“It’s weird seeing you two googly-eye each other,” Karson mentioned as he leaned against the boards, making a face, and Jordie laughed.

“It’s not like we are thinking about having sex as we stare into each other’s eyes, if that makes it any better.”

His troubled face deepened and he reached out, smacking Jordie’s arm. “Dude, no.”

Jordie laughed. “I like that she’s here.”

“So things are good? Seems that way,” he said and Jordie agreed.

“Things are great, really excited for our future.”

“Which is?”

“Marriage and kids and shit,” Jordie said, looking back at him, and Karson laughed.

“Never thought I’d hear you utter those words,” he said, shaking his head. “Well, not the word shit, you say that all the time, but those other two. Mind-blowing, especially with my kid sister. And what’s really surprising is the fact that I don’t want to kill you for it.”

Jordie grinned. “’Cause you know I’d die before I’d hurt her.”

“For sure,” he said with a nod. “So, you’re good? AA has been pretty uneventful. You haven’t been sharing much.”

Karson had gone with him all week since his mom and dad had left. Karl and Regina finally got an offer on their house, one that they couldn’t turn down, which meant they’d be moving to Nashville soon. Everyone was ecstatic about that too. It just felt right having the whole family in one state. But, other than that, Karson was right, AA had been uneventful. He wasn’t sharing much because he was trying to figure out how to approach the issue of not only his mom calling but also the fact that he wanted Kacey to move in with him. She’d asked him to ask his leader or therapist, and he figured he needed to do that today.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he said with a nod. “My mom did text me the other day.”

Karson’s head whipped around. “What the hell for?”

“She wants me to call her.”

“Did you tell her to fuck off?”

“I ignored her. She’s called twice since.”

“Keep ignoring her. She wasn’t there the whole time you went through your shit; she doesn’t deserve you now.”

Jordie couldn’t agree more, but before he could say that, Coach blew the whistle and practice was back on. As he rushed the net with Karson, he decided that he loved playing with Karson. They did it well and could really read each other. It sucked last year when Karson went up with Shea because Shea’s linemate Jakob retired, but Jordie was happy for him. Shea made you a better player when you played with him, which was why Sinclair was on his line. Rumor was that Sinclair was being molded into the next captain, and Jordie believed it. The kid was one hell of a team player, and Jordie had liked him the moment they met.

But being on the ice again, playing with his boy, really had Jordie flying high. It just seemed like everything was falling into place. He was about to sign a new contract for six years, over three million dollars a year. He was with the girl of his dreams, hoping to build a future with her, and he was healthy. He couldn’t ask for more. He had it all. He just hoped he could keep it.

Because the calls from his mom worried him.

It gave him anxiety and made him want to throw his phone against the wall just so she couldn’t get ahold of him. Kacey suggested changing his number, but that wouldn’t stop her. She’d start hitting him up on Facebook and then, knowing her, she’d just pop in. He was going to have to answer her call, and he needed to be honest that he wanted nothing to do with her. But his mom was one hell of a manipulative bitch, and he had a hard time saying no to her.

He just didn’t want to relapse. He didn’t want to go back to how it was, and she had the power to throw him back into bad habits. He had been doing so well—he wasn’t even craving anything to drink because he was so fucking happy. It scared him to think that his cravings, his need for the bottle, could come back as soon as the darkness started to creep back. That was why he had to cut all ties. Not matter how hard it was going to be, he had to let her go.

She was the darkness.

When the whistle blew, calling his line, he let his issues with his mom go and focused on what made him happy. The sound of his skates against the ice, the feel of the force of the puck as it hit his blade, and the unbelievable feeling when he scored on Tate. But the greatest feeling was when he looked up and Kacey was waving her arms in the air, cheering for him.

He had it all.

Rubbing his hands together, Jordie leaned on the edge of his seat as he waited for Elli to call him in. He wasn’t sure why he was nervous. This was cut-and-dried and already in the books. He knew his salary, he knew she was keeping him, so why was his heart pounding in his chest? Letting out a long breath, he leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs. It had been a long, hard practice, which was why he was kind of late, not that Elli would mind. His agent wasn’t even there yet.

But why was he nervous?

When his phone dinged with a message, he pulled it out of his pocket to see that it was from Kacey.

Kacey: What are you doing after the meeting with Elli?

Jordie: AA.

Kacey: With Karson?

Jordie: Going alone today.

He waited for her to text him back, but to his surprise, it took longer than he thought.

Kacey: Are you coming back to the house afterward?

Jordie: Yeah, you’ll be there, right?

Kacey: Yeah, waiting on you.