“Guys like me? What’s that supposed to mean?” I probably shouldn’t have asked for clarification, but I’d thrown it out there like the idiot I was.
“Players. Guys who don’t have any interest in women beyond their next fuck.” He glared at me pointedly. And here I thought we were getting along.
“You don’t know shit about me.”
“I know enough, and there are plenty of guys on this team who’ve known you a long time, and I doubt one of them would dispute what I just said.”
The sad thing was, neither would I. I had been a player until I’d met Geneva. I probably would be again once the relationship with Geneva ran its course, which it would. They all did.
~~Geneva~~
The next morning, I was straightening out the players’ stalls in the visitors’ locker room when my brother came in. He glanced around to make sure no one was around. He didn’t have to worry. Jock was notorious for showing up before everyone else. He must’ve taken a taxi here instead of waiting for the team bus.
“Hey, big bro. Good to see you.” I gave him a quick hug. He still stiffened when I hugged him, but he was getting better about it. His family must not have done much hugging, not that mine did either, but I was better at faking being comfortable with it than he was.
He lounged against the side of one stall, crossed his arms over his chest and one ankle over the other. His pose was casual, but he didn’t fool me. He was as wound up as a little yapper dog when a stranger rang the doorbell.
“Spill it,” I said, sitting down on the padded bench in front of him.
“Axel tells me he’s asked you out.”
“He talked to you?” I wasn’t surprised, yet I was. He’d said he was going to be up-front with Jock, but I didn’t think he’d act this fast, if ever.
“Yeah, brought a pizza to the room to fatten me up for the kill and then gave it to me straight. He wants to date you. Says you have chemistry.”
I shrugged, not denying the chemistry. How could I? Axel and I had epic chemistry, but I would not be exploring how far that chemistry might take us. “You don’t have a thing to worry about. I told him no.”
“You told him no this time, but what about next time?” He watched me intently, either trying to get under my skin or read my mind.
“It’ll still be a no.”
“He’s persistent. He won’t give up.”
“And you know this how?”
“Seriously? You’re asking me this? I play hockey with him. I’ve seen his persistence and patience when it comes to scoring goals. As much as it pains me to say it, the kid is good. Very, very good. He’s not going to give up until he gets what he wants, and he wants you.”
“He can try, but I’m not interested. I suck at relationships, and I’m not interested in going through that heartache again. I’m sure you can appreciate my position.”
“More than you’ll ever know.”
Sadness flickered in his gaze. I wondered how long things had been bad between Bria and him. I hadn’t had a relationship all that long with my brother, and Bria had always been in the background, never a part of our conversations.
“Just be careful. I don’t want you hurt. He’s a player.”
“I know all about guys like him, guys way more dangerous and tougher than he’ll ever hope to be. He can’t hurt me much more than I’ve already been hurt, but I’m still not interested in repeating past mistakes.”
“Good to hear.”
“I figured you’d say that.” I reached out and squeezed his arm. “I’m here for you. You know that, right? Despite what I think of Bria, I know you loved her once, and she’s the mother of your children. This won’t be easy.”
“No, I can’t imagine divorce is ever easy. I feel sometimes like someone’s cut open my chest and ripped out my beating heart. I never thought divorce would hurt this badly considering the non-relationship we’ve had for the past few years. Every time one of the kids asks about their mother, my heart breaks, but I’m a strong guy, and so are my children. We’ll get through this. I see a light at the end of the very dark tunnel I’ve been traveling down. I’m excited to reach that light.”
“You will, and your life will be so much better for it. What’s going on with visitation?”
“Oh, that. I meant to tell you, but it’s been a little hectic with the Bria drama. My attorney hired a PI, and we found out she’s been hanging out, possibly living with some guy who’s a major player in the Seattle drug scene. As much as I hate to admit it, her drunken video helped my case, too. Her drinking and drug use have escalated from recreational to abuse. At this point in time, my attorney is making demands of her attorney regarding living arrangements and lifestyle before she is granted any kind of visitation.”
