Wild Tendy (IceCats Book 2) Read online

I am so focused on the puck that soon the noise falls away, and all I see or hear is the puck. It’s cool how this works for me. I can hear the way puck moves when it is hit. When it’s slapped, I know it’s gonna come in hot but with a little bit of a wiggle to it. Wrist shots are sorta silent, but they move like lightning when they come toward me. All I see is the puck, but also, I see the fucker who tries to mess with me. Everyone always wants to take an extra poke at me when they can. They hate how good I am. How I can ruin their night while lying on my back like a turtle. I can still block their shot, no matter what. I will. I’m that damn good.

  Seventeen minutes have already passed, and I’ve blocked all nine of their shots. My boys are throwing pucks at their net with no accuracy at all. They didn’t put up high shots last game, and while we won, it took the whole night to score that goal. Coach ripped into them for being too clean. He wanted grittiness. He also said that if it weren’t for me, we would have lost. He’s the best for stroking my ego. He and Aviva. After my shutout the other night, which she called a “shutoff,” she kept saying how impressed she was by me. It made me feel way too much.

  I think I’ve fallen for her.

  But I can’t think of her right now. I have a game to win. I focus in just as Chandler gets the puck. He holds it, his eyes moving like crazy as he tries to set up the play. A forward comes toward him, so he passes it out to his partner, Kurri, who holds it once more. He sends it back to Chandler, who shoots…but misses the goal completely. I don’t know why he does that. He was drafted early; shouldn’t he know how to hit the net by now? The puck moves up the boards and Kurri tries to stop it, but the bugger jumps over his blade. One of the forwards is in the right place at the right time, and he’s off.

  Coming right for me.

  Bring it.

  I square up, watching every single inch of his body. I can usually tell if they’ll go top shelf by the positioning of their back leg. By the looks of it, this dude has no clue what he is going to do. He’s coming in hot, though. I watch the puck, ready, and when he pulls his stick back, I think he’s gonna slap it. What an idiot. Like I expect, he slaps it, and I block it with my blocker. Unfortunately, the damn thing rebounds right back on the asshole’s stick. I guess he was hoping for that because his back leg slides, and I know he is going top shelf. When I swallow the puck with my glove, I stand up, towering over the guy as the few IceCats fans cheer.

  The Sharks guy is not happy. “Fuck.”

  “Maybe next time,” I call, and then I chuckle. “But probably not.”

  I mean, not to be cocky, but I know I’m that good.

  I let in two power play goals, but in my defense, our defense was sucking. I don’t know what is going on with our second defense pair, but they need to get their shit together. Thankfully, our boys put up four goals, so we won. Yet, those two goals haunt me. I sit at the front of the plane, my legs stretched out toward the wall with my head hanging over the back of the seat. Usually, the front is for coaches and media, but the first row is mine. They know I don’t do confined spaces, and the guys… I love them, but there is too much stimulation back there. If they aren’t talking about the game, they’re talking about hot chicks. And then the video games—I shudder at the thought. Way too much stimulation. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a game of Mario Kart or even Call of Duty, but with the full plane, and then the lights… Yeah, it messes with me.

  I exhale heavily, and when I feel someone fall into the seat beside me, I open my eyes.

  Chandler is staring at me. “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  He hooks his thumb to the back. “I think we’re gonna play some cards if you want to join.”

  I shake my head. “I’m good. Decompressing from the game.”

  “I hear you,” he says, nodding. He stretches out his legs. “Going to see Aviva when we land?”

  “Yeah, it’s late, but she wants me to come by.”

  “Nice. I’m ready to see Amelia and the kids.”

  I grin over at him. “I bet. It has to be harder being away.”

  His face says it all. He’d give up everything to be home with the kids and Amelia. “Yeah, but the nice thing is my mom is helping a lot. She traded me in for the kids.”

  I laugh. “It’s weird not having her on the road.”

  Chandler nods because he knows I’m right. His parents used to go all over with us. He comes from some insane blue-blood money, and they do what they want, when they want. They travel with us, rent houses where we are, and enjoy life. It’s awesome. Since the twins came, though, Mama and Papa Moon have not been seen. Instead, they’re home with Amelia, spoiling the shit out of those babies. I find it sweet since they couldn’t have kids biologically.

  “Yeah, but it’s nice to know that the kids and Amelia are cared for,” he says. I love how happy he is. He deserves it. “Though, my mom is on my last nerve.”

  I laugh. “How? She’s awesome.”

  He gives me an exasperated look. “She wants us to get a bigger house. Says the beach house isn’t good enough for the kids. I mean, she’s right, they don’t have their own rooms, but they’re little. It doesn’t matter right now.”

  “Yeah, I can see both sides.”

  “Amelia says she’ll do what I want, but I don’t want to leave the place where we fell in love.”

  God, he’s so mushy-gushy. “I hear you.”

  “I think I might build on to it instead.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “Yeah,” he says, and then he turns to look at me. “So, things are good with you and Aviva?”

  “Real good,” I admit.

  “I thought being on the road would be hard for you. Usually you’d already have been through a few girls by now.”

  I would have. It’s how I handle being on the road and losing, or hell, even winning. I love sex, but I guess it’s different now. I don’t want to jeopardize what I have at home. “Don’t need them when I have my baby at home.”

  Chandler seems impressed. “That’s awesome, dude. You seem happy.”

  “I am. Really.”

  He nods as he looks away. “Listen, I need to talk to you.”

  I sit up, crossing my legs. “Yeah?”

  “We both know how much I love Amelia,” he starts, and I just give him a dry look.

  “No! You love her? I’d never suspect that.”

  He snorts, and I grin over at him. “Yeah, and I know we were waiting to get married so that we can have a huge shindig. But last night, we were talking on FaceTime, and I was watching her with the babies, holding them, and just looking like an angel. I decided I didn’t want to wait.”

  “No?”

  “No. So I told her I want to get married. Now.”

  I jerk my head back. “Did you marry her without telling anyone?”

  He laughs. “No, but we decided that during our little game break, we’re gonna have a small wedding on the beach.”

  My heart warms. “No shit.”

  “Yeah, and I want you to be my best man.”

  I swallow hard. I know I should just say yes, but I find I’m starting to sweat. I’ll have to stand with no gear on in front of how many people? I know they’ll probably only be looking at Amelia and Chandler, but I’ll be up there. “It’ll be small?”

  “Yeah, my family, hers, you. Fifteen people max,” he promises. “Everyone who will be there will be people you know.”

  He thought this through, and I swear, I don’t know what I would do without this man. He’s my brother, and my love for him is soul-deep. Just acknowledging that brings the guilt back. I should tell him. Right now, right here—tell him the truth. He loves me, cares for me, yet I can’t. “Yeah, of course.”

  He cups my shoulder. “Awesome, but just a heads-up, Shelli will be there. With Aiden.”

  I wait for something. A feeling. Sadness, anger, resentment—anything. But nothing comes. I shrug. “That’s fine. Can I bring Aviva and Callie?”

  He nods eagerly. “Absolu