Best Of Both Worlds (Colorado Black Diamonds #4)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

GRAHAM

“ H ow you feeling, Flounder?” Jasper asks from his spot next to me on the bench. “All good?”

I jab my elbow into his side. “All good. We’re not all old men in the league.”

“Fuck you. I’m only thirty-four.”

“Ancient in hockey years,” Bode calls out from the other side of the locker room. “We’ll be pushing you off the ice before we know it.”

“Stop making fun of Jasper because he’s old. You’ll be lucky if you’re playing in the league that long.” Marcus rolls his eyes at us. Grabbing his stick and helmet, he leaves the locker room without giving us a backward glance.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” Dax mutters.

“Or one of the girls is sick,” I correct him.

“I can’t imagine raising twin girls.” Jasper shudders. “Do not sign me up for that.”

“You’d first have to find someone that likes you enough to want to have kids,” Bode prods at him.

“Do you think I could ask for a trade? I bet guys on other teams don’t have to deal with this shit,” Jasper grumbles to himself.

“Aww. But then you’d miss us,” I tell him.

Jasper rolls his eyes at me as he grabs his helmet and heads out to the ice for our first practice of the season.

“Hey guys.”

I track the voice of the new guy as he walks into the locker room.

Noah Fields. One of the Knights’ newest players. Even though the team traded for him last season, he didn’t get that much playing time.

It’s weird seeing him in our locker room. The red walls and floor with the Knights logo seemingly clash with him. The sleek, black lockers cut the brightness, but it still seems like Noah is seeking the attention of every man in the room.

I hate it.

Even still, he thinks he’s God’s gift to hockey.

The way he skates.

The way he wants everyone to treat him like a king.

The way he feeds off the attention of the crowd.

I hate it. I’ve hated it every minute since I started watching him play when he made it to the NHL. There’s a cockiness there that I could never get past.

Noah Fields isn’t the best player in the league. Not by a long shot, but with the way he carries himself, he thinks he is.

Asshole.

“You ready for a new season?” Dax asks him.

Noah shrugs, dropping his bag down into his locker on the other side of the room. Thank God for that at least.

“You know it. I’m ready for the season to start.”

“Just remember, we’re the red team,” Bode tells him before he leaves the locker room on a laugh.

“Ouch. Not like I can forget.”

Dax smacks him on the chest. “Ignore him. He probably didn’t get laid last night.”

“Is that common for him?” Noah asks, grabbing the back of his T-shirt and pulling it off and over his head.

Watching this exchange is mind-boggling to me. Noah wasn’t here long enough last season to adjust. It’s going to be weird having him here in my space now for the entire season.

My two worlds colliding.

It’s not like I can control who the team trades for, but really? Noah Fields? They had to pick him up.

“You coming?” Dax calls out to me.

Looking around, I realize I’m one of the last guys in the locker room. I grab my helmet and stick and follow them out to the ice.

Breathing in the cold air helps to push all thoughts of Noah from my head. He can be the cocky player if he wants. I don’t care.

Because stepping onto the ice is what I was born to do.

Looking up to the rafters, I take a minute to soak this feeling up. It’s still new since it’s only my third season with the Knights.

There’s not much in the way of accolades hanging from the ceiling. Other teams have championship banners and retired numbers gracing their stands.

Us? Banners from our sponsors are about the only thing there.

I want to change that. With Coach Andrews coming in midway through last season, he didn’t get a chance to make a lot of changes.

But he’s hungry. I can feel it in the way he coaches us. He doesn’t want the Knights to be a circled win anymore—a guaranteed victory for any team we might face.

The energy on the ice feels different as he calls everyone to center ice.

“Morning, gentlemen. I don’t know about you, but I’m fired up that today is day one for the Knights.”

A few guys break out into cheers and claps.

“I don’t have to tell you what the pundits are saying. We all know what everyone thinks about the Knights.”

“Rounding out the bottom of the league,” Mickey, our defensive coach starts, “the Knights will likely get the first pick in the draft next season. With a change in coaching last season, the Knights didn’t do much to show they are a contender for the playoffs. This season? Expect to see much of the same.”

“Fuckers!” Bode shouts next to me.

“That is the last time they will ever say that about the Knights. I don’t care what happened in the past. We’re looking forward. What worked last season is not going to cut it this year. We’re going to train harder. Faster. Longer. We’re not going to be the laughingstock of the league anymore.”

The lights of the arena reflect off Coach’s glasses, making it hard to see his eyes. But there has to be a fire there. Ready to light the gas under every one of our asses.

Every single person on the ice is eating up his words. This is the passion that was missing from our last coach. This job was a paycheck to him. He didn’t care if we won or lost. He did the bare minimum and called it a day.

Not Coach Andrews. I don’t know if I’ve ever played for a coach that has as much drive as him. I fucking love it.

“Mark my words. The Knights will be in contention for the Stanley Cup in the next four years.”

“Hell yeah!” someone shouts.

“It won’t be easy though. Excuses aren’t going to cut it around here. I want your very best every day. Knights Hockey is going to become synonymous with grit, hard work, and determination.”

The excitement from all the players is palpable. When Coach Andrews came in last season, it was more cleaning up and trying to make it through the season. Today feels like a fresh start. A new season of possibility.

“We’re going to start practice today working with your line coaches and then run some drills. Like the start of every new season, you’ll be feeling it, so make sure you take care of yourself, alright?”

Coach blows the whistle and dismisses us.

“Seems like Coach Andrews will be good.”

Noah skates over to me, an excited look on his face.

“I think he’ll be great for the Knights,” I tell him. Good? Just good?

I have no idea what the future holds for our team, but I want to one-up the guy now standing in front of me.

Noah knows what it’s like to play for a winning team, having won a few cups with Colorado. He doesn’t get to skate in here and act like everything is going to be the exact same.

“Just got to put in the work like Coach said.”

“You think I don’t know that?” I fire back.

Noah throws his hands up. “Easy, man. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I know that we have to put in the work. I’ve been working hard every day since the Knights drafted me.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t.” An uneasy look washes over his face. “All I’m saying is it’s going to take a team effort to get us where Coach says he can take us.”

“And we can do it.”

I skate off, not wanting to exchange any more words with him. Seriously, who does this guy think he is? Is he trying to angle for the captain’s position?

Marcus has had that locked up for the last few years. The only thing that matters to him, outside his daughters, is hockey.

Noah can’t come in here and take the baton from him. Hell no. I won’t let it happen.

The Knights are my team. I’ll protect them with everything I have. I don’t want Noah to come in here and think he owns the place.

No way.

I don’t care how good of a player he is. I’ll be the better player just to prove him wrong.

Just wait and see.