“She’s not going to like that, not because she wants to see the kids but because she doesn’t like anyone telling her what to do.”
“Yeah, I know. It’ll all work out. I have to believe that.”
“It will, and you’ll be much happier when it does.”
“I have a lot to be thankful for. I’m not the only guy on this team who had an unfaithful wife, and I won’t be the last guy.”
“I’m sure that’s true. A lot of women prey on these guys, and not all guys can see through them.”
“I couldn’t. Look how many years I tolerated her screwing around. Only when her infidelity slapped me in the face did I finally take action.”
I cringed slightly. “I didn’t mean you specifically.”
He smiled sadly at me. “If the skates fit, fall on your ass.”
I laughed. At least he was keeping a sense of humor through this debacle. “You do realize Axel isn’t really to blame?” I had to say the words because I believed them, and it was important to me that Jock believe them too.
“About not knowing she was married? I’m not sure. The jury is still out on that one. I suppose you believe him?”
“More than I believe Bria. She’s been fabricating crap ever since I met her. I know that’s not too long, but long enough. Besides, you’ve been on this team with Axel. Do you see him as that type of guy?”
“I don’t know what to think. The problem is that every time I look at him, I’m humiliated that everyone on the team knows he slept with my wife. They’re probably thinking I wasn’t man enough to satisfy her.”
“That sounds like a personal problem you need to cope with.”
“I suppose. Bria and I were together a long time. Most of that time, she did her thing, and I looked the other way. We had an unspoken agreement.”
“She’s a master manipulator. Bria is sucking your daughter into her lies now.”
He sighed. “I don’t know what I can do about that. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. Teagan would rebel if I told her she couldn’t talk to her mother. I’m not willing to alienate her.”
“Teenagers are tough and frustrating.”
“They are, but I want the kids to have contact with their mother once she gets her act together. Right now, I can’t allow a physical visit, but I won’t forbid them to talk with her on the phone or text. I fear she’s poisoning them against me, which might have disastrous short-term results, but long-term, I hope the kids see things as they are.”
I didn’t disagree with him. Neither of us grew up in a situation where the parents pitted one against the other, mostly because when our mother left, she never contacted us again. I’d often wondered if having a baby had been too much for her, but regardless, her lack of interest in being a mother and wife was on her, not us.
How coincidental Axel’s mother also left the family and never looked back. I guess abandonment happened more than we’d imagined. Growing up, I’d been convinced I was the only girl without a mother. I wasn’t, but things seemed that way. No mother-daughter shopping outings for me. No makeup tips from Mom. No good-night stories about princesses living happily ever after, though from my cynical viewpoint, that wasn’t such a bad thing. Happily ever after didn’t ex
ist except in rare circumstances. Even the couples I knew who appeared happy really weren’t, once you learned their darkest secrets.
This more than anything was why I’d continue to say no to Axel. I didn’t want to date. I had a career to concentrate on and nieces and nephews to get through the next several months.
Jock needed me. Axel did not.
Chapter 16—Persistence
~~Axel~~
We won our last game and flew home, landing in Seattle in the early morning of Sunday. Our road trip was a split at two wins and two losses. We were hanging on by the skin of our teeth to make the playoffs with two weeks left in the regular season.
Our play was inconsistent, and I was beginning to have doubts we’d pull this off. The defending champs might not be in the playoffs, unheard of. I banished such negative thoughts from my head and concentrating on improving my game the best I could.
Besides, tonight was about phase one in Operation Woo Geneva. Yeah, that sounded stupid, even to me.
The rumor around the locker room was that Jock was serving the divorce papers this week. I didn’t know the details, and I was the last person on the team to ask him, but I’d overheard him discussing the terms with Brick and Hot Rod. He wanted full custody, while she’d get supervised visitation once she met certain requirements. Even knowing her as little as I did, I knew that’d piss her off, even though she didn’t care about those kids. She did care about control. I was relieved to be off her radar as she dealt with more pressing issues in her life.
