“Anyway,” Shea said loudly, putting a stop to their bickering. “Did y’all hear about Jakob?”

Karson’s ears perked up as he sat up against the pole. Jakob was Shea’s best friend and his linemate. He had been getting hurt a lot lately, and his career was a little iffy as a result. While Karson wished him well, he was also gunning for his spot. Playing with Shea would make him even more of an asset than he already was. It would be good for his career.

Without waiting for an answer, Shea said, “Things aren’t good with his elbow. He’s retiring.”

“What?” Tate asked. “That’s insane.”

“That fucking blows,” Lucas said. “I’m gonna miss playing with him.”

Everyone agreed since none of them wanted to see one of their friends stop doing what they loved.

“He’s really upset, but he’s taking it well. Gives him more time with Harper, Ally, and Journey,” Erik, who was Jakob’s younger brother, said.

As much as he wanted to be happy that this was a chance of a lifetime for Karson, Shea hated that his friend had to quit. Jakob was a good man and played some damn good hockey. After a messy hit though, his arm hadn’t been the same. Sucks, but it was the game.

“Yeah, I’m considering it,” Shea said, and Karson whipped his head over to his captain.

“What?” Lucas said.

“What do you mean?” Erik added.

“You want to retire?” Tate said.

“Shut up,” Phillip said, and shock was visible on all their faces.

“There is nothing wrong with you,” Karson added. “You are a beast.”

Shea laughed. “Yeah, I know, but it’s just the kids are getting older and I want to be there for them. We are leaving all the damn time, and it’s hard on Elli. With her running the Assassins and then running the household, I feel like a dick. Especially when I am the one who was knocking her up every year.”

“Does she know?” Lucas asked and Shea nodded.

“I mentioned it a few times, and she says it’s my choice. I don’t know. I’m getting old.”

“No, you are not,” Tate said. “You are still a great player.”

Shea smiled. “Yeah, I know. Maybe another couple years. When the boys start playing, for sure. I want to coach their teams.”

Phillip clapped his hands. “Okay, boys, we have maybe two years to talk him out of leaving us!”

Everyone laughed as Shea shook his head. “You guys will be fine without me. Don’t worry.”

“I do not think so, Cap,” Tate said, a little bit of awe in his eyes. He had always admired Shea. Almost in a creepy way, but he was young and really looked up to his captain.

“Don’t worry,” Shea said, cupping Tate’s shoulder. “If I stop, I won’t be gone. I’ll still be out there yelling at you assholes.”

“Our days have been made,” Karson joked and everyone chortled.

Setting Karson with a look, Shea said, “You just wait. When you have kids with that beautiful wife of yours, you’ll see how hard it is to leave.”

Karson smiled, his cheeks warming. “It’s hard to leave her now.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean, but just wait. It gets worse,” Shea promised, and Karson had no doubt his captain was completely right.

“You won’t have long until you find that out though, huh, King? You know you’re next. You have to knock her up to keep our average up,” Lucas joked, and Karson couldn’t help but have a new wave of worry wash over him for what he had said to Lacey. “Me and Shea are in competition to see who can have the most.”

Shea laughed. “If you knock her up two more times, you win. I’m done. Elli took my balls.”

Lucas scoffed. “She’s always had them.”

Shea glared as he punched Lucas lightly in the arm. “Fallon has yours in a glass box. Always has!”

“Whatever, she lets me have them every once in a while,” Lucas said in mock sadness, receiving a good round of laughs. Karson laughed along with them before glancing back inside to check on Lacey. She was sitting now, the same grin on her face as Elli told a story about something. Elli was very animated and demanded the attention of everyone in the room, but he knew that Lacey wasn’t there. She was somewhere else. Somewhere he needed to be too.

“You know who doesn’t have balls anymore?”

Karson looked over as all eyes met his.

And then with a chorus, they all said, “King.”

It was true, and Karson didn’t care one bit. Lacey could have them.

She had all of him.

After a great dinner with his teammates and their wives, Karson took his own wife home. It felt great thinking that. His wife home. And they had done just that. In no time at all, they made the home they bought theirs. He found himself excited when he came home to her or when he lay in bed with her. It felt right, complete. It was their home. But as he stood in a pair of boxers, he looked across the bed at his quiet wife as she threw pillows onto the ground and he knew something was off. Usually they joked around and he bitched about the many pillows she had on the bed, but tonight, she wouldn’t even really look at him.

He couldn’t help but notice that she looked smoking hot in a little lace shorts and lace tube top thing. He could see every single one of her tattoos on her chest. The ones that marked her fight still made him breathless like they did the first time he’d seen them. The swell of her breasts, her cute little tummy and then that ass, ugh, he loved her ass. As she bent over to plug in her phone, he got a full view of the spectacular thing as it practically ate the shorts she was wearing, and everything inside him went tight. Deciding he needed a handful of her, or two, he jumped onto the bed and then over it before coming up behind her, sliding his hands down her thighs and kissing her shoulder and throat as his hands massaged the two globes.