Make Your Move (Aston Archers Hockey #1)

5. Lincoln

CHAPTER FIVE

LINCOLN

I skate over to the bench after practice is over and pull off my helmet before reaching for a water bottle. The past week has been kicking my ass, and I’ve been exhausted every day after I’ve gone home. We have our first preseason game in a few weeks, so it’s imperative that we make sure we’re all operating like a well-oiled machine.

There were a few things I needed to learn about the rest of the guys the first few days, but I think I’ve got them all pretty much figured out. Today was the first successful practice that we ran through all of our plays without any hiccups.

“Good job today, Matthews,” Carson says as he skates over to me. His blades shave the ice as he turns both at an angle and stops by the boards. “I’m really looking forward to playing with you this season.”

“Moving to a new team is always a little nerve-racking, but I think things are going to be good,” I tell him with a smile and a nod. Nash skates past, tapping me on the butt with his stick as he follows a few guys off the ice. “I think I’m starting to click with you guys.”

“Thank god for that,” Caleb, Carson’s brother, calls out as he goes skating past. “The last thing we need is a new liability on the team.”

My eyebrows pull together for a moment as I watch him step off the ice and head down the tunnel. Caleb is in his early thirties and has been playing for the Archers since he was drafted to the team when he was eighteen. The two of us haven’t necessarily butted heads, but he’s a little more reluctant to put too much stock in new players since he’s seen so many come and go.

He’s practically a legend in the league. If there’s anyone I want to prove something to other than the coaching staff, it’s him.

Rowan claps his hand over my shoulder. “Don’t let him get to you. He’s like a grumpy old guard dog who doesn’t actually bite.”

“Good to know,” I mumble, shaking my head as we head off the ice. We file back into the locker room, and everyone starts to take off their gear one layer at a time. I pull the tape from my socks and ball it up before throwing it into the trash can. I look over at Nash, who’s talking to Carson as he neatly folds his tape and sets it down on the bench.

Rowan sees me watching him. “It’s his thing. He folds the tape and then puts it in the trash can out in the parking lot.”

I look at Ford, and he simply shrugs. “It’s worked for me so far.”

“I guess if it isn’t broken, there’s no sense in fixing it,” I tell him. Hockey players and their fans all tend to be superstitious. I’m not going to question him on what he’s doing because this is mild compared to some of the other shit I’ve seen.

When I was in Orchid City, I played with a guy who saved his tape from every game. Each season he would create this new tape ball that he kept in a guest room in his condo.

Rowan joins in their conversation, and I tune the three of them out as I play over Caleb’s words in my head again. I usually don’t let things get to me as much as this is bothering me. He’s someone I’ve looked up to my entire career. The thought of him thinking I could potentially be a liability is driving me up a wall.

The last thing I want to do is get off on the wrong foot with the team’s most valuable player.

Everyone finishes undressing, and a few of the guys head in to get showered before heading home. I leave my gear and grab my other belongings before heading outside. Nash and I have been driving together all week. It’s been nice, but he takes so long after practice, I always end up sitting in the car waiting for him.

As I step out through the door, I see Caleb ahead of me walking through the parking lot. I don’t want to say anything to him, but I know I need to. If I don’t, I’m going to spend too much time trying to figure out what the hell his issue is with me.

“Hey Caleb,” I call out after him, breaking into a jog. He’s only a few feet ahead of me, and it doesn’t take me long to catch up with him. “I had something I wanted to ask you.”

Caleb stops walking as he reaches the side of his Bentley. He unlocks the door and opens it before turning to look at me. “What’s up?”

“This isn’t my first time being the new player on a team, so I know how things go, but I can’t help but feel like you have a problem with me.”

Caleb stares at me for a second, his brown eyes giving nothing away as he looks me dead in the eye. “You remind me a lot of myself.” He pauses for a beat, letting out a deep breath. “You’ve been playing long enough to be established and confident in your skills. Don’t get comfortable, Matthews. When you get comfortable, you fuck up.”

I remember the tragedy that struck Caleb a few years ago. He was living the life, married with a baby. His wife was killed by a drunk driver, leaving their infant daughter solely up to him to care for. He was out for half a season while he had to get his life in order.

“I thought I was untouchable, and I was quickly humbled when life showed me I wasn’t.” His jaw tightens, and he doesn’t break eye contact. “Just be careful, Matthews. You’re a skilled player and an asset to the team, but don’t get comfortable. It can all go away within the blink of an eye.”

I take a step back from his car, mulling over Caleb’s words. He closes his car door, and I begin to walk in the direction of Nash’s car. When I reach it, he’s already there, climbing into the driver’s seat. “This is weird. You usually take at least another twenty minutes.”

Nash gives me the middle finger. “Get in. We need to go pick up Poe.”