These next two weeks would be all about the team. I rededicated my play to reaching a new level. We had to make the playoffs. We just had to. Mostly for the team, but also for my own career. I might not be around next year if we didn’t. I’d been playing better, but my performance didn’t meet my expectations or Coach Gorst’s. Every time I caught the man watching me in practice, he had this frustrated expression on his face. I wasn’t working out with Jock after practice anymore. Some of the veterans had been staying to sharpen their skills and his. I’d been kicked to the curb in that sense. It hurt because, the way I saw it, their taking over displayed a lack of confidence in my abilities.
After messing briefly with the lines, Coach restored them back to what they’d been. The second line was all Puck Brothers—Easton, me, Ziggy, Kaden, and Steele. We were the young guys, the future of the team, but we were seriously underperforming. Our passes were off; our shots were even worse. We were losing confidence in ourselves. A good line was so in tune with each other they knew a pass was coming their way before it happened. We weren’t gelling like that.
Yet he put us back together because his first line gelled like nobody’s business. Maybe he figured we needed to work it out no matter how painful the process might be. I really didn’t know.
We’d had a few games where we’d been coming together, seeing openings, and reading each other well, then for whatever reason, that partnership fell apart.
I called a meeting of our line after practice. We met at the Place, a bar that was a Seattle institution. The Place had been in Seattle way longer than any of us had been alive.
We ordered lunch and beers, and I gave them time to eat before we had a serious talk. Steele beat me to it.
“Axel, this isn’t just a friendly lunch. What’s going on?” Steele said.
“Us, we’re what’s going on. We’re playing like crap as a line.”
“No shit,” Ziggy snorted. He was a damn good player, but the man was a partier who never settled down long enough to take anything seriously. He’d been put on notice after the finals last year by team management. The only improvement he’d made in his behavior was to keep it less public, but he wasn’t doing less partying.
“Yeah, we are,” Kaden said miserably. He’d been down lately, not his usual self.
“We have to get beyond this somehow.” Easton rubbed his chin thoughtfully and stared off into space. No one had any answers. Neither did I.
“We could talk to Coach about it,” Steele suggested. “Maybe one of the coaches would be willing to stay after practice and help us work on stuff.”
“Coop would do it.” Ziggy was suddenly all serious, a side I’d never seen from him except on the ice. “He’d stay and help us.”
Cooper Black was a legend, not just in Seattle but in the entire league. He was one of the best centers the game had ever seen. He retired last season after the Sockeyes won the Cup and accepted a job as assistant coach. He was a taskmaster and detail-oriented. Just what we needed right now, because something was wrong, and we weren’t getting it.
“I’ll ask him,” I volunteered. Coop had been one of my idols growing up. I was still in awe of him and slightly intimidated. If anyone could help us, he could.
~~Geneva~~
That evening, Axel knocked on our door for his weekly dinner. Teagan scrambled to beat her siblings to the door. A few seconds later, I heard an excited, ear-piercing squeal followed by high-pitched jabbering.
Jock and I shared curious stares. Axel walked into the kitchen with Teagan on his tail. He held up a beautiful bouquet of spring flowers with a sheepish grin.
“For you, Geneva.” He held the flowers toward me. In my shocked state, all I did was stare with a wide-open mouth. No one had ever given me flowers before. When I didn’t relieve him of his colorful burden, he shoved them toward me. I had to grab them or drop them. I grabbed them.
Teagan was bouncing with excitement. “I’ll get a vase.” She rummaged through a bottom cupboard and produced a cheap vase, one of the glass kind you get from a florist.
“You didn’t need to do that,” I said through gritted teeth. Axel grinned broadly. Obviously, he thought he did. He’d thrown me off guard, and I wasn’t one who liked to be surprised. He wasn’t giving up on that date. I knew he wouldn’t, but I had my hopes.
