But still, his grin was unstoppable. It felt like old times, and it was so refreshing that soon he was saying, “By the way, I made you breakfast.”

Her jaw dropped, but she only faltered for a second. Stomping past him, she yelled out, “Stick it up your ass, JT.”

He scoffed and called out to her. “But I made you sausage instead of bacon. I know how much you love my sausage.”

She threw her middle finger up and slammed her door with the vengeance of a two-year-old.

“Jordie,” Lacey scolded, and he shrugged.

“She’s easy to tease,” was his answer. But honestly, he couldn’t walk on eggshells around her. He’d grieve, he’d apologize, but after that, he was ready to win back his girl. He was going to do everything to show her that he had changed. That he was ready to be the man she deserved, but he wouldn’t lose himself. She loved his humor and he loved picking at her. He couldn’t stop, no matter how much she didn’t like him at the moment. She would get over that; she would forgive him because he would do everything to earn that forgiveness. He’d never believed in happily ever afters. They hadn’t been in his cards, but now, now he was ready for his.

But only if Kacey King was his queen.

“You’re an asshole, and I’m pretty sure she’s gonna make you pay for that.” Karson laughed as he stuffed his face with bacon, and Jordie matched his grin.

“Probably,” Jordie agreed, but he wasn’t worried. While she may be in the bedroom, cursing him to Hades, at least she was thinking about him. That’s what he wanted. He wanted her to remember the good times, and he was going to keep pushing them at her. Then he would beg for her to take him back.

Jordie had never begged a woman for anything, but he wouldn’t hold back with Kacey.

He just had to wait for the right time.

When Jordie reached the training center for the Assassins, he was home.

Within moments of walking in the door, all his boys were greeting him, manly hugs were a must, and Jordie couldn’t stop smiling if he tried. This was his home and these men were his brothers.

“Great to see you,” Tate Odder, the goalie for the Assassins, said in his thick Swedish accent. “Long time.”

“Yeah, it’s great to be back. How’s Audrey and the kiddos?”

Tate’s face lit up at the mention of his beautiful family. After their first child, they couldn’t get pregnant with the second child they so desperately wanted. But after some fertility treatments, they welcomed a little boy, Phillipe, this past summer. He was a preemie, but from what Jordie saw on Facebook, the little guy was getting stronger every day and everyone was very excited.

“Penny and Philly are good, very good. Audrey is wonderful too,” he said, nodding his head, that look of complete bliss on his face. “You, how’s the leg?”

“Great, I’m ready to rock,” he said just as Phillip Anderson cuffed him hard on the shoulder.

“JT, bro! You look like hell run over twice,” he laughed and Jordie grinned.

“I’m hitting up the barbershop after this. You know I don’t trust anyone but Billy Ray with this gorgeous mug,” he said, flashing his teeth, and Phillip laughed.

“If you can walk. Man, Karson’s sister is sadistic,” he said in a mock whisper. “She scares me.”

“But man, she has hands like a dream. My back’s been tweaking, but she rubs it out great,” Erik Titov said, and Jordie could definitely get behind that statement. Kacey did have great hands. Strong, and she knew how to work them. A chill ran down his spine at the thought, and he decided that he needed a nice rubdown by her.

“Good to see you, JT,” Lucas Brooks called at him and Jordie shook his hand with a nod, but before he could say anything, a large hand came down on his shoulder.

Looking over, he saw his captain and smiled. “Hey, Cap.”

Shea Adler nodded, squeezing Jordie’s shoulder. “Hey, Thomas, ready for the season?”

He nodded. “Yeah, absolutely.”

“Awesome, it’s good to have you back. Despite looking like a bird is making a home in your beard, you look good. Healthy.”

Jordie smiled as his cheeks grew a little darker. He wasn’t sure what Elli had told him about the night before, and it was hard to look into Shea’s eyes. But Jordie did it, nodding his head as he said, “Yeah. I feel that way.”

“Awesome, Elli said you’re joining us at church on Sunday? The boys are excited for Uncle Jordie to show up,” he said with a proud grin. Shea loved his kids, probably more than life itself. For sure, hockey, because rumor was that this was Shea’s last year. It was really a bummer, but at the same time, Shea wanted to be home with his kids. Elli was busy with the team and raising the whole Adler clan, and she was doing a stellar job at both, but it had to be nice to have some help. As much as no one wanted to see Shea go, they knew where his priorities were.

“Yeah, me too.” Jordie beamed.

“Jordie? What, you found Jesus, bro?” Phillip teased and everyone chuckled but Shea and Karson. They both just smiled as Jordie nodded.

“You can say that.”

Phillip laughed along with the guys. It wasn’t a secret that Jordie wasn’t too keen on praising the Lord. All of them had invited him to church on previous occasions and Jordie had quickly declined, so it didn’t bother him that they teased him. For the longest time, he was convinced the church would burn down and the roof would open to the good Lord above shaking his finger at him if he ever stepped foot inside. But he soon learned that wasn’t the case.