“Hey, Bro,” Ethan said tentatively.
Taylor watched him shift from one foot to the other and couldn’t imagine this was the same cruel man Josh had described.
Josh stood with his feet planted shoulder-width apart, one arm still around her waist and the other undoing the single button on his suit coat. He released her and slid his coat down his arms to drape it on the back of a chair. Then, pulling out a chair for Taylor, he nodded to her and took his own seat.
“Ethan,” he finally said, inclining his head.
Tension somewhat passed, the other two men took their seats.
The waiter arrived to take their order and then left.
“Aren’t getting any wine, Ethan?” Josh said calmly, a hint of something Taylor couldn’t parse out. A challenge.
“Not tonight,” he responded stiffly.
Wanting to ease the tension a bit, Taylor asked, “How long are you guys staying in Columbus?”
“Alas,” Dr. Walker sighed dramatically. “Only three nights.” His eyes didn’t leave hers and she squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.
She felt a pressure on her hand and looked down to see Josh threading his fingers through hers. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and then didn’t let go. She looked over at him and smiled, hoping to reassure him a bit. His smile was tight in return.
“We’re going to the game tomorrow,” Ethan said to her. “Are you going to be there?”
“No,” Josh said quickly. “She can’t make it.”
“That’s a shame,” his father said before they all dropped into silence.
Taylor circled her thumb against the back of Josh’s hand, wanting to lend him some strength as he held on to her tighter.
Their food came, and he was forced to give her back her hand in order to eat. She suddenly felt cold without it.
“I can’t take this anymore,” Ethan grunted, letting his fork clatter to his plate. “We need to have this out.”
“Ethan,” Dr. Walker warned.
“No,” he barked. “It’s been two years in the making. Josh, I know what you think of me. Would you even believe me if I told you I’ve changed?”
“I can’t do this.” Josh shot to his feet, the chair wobbling behind him, and left the room.
Taylor wiped her napkin across her lips before folding it and placing it on the table. She scooted back from the table and stood. “I should go after him.”
She stepped out of the room, unsure which way he would have gone.
“He went out the front door,” a passing waiter told her.
“Thanks.”
Outside, leaning against the building, she found what she was looking for. Josh had his head in his hands, breathing as if he’d just run a marathon.
“I’m sorry,” he said, hearing her footsteps echo off the pavement.
She pulled his hands away from his face. “Josh, you’re going to have to deal with your brother at some point.”
“You’re right, I know you are.” He pounded his fist against the brick building and looked away. “I shouldn’t have brought you tonight.”
She felt the breath leave her at the sudden change in subject. He didn’t want her there. “If this is about lying to your family about the girlfriend thing…” She took a step back, but he grabbed her arm.
“No, I don’t care about lying to them.” He pressed a hand to his brow. “God, I’m saying this all wrong. I don’t know how to explain my family to you without making it seem worse than it is.” He released her and stepped away, turning his back. “My Dad is great. He’s always been there for me. Without him, I wouldn’t be in this league. But he isn’t perfect. He has one weakness. Women. He hasn’t met a pretty one that he hasn’t wanted to…”
“What does that have to do with me?” Her stomach tightened painfully.
“The way he’s looking at you.” He finally turned back to face her. “I can’t stand it. I should have known that when you looked like that he wouldn’t be able to help himself.”
“Hence the girlfriend thing.” She was finally beginning to understand.
“Yeah,” he kicked his toes against the ground. “Sorry about that.”
“Do you want to leave?”
“Yeah. I’ll try again after the game tomorrow, but tonight I need to get out of here.”
“Okay, but we still have to go get your jacket.” She opened the door, and he reluctantly followed her in. Placing a hand on the small of her back, he guided her to their table.
Both men looked up as they returned. Taylor felt Dr. Walker’s gaze slide down the length of her dress. Josh said he was a great dad, but all she could sense at the moment was the sleaze in him.
“We’re leaving,” Josh said. Ethan opened his mouth to speak, but Josh cut him off. “I promise, we’ll talk about whatever you want before you leave, but I can’t be here right now.”
Ethan nodded.
“You can stay, you know,” Dr. Walker said to her. “I’m sure my son has no more need of his ‘girlfriend’ tonight.”
Revulsion rolled around inside of Taylor as she realized the man didn’t believe she was his girlfriend. He knew his son well, and Taylor suddenly wondered how many times Josh lied to this man about it. She glanced at Ethan, who was looking at his father with a hint of disgust.
Josh was silent behind her, the fury emanating from him in waves. Before the situation could escalate, Taylor spun around and grabbed Josh by the shoulders to pull him to her. He reacted immediately as his lips found hers, snaking his arms around her back. She tilted her head to allow his further access, and he took full advantage. A fire burned in the pit of her belly, but it was extinguished too quickly as someone coughed behind them.
Taylor pulled away, slightly embarrassed, but fully satisfied that she’d gotten rid of the fully justified doubts as to the validity of their relationship.
“Get the hint, Dad?” Ethan chuckled, and she found she liked the sound. He was much less intimidating when he smiled.
