page69 (1/1)

Tacker shrugs and turns away fro into his serator and pulls out a bottle of water, closing it without offering us anything He untwists the cap, takes a sip, and then says, “Everyone just needs to go on like we did before I will be a professional out on the ice Won’t be anybody’s fucking friend off the ice”

Bishop shakes his head and snaps, “You see, that right there probably isn’t going to work, Tacker”

I blink in surprise at er in his tone Everyone always treats Tacker with kid gloves, but I’ they’ve just been pulled off

Bishop continues, “You see, I want to win the fucking Cup In order to do that, everybody on this teaive forth every effort And you have to rely on your teammates to do the same That involves a certain amount of trust And if you can’t open yourself up to the men on this team ould probably lay down their lives for you if asked, it’s not going to fucking work So I suggest you get your head out of your ass and figure out how to not only be a professional hockey player, but also how to be a comrade to the rest of your teaure it out”

And with that, Bishop pivots on his foot and storms out the door

I stare after hi to Tacker warily The expression on his face is stunned, and there’s a tiny bit of red in his cheeks His attention coot fucking put in my place, didn’t I?”

“Appears so,” I reply

I turn to leave, but Tacker’s hand onaround, I look at hily

“I have an appointan, okay?”

It’s a chore to keep aveHe volunteered personal information that could have invited a lot of feedback from me He put himself out there

It’s a start

I sot it, buddy”CHAPTER 26DaxJesus Christ

I’m hot under the collar And I mean that literally

I tug at the knot onit feels just a little too tight I’ one ofso unco to do with the fact I’ ready to pick my wife up and take her out on a Valentine’s Day date

I hit the top of the porch, stopping to appraise myself A dozen red roses clutched in one hand and a black jewelry box in the other Fancy restaurant reservations have been made, and I even preordered a bottle of theat the table for us I’d told Regan I wanted to coether So I had everything prearranged and planned except for the roses I’d needed to pick up for her While she was in the shower, I put onout I’d be back in about half an hour

Earlier today, I spent a torturous two hours with Bishop, Erik, and Legend as we all went out shopping for gifts for our honeys on Valentine’s Day I iine we’d looked lost and out of our elements

Over the past six months, we have methodically fallen for a woman All four of us were previously irrepressible, confir a Valentine’s Day gift for the female persuasion We finally ended up at a jewelry store where a kind, matronly woman who had been in the jewelry business for thirty-five years—or so she said—helped us each pick out what she deeift

This came after we each tried to outdo one another, whichridiculously more expensive pieces of jewelry to buy I just about had my mind made up on a twenty-thousand-dollar bracelet when the clerk showed ant necklace with a dianificantly cheaper than the bracelet, but that had nothing to do with my decision

I’d just known Regan would love it She’s not into flashy, ostentatious bracelets, but this necklace was understated elegance It’s exactly hoould describe Regan

As for right now, I should just walk in an’s na the doorbell as if I were picking her up for a first date and about to meet her father It takes her a few minutes to open the door, but the wait is so worth it