doesn’t stop there. It’s in everything they do. Everything I know about hockey players is that they do it in every part of their life. It’s not just a ‘work hard, play hard’ thing. It goes way beyond that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They’re driven and intense about everything. Everything they do, they give it their all. They’re always all in, in everything. That includes relationships. And I’m thinking that Miles saw you two leaving as being personal. To him, that meant you weren’t all in. You just left, and you left him alone. So he would see it as you not being on his side. Not being all in as he is. Especially Miles. As intense as the other guys are, I think he’s got a double dose of living that way. I don’t know that he’d ever admit it. But you two leaving must’ve bothered him more than he’ll ever say.”

  “So what do I do? How can we possibly make it up to him?”

  “Like I said, I’ll get Scott to talk to him.”

  “I guess, if you think it’ll help.” At this point, Claire was willing to try anything.

  “So are you and Reid still together, even with just the two of you?” Lora asked.

  “Yes. We don’t know what to do. It’s not right without Miles. We’re supposed to be three. It’s wrong for us to be without him. We both want to fix it.” Claire didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if Miles didn’t come back to them.