Dr. Walker cleared his throat. “We’ll see you after the game tomorrow, Josh.” His eyes held none of the flirtation from earlier as he fixed his gaze on Taylor one last time. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Taylor.”
She nodded to him and then let Josh guide her out of the restaurant. The valet brought the car, and they drove the short distance back to campus.
“I don’t know how I’m going to play well tomorrow, knowing they’re in the stands,” Josh said, banging his hand on the dash as he parked outside Taylor’s building.
“Don’t you guys always say you leave the outside world off the ice?”
“That never actually works, Tay.” He sighed. “I’m already on thin ice with Coach. Your dad thinks something is wrong with me. He wants me to sit a game or two. I don’t want that to happen.” He rolled his head to look sideways at her. “How do I do it?”
She reached out and played with the ends of his hair, which was about the same length as hers. “You just do. It’s your job.”
“I know.” He sighed again. “I wish you were going to be there.” As if realizing what he just said, he tried to backtrack quickly. “That isn’t me asking. I know you can’t.”
Taylor pulled her hand back from his hair and hugged her arms across her chest. “You should get home,” she said. “It’s getting late.”
She opened the door and stepped out before leaning back in, her eyes twinkling. “I had fun tonight.”
A harsh laugh burst past his lips. “Whatever you say.”
“Good luck tomorrow,” she said. “Don’t let them ruin the game you love.”
Chapter Eleven
How did I get here? Taylor thought to herself for the hundredth time as she stared up at the building she swore she’d never enter.
People streamed by her, only parting wide enough to avoid contact. A sea of jerseys stretched out before her. The Pittsburgh Penguins were in town, so it’d be a sold out crowd, but she had a ticket. She’d known this was her father’s plan all along
- to get her back to the arena, back to the sport she loved. For every game, he left a ticket at will call, hoping she’d pick it up, hoping she’d walk through those doors.
Well, she was here now, when every bone in her body wanted to turn and walk away, but it wasn’t for the game. She’d spent all day thinking about Josh. His smile, his lips, and the look in his eyes from the night before. He was terrified of screwing up in front of his family. A family that Taylor couldn’t understand, but Josh loved them despite their actions - even his brother.
He had no faith in himself. His confidence was gone.
Taylor sat in her dorm room only hours ago, remembering everything he’d done for her. He’d been there for her more than anyone else, giving her the strength she needed. Now it was time to return some of that, but her feet were rooted to the spot, not willing to move closer, but reluctant to flee. Her knuckles turned white as she clutched her purse in a death grip, her gaze lifting to the massive picture of Mack that graced the front of the building.
Even outside, there was a buzz in the air that she’d always associated with hockey. It wasn’t a popular sport, but those that followed it tended to do so with a vigor that was unmatched. She knew the feeling personally. The closest NHL team to Portland was in Vancouver. She’d only made the five-and-a-half-hour drive a few times, but she’d rarely missed a game on TV. She wasn’t really a Canucks fan, just a hockey fan any way she could get it.
When school didn’t get in the way, she traveled with the Winterhawks while her dad was coach. Something about the game mesmerized her. She’d never played herself because she could never get the skating down.
Someone bumped her shoulder as they passed, sending her stumbling forward. She caught herself and took three deep breaths before putting one foot in front of the other. Her ticket was waiting for her as she knew it would be, and as soon as she entered the arena, memories came flooding in.
I’m going to the NHL, Danny had said the first time she met him. You can bet on that. He’d been sixteen and scrawny. It took another year before any of the scouts agreed with him.
Walking around the concourse, she inhaled to take in the smells that were very much hockey - popcorn and fried food and the clean smell of the ice.
Taylor thought she couldn’t come here because it’d make her feel the loss even deeper. She was wrong. She suddenly felt closer to Danny than she had in the past year. She wanted that feeling to last forever, to know he was watching over her.
Glancing at her ticket once more, she turned into the section named and show it to the attendant. She followed his pointing finger with her eyes and met the gaze of her mom who was staring at her with a mixture of disbelief and wonder. She brought her hand to her mouth as Taylor smiled down at her. Evie was waving frantically.
Taylor walked down the steps to their row and faced her family.
“Sissy, you came!” Evie jumped towards her and wrapped her little arms around Taylor’s legs.
“Hey, Ev.” She bent down and returned her sister’s hug.
As soon as she straightened up, her mom was crushing her in her arms.
The crowd started to cheer as the team skated out onto the ice. Taylor sunk into her chair as the cheers turned to boos and the Penguins’ starters lined up at center ice. The national anthem was sung, and the puck was dropped.
The energy of the crowd flowed along with the game. There were cheers when the Jackets goalie made saves and groans when the Penguins goalie stuffed Mack on a beautiful play.
When Josh took the ice, Taylor didn’t take her eyes from his number twelve jersey. She could tell something was off, she just hoped no one else could. Seconds later, he was called for a penalty and sent to the box.
The rest of the period went on in much the same way. The Penguins scored two unanswered goals and Josh was benched for the last five minutes.
Intermission came and Taylor could tell her mom had questions, but didn’t want to ask them.
“I’m here for Josh,” Taylor admitted to her.
“Josh?” her mom asked.
“Walker,” Taylor clarified.