“Oh, but I did.” His sly smile irritated me even though I was flattered.
Teagan clasped her hands to her heart and sighed. “Giving Aunt Geneva flowers is so romantic.”
I rolled my eyes. Axel laughed, not discouraged in the least. Even Teagan and Jock had a good laugh at my expense. Teagan reached out, and I gladly gave her the bouquet. She plucked a card from within the depths of this huge bundle of flowers and handed it to me, after which she fussed over arranging the flowers in the vase.
I read the card and sighed dramatically.
Will you go out with me?
“Thank you, but I’m not interested in dating you.”
Axel shrugged. “I’ll wear you down.”
“You will not.”
Jock grinned like an evil bastard, getting way too much enjoyment out of my discomfort. “My money’s on Axel. I’ve seen him on the ice.”
I did a double take, and so did Axel. Was my brother actually encouraging his nemesis? “Keep your money in your wallet. I’d hate to see you lose.”
Jock and Axel exchanged glances and erupted into another roar of laughter. I was bristling with indignation yet oddly amused. I’d never had a guy pursue me in such a manner. Not that I hadn’t been pursued. I’d been pursued plenty, but they’d all been in-your-face propositions from bikers and biker-adjacents. They weren’t known for their subtleties.
“I’m stubbornly persistent. If you haven’t figured that out yet, you soon will.”
Jock, still chuckling, checked the lasagna in the oven. “Time to eat, gang.”
Esme and Eunice were off today. We’d bought the lasagna at a local deli that delivered, and we’d heated it ourselves. Neither of us was a great cook, but I was getting better thanks to Eunice’s tutelage.
“I’m starving,” Axel said. “Smells incredible.” His eyes found mine, and he winked with sparkling eyes and a cocky tilt to his head. He was too confident he’d wear me down. I’d show him. I was tougher than he’d bargained for.
We sat down at the table and dug in, the group quiet for a while as they chewed their food.
“Who made this salad? It’s wonderful,” Axel as
ked as he used the tongs to scoop large hunks onto his plate.
“I did.” My face grew hot with embarrassment. I wasn’t one to take compliments well. They made me uncomfortable.
“I made the dessert,” Teagan gushed.
“I’m sure it’ll be as good as this salad.”
“Better!” the twins yelled in unison.
Dinner was pleasant and tension-free. For the first time, Jock wasn’t shooting daggers at Axel throughout the entire meal. Axel praised Teagan’s dessert, and she cooed like a dove at his compliments. After dinner, he read a book to the younger kids while I hovered in the background. Teagan excused herself to do homework, which I doubted she was really doing.
Axel was so good with the kids, a natural. He’d be a great father someday. I thought of my own father, who really shouldn’t have had a child. He wasn’t father material, and he didn’t have a clue what to do with me. I was raised in the motorcycle shop, not exactly a place most parents would want to raise a child, especially a girl. I could cuss with the best of them by the time I was ten. My dad thought it was funny, and so did his buddies. My teachers, not so much.
Axel snapped the book shut. “Okay, kids, time for bed.” He stood and stretched while the younger kids whined about it being bedtime.
“Do we have to?” Anna pleaded with me.
“Yes, you do. Get upstairs and get ready. I’ll be up to tuck you in.”
Axel told them goodbye, and like a herd of stampeding horses, they raced up the stairs.
I followed him out the door, even though that wasn’t a good idea.
“Thank you for the flowers, but please don’t buy me any more gifts.” We stood on the porch in the darkness. The night was clear and chilly, but I’d grabbed a coat on my way outside.
“You’re welcome, but don’t expect me to stop until I get what I want.”
“You’re not getting what you want. Can’t I make that any clearer?”
His smirk was enough of an answer. He was overconfident, which would normally irritate me, but not tonight. I’d had a few glasses of wine and was feeling mellow and content.
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