My spine straightens, and an anxiousness washes over me. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Nova didn’t realize the day care was closing early today, and she isn’t able to leave work for a few more hours.”

Relief floods me, and I climb into the car with him. The anxiety drifts away, and I’m happy to hear there isn’t anything wrong. There was a part of me that was frightened of the reason behind why we were picking up his niece.

When we get to the day care, Posey is waiting by the door for us. My interactions with her have been more in passing or during dinner. Nova has been keeping her busy and spending a lot of time with her outside before the weather starts to get too cold. It’s not my place to interject into their lives. It’s bad enough that I’m living under the same roof as her.

The same rules still apply.

I can’t get involved with my best friend’s sister.

“Would you like some more tea, Posey?” I ask the little girl sitting across from me as I hold up the toy teapot. Nash is sitting to my left, looking like the prettiest princess of all with his crown and Elsa wig. He claims Nova bought it for Poe to play with, but he looks mighty comfortable wearing it.

She brushes her curls away from her face with the back of her hand and nods as she holds out her teacup. “Yes, pwease.”

When I first met her, she came tearing into the room like a little tornado, and I thought maybe she was a little energetic kid. I still think that’s true, but this tea party experience has shown how well behaved she is. Nova taught her manners, and it’s clear she has taken the time to teach her daughter how to be polite and respectful, even at two.

I lean across the table and pretend to pour some tea into her cup. She smiles at me brightly in her pink frilly dress. They have a whole set up in her bedroom for afternoon tea, and Posey made sure her favorite stuffed animal got to sit in the fourth chair at the small square table.

“Watch your crown, Linc,” Nash tells me as it almost falls off my head. I wasn’t lucky enough to get a wig, but Nash insisted I needed to put my hair in a ponytail. It wasn’t long enough so I have two sticking up two inches on the top of my head like antennae.

I adjust my crown and settle back in my seat as the three of us pretend to sip our tea. Posey has Teddy sitting close enough to her that she grabs the other cup and holds it up to him like he’s drinking it.

Nash tosses the fake hair over his shoulder. “We should have made finger sandwiches or something.”

“Do you guys normally do that when you have a tea party?” I question him as I watch Poe straightening Teddy in his seat.

“No, but I’m fu—freaking starving.”

The door behind Nash suddenly opens, revealing Nova standing in the doorway. Her makeup is subtle, and her hair is in tamed curls falling down her back. Her expression is soft, and a smile drifts across her lips as she looks at the three of us sitting around the small table. The chairs are so goddamn little, my knees are by my chest.

“Well, what do we have here?”

Posey spins around when she hears her, and her face lights up. “Mommy!” She hops up from her chair and goes running across the room to Nova. Her dress isn’t closed in the back, and she trips over the fabric around her feet.

Nova catches her before she falls, laughing as she scoops her into the air. “Are Uncle Nash and Lincoln having tea with you?”

“And Teddy!” She giggles as she squirms in Nova’s arms to get down. Nova sets her back on the floor, and Posey grabs her hand as she pulls her over to where we’re sitting at the table. Nash sits there, sipping his pretend tea, while Nova sits down on the floor next to Posey.

“The two of you look dashing.” She smiles as she looks between Nash and me. Her eyes rest on mine for a moment before she speaks. “That crown really suits you, Lincoln.”

Lifting my hand, I touch the gold plastic on top of my head. “Thank you. Posey picked this one out for me.”

“Well, she has excellent taste.”

“Winky, more tea,” Posey says, breaking through the conversation as she holds up her tea cup. She takes the one from Teddy and hands it to Nova.

Nash snorts before he lets out a loud laugh. “Winky?”

Posey nods, smiling the biggest goddamn smile as she waves her cup at me. “Winky!”

Nova covers her mouth, trying to swallow back her laughter, but she can’t fight it as she starts to laugh with her brother. It’s the first Posey has tried to say my name, and her translation was not expected at all. It’s cute, but I also know Nash is going to take this name and run with it now.

“Oh man, this is great,” Nash chuckles as he shakes his head. “You know this name is going to stick forever, right?”

“I hate you.”

“We’re waiting for our tea, Winky,” Nova adds with a wink as our eyes meet.

I stare at her for a moment, giving myself passage into the depths of her blue eyes before I let out a sigh. Rolling my eyes, I bite back my grin and pour the fake tea into her cup and Posey’s. Posey giggles and pretends to sip her tea, but I’m too busy staring at her mother.

Nova lifts her plastic cup to her lips and watches me from over the edge of it. A pink tint creeps across her cheekbones, and she smiles sheepishly at me. She diverts her attention to her brother, commenting on his wig, but I don’t miss the way she keeps stealing more glances at me.

If I wasn’t fucked before, I most definitely am now.