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“Shit. We should probably get to work, huh?”

“Yeah,” I laugh as he skates off to start warming up.

“Rivers,” I call, forcing him to turn back and look at me. “I missed you, man.”

His expression softens.

“Back at you. Now, let’s beat these motherfuckers. Just like old times.”

He lifts his gloved hand, and we bump knuckles before focusing on the task at hand.

We have a fantastic game. Vancouver comes out fighting, but they’re no match for us. Even when I’m on the bench, they can’t make it through our defense, and Handsy walks away with another shutout under his belt while Kodie, Linc, Fletch, and even Rovvy manage to find the back of their net.

The atmosphere in the dressing room after the final whistle is electric, and for the first time, I don’t hate Reeves’s music blasting through the room as we shower.

One by one, the guys begin to disappear, many of them heading upstairs to meet their friends and family, and others disappearing off with other plans to celebrate another fantastic win.

“Great game tonight, Nash,” Calvin says as I emerge from the showers.

“Thanks,” I mutter, feeling awkward as hell after what he witnessed earlier.

But while I’m squirming, no one else is aware that anything is amiss, and he talks to me the same way he has for the past few weeks.

He carries on chatting as I make my way over to my cubby to dress.

“Have they gone upstairs?” I ask when his words trail off.

“Uh, yeah. I said we’d meet them up there.”

“Would you be able to do me a favor?” I ask, reaching into my bag.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Can you give this to him? Ask him to meet me in my car?”

Nerves race through me at the thought of someone seeing him in the parking garage, but I quickly push it aside.

I’m not sure where my sudden confidence has come from, but it probably has something to do with having two teammates who know the truth and neither of them freaking out or treating me differently. I know that won’t be the case for everyone when they find out. But it’s given me a serious confidence boost, and it’s making me wonder if Garrett is right and that maybe one day we can have all the things he talked about in that hotel room.

“You got it,” he says, pocketing my car key.

“I’ve got to see Parker before I head out,” I warn. “I might be a while yet.”

“He’ll be waiting,” he confirms before taking a step back. “Have a good night, yeah? Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do.”

My laughter rings through the dressing room, and it feels so freaking good. I’m sure a couple of the guys glance over at me, probably wondering what that noise is and why it’s coming out of my mouth, but I don’t care.

It’s almost an hour before I manage to escape Parker and the torture devices she calls hands.

I ache, but it’s nowhere close to being bad enough to stop me from doing everything I want tonight. It’s nothing a few bags of ice can’t fix later. And bonus—I’m not even bleeding tonight.

The parking garage is illuminated by the strip lighting running across the ceiling. No one else is down here, and I make quick work of closing the distance between myself and the man who I hope is waiting for me.

With my tinted windows, it’s impossible to see if I have a passenger. The second I open the driver’s door, though, the answer hits me. Garrett’s scent rushes through my nose, and when I look up, I find him sitting there, still wearing my jersey, and looking hot as hell doing so.

“Hey,” I say, quickly climbing in and leaning over for a quick kiss.

“I was starting to think you’d changed your mind,” he teases.