“Oh.” Her mom was surprised, but she didn’t press the issue. There was a gleam in her eyes that Taylor didn’t get a chance to ask about because the team came back out to start the second period and it was time for her to do something.
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the folded paper she’d worked on earlier and jumped from her chair to march down the steps. The puck was dropped, and a few people yelled at her to sit down. She didn’t listen. When Josh’s line hopped over the boards, she pushed her way to the glass and held the picture to it.
Josh rushed down the left side and then chased the puck behind the net. He didn’t see her. She should have known he wouldn’t, not while the game was being played.
His shift ended, and she watched him on the bench. The play was stopped for a penalty and a commercial break ensued. Taylor saw Josh’s teammate nudge him in the side and then point to the scoreboard. She followed his gaze to the screen that held an image of her and her sign. The people behind her waved frantically, no longer mad that she was blocking their view.
The camera then showed a close up of the bench where Josh was sitting with wide eyes and a grin tugging on the corner of his mouth. Mack jostled him, grinning like an idiot, and then the game started once more and Josh was sent in to play.
“Inexcusable!” Coach Peterson yelled, his eyes scanning the locker room. “You’re better than that. I want you to forget about that period. From here on out, this is a new game.”
Josh didn’t listen to the rest of what Coach said. He pulled his sopping undershirt away from his chest and then released it to stick against his skin once more. He couldn’t seem to do anything right out there. Coach took him out of the face-off circle and even benched him for the last few minutes. He just knew his brother was in the stands loving it.
He wanted to do well in front of them. Many people had had doubts about his talent throughout his junior career, but his family doubting it had been the worst. It wasn’t until he made the NHL that his parents stopped telling him he needed to get serious about his future because hockey was a long shot.
He didn’t want to prove them right.
“You good, Walker?” Olle asked walking up in front of Josh.
Josh hadn’t realized Coach stopped speaking or that his teammates were already putting their gear back on.
“Yeah.” Josh pulled his jersey on over his head and tied it down.
“Look,” Olle went on. “We need you to be better than that.”
“I know.”
“Do you? Sometimes I get the impression you think you’re expendable.”
Josh looked away and Olle put a strong hand on his shoulder before continuing. “The team needs you, but not if you don’t play your game.”
He glanced at Carter across the room and smiled at Olle’s use of the same words he’d said to the kid.
The team marched out as the crowd cheered. They were here to see a good game, and they needed to try to give them that, despite being down 2-0.
Mack took the face-off and Josh jumped into the play. It was an uneventful shift, but he didn’t screw up. Almost as soon as he was back on the bench, the game was stopped and they had a short break.
“Walker.” Mack nudged him in the side.
“What?”
“Look.” He pointed towards the scoreboard, and Josh could only stare.
It was Taylor holding a sign to the glass that read Josh, I’m here. Show them. It wasn’t just a sign, it was a work of art.
“Oh my God,” Coach Scott said when he saw what was going on.
Josh scanned the glass surrounding the ice until he found that telltale short hair and glasses. Mack grabbed his shoulders and shook him as he grinned.
“Dude, that girl totally has the hots for you,” Mack said, loudly enough that most of their teammates heard. They chuckled as they started to rib him.
The game star
ted again, and it was all business as soon as the face-off was taken. Josh cast a glance back at Coach Scott to find him smiling as well. He couldn’t remember ever seeing that expression on his coach’s face.
“Josh,” Coach Peterson yelled. “What are you doing, lover boy? I told you to get your ass in there!”
His skates hit the ice, and it suddenly felt like a different game. Zakharov skated with the puck out of the zone and passed to Mack at center ice. Mack darted down the center, passing to Josh as he saw two defensemen closing in. Josh circled behind the net before serving a perfect saucer pass back to Mack, who’d parked himself in front of the net. A loud ping sounded as the puck hit the bar at the back of the net.
The green light went on, the horn sounded, and one cannon blast filled the arena. The guys on the ice came together, slapping Mack and Josh on their backs and then it was back to business. They were still down.
Halfway through the period, a Penguins defenseman crunched Mack into the boards, throwing an elbow to the back of his head. The ref missed it, and no penalty was called. Mack was a little wobbly as he returned to the bench, but ultimately okay.
Before that defenseman was able to get off, Josh went after him, dropping his shoulder as he made contact. The guy started swinging, his fist connecting with the side of Josh’s helmet. Both men threw their gloves to the ice and squared off. Most of their punches missed at first, but then they grabbed hold of each other’s jerseys.
The crowd was on their feet, cheering them on and the energy pulsed through Josh. He threw a hook shot and got the side of the Penguin player’s face again and again. His eye socket burned as a punch landed there. Before the refs could step in to break it up, Josh’s skate was kicked out from under him and the two men tumbled to the ice, one on top of the other. They were pulled apart as their teammates hit their sticks on the ice in applause.
Josh touched his newly split lip, his fingertips coming away bloody, as he made his way to the locker room, his fighting penalty taking him out of the rest of the period.
The third period was less eventful. Mack tied the game and there was only a minute left, which is why Josh was surprised when Coach told him to get out there with Mack.
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