Make Your Move (Aston Archers Hockey #1)

8. Lincoln

CHAPTER EIGHT

LINCOLN

A s I walk over to my car, the trunk pops open, and I lower my small bag into it. I glance around the parking lot, looking for Nash. I didn’t pay attention to where he went after we got off the plane, and he’s supposed to ride home with me. We just arrived back in Aston after being away for a week for our preseason games.

We’re home for the next two, away for one, and then we have our home opener. Our away games went as well as we could have imagined. We had a few kids with us from our farm team, and they didn’t play badly either. I’m sure there will be a few roster changes before the official start of the season, but things went well. The team played great together.

I have a feeling this season is going to be amazing.

Nash waves at me from where he’s standing by Ford’s car. “Yo, Linc. Follow us to The Salty Dog.”

I stare at him for a moment, feeling the exhaustion settling in my bones. “Are you guys not exhausted from traveling?”

“Nah,” Ford says, and Nash shakes his head. “Are you turning into an old man on us, Matthews? Soon you’re going to be just like old man Caleb.”

Caleb raises his middle finger at them before he climbs into his car. From what I’ve been told, it isn’t often that he comes out, since he has his daughter at home. On the rare occasion, he might come out for a drink or two, but those times are few and far between.

“I want to go home and shower and do nothing,” I tell them as I open the driver’s side door. “You go ahead. I’ll catch you guys next time.”

Nash says something I don’t catch, and Carson just nods and smiles before climbing into his car. I don’t know how they have the energy to keep going. I used to be more like that, but over the years, I’ve learned I need to listen to my body more. There have been times in the past when it’s really taken a toll on my body and mental state.

The guys leave to head to the bar, and I leave the parking lot, heading in the direction of Nash and Nova’s.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see her and Posey. I’ve grown used to seeing them every day for those two weeks, and it felt weird not seeing them or talking to them.

When I get home, it’s already after dinner and the sun has started to set. I pull up along the street in front of the house and pause outside of the front gate as I stare up at the house. All the lights are on, and I see Nova through the window. Her hands are on her hips, like she’s speaking sternly, but there’s a contradicting smile on her lips.

Goddamn, she’s fucking beautiful.

I give myself a second before I shove my feelings aside and head up to the house. The front door is already unlocked, and I let myself in. The aroma of something hearty drifts through the doorway, and there’s some kind of music playing softly in the background.

“Posey Mae. You know we do not put slime in our hair.”

Oh no, this can’t be good.

I walk into the living room, finding Nova staring down at her daughter whose blonde hair now looks blue. She looks over at me with a challenging look on her face before she looks back at her mother and stomps her foot. Posey has blue slime covering chunks of her hair. Nova glances over her shoulder, inhaling sharply when she sees me.

“Lincoln,” she breathes, almost like she’s relieved to see someone.

“Hey, guys,” I say to both of them, trying not to laugh at the situation I just walked in on. “What’s going on?”

“Well, someone decided it would be a good idea to put slime in her hair.” Nova’s nostrils flare, and she shakes her head. “Of course, it was already after she got a bath this evening.”

I walk over to Posey and crouch down in front of her as I lift a matted lock of hair. “Poe, your hair is blue.”

She giggles loudly shifting her weight on her feet. “Yes.”

“Do you think my hair would look good if it were blue too?”

“Yes!” Posey reaches for her head and pulls a string of slime from her hair. She lifts it up to my head, and I duck for her so she can put it in my hair.

“How does it look?”

Posey laughs and jumps up and down. “You hair blue too!”

I slowly stand up, turning to look at Nova. “Do you like it?”

She snorts. “I love it.” She laughs softly as she rolls her eyes. She looks back at Posey. “We’re going to go get that out of your hair, and then it’s bedtime, little miss.”

Posey sticks out her bottom lip as she pouts. “Night, Winky,” she tells me in a sad little voice before she heads out of the living room.

Nova sighs and shakes her head. “If you’re going to be around, I’d love to hear how your trip was after I get her handled.”

Her words warm my heart, and a smile lifts my lips. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Nova’s lips part like she’s about to say something, but she quickly closes them and exits the room without another word. I listen to the two of them head upstairs before I slip into the kitchen. I find the leftover food from what Nova made for dinner in the fridge, and I heat up a plate as I wait.

The microwave dings and I pull the plate out and sit down at the island in the center of the kitchen. I don’t know how much time passes, but I’m finished with my food when Nova reappears in the room. Her blonde hair is pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head, and she’s wearing a pair of cotton pajama shorts, along with a matching long sleeve shirt.

Her sleeves are pushed up to her elbows, and she brushes a stray curl from her face as she sits down on the stool next to me. She takes a moment to breathe before turning to look at me with a tired smile. “Remind me to never buy slime again.”

A soft chuckle rumbles in my chest, and I smile back at her. “Never buy slime again.”

“Thanks,” she says, laughing softly. “How was your trip? How did you guys do?”

Suddenly, I have no desire to talk about myself or hockey. I want to know what she did while we were gone. I want to know everything I missed while I wasn’t here.

“It went well. I personally am not a fan of being on the road, but it went as expected.” I pause and grab the bottle of water in front of me. “I think the season is going to go well.”

“That’s great.” Nova smiles. “I know Nash is really excited to play with you again.”

I nod but don’t comment on that. “How was your time with the house to yourself?”

“Well, it wasn’t really to myself,” she tells me as she lets out the quietest laugh. I don’t know if she means because Posey was here too or if there’s someone else. For all I know, Nova could be seeing someone, and I never realized it.

“This is going to sound stupid, but I don’t like being in this house alone, even if Posey is here,” she admits with her smile transforming into a sheepish one. “Nash will deny it until the day he dies, but I think there are some spirits hanging out here.”

I tilt my head to the side and prop my elbow on the counter before resting my chin on my hand. “Are they nice ones?”

Nova shrugs before she lifts her arms and rests them on the quartz island. “I think so. There hasn’t been anything bad that has happened. Just weird noises and things out of place occasionally.”

“Well, I think if you don’t feel anything bad or nothing bad as happened, they’re probably good.”

She nods in agreement. “I hope so. Just to be safe, Riley came over and stayed when she was able to.” She pauses, her eyes slowly looking between both of mine. “You remember her, right?”

Riley Harris has been Nova’s best friend for as long as I can remember. She’s one of the most straightforward and blunt people I’ve ever met, and honestly, it’s kind of refreshing. You always know you’re going to get the truth from Riley, even if you don’t like what she has to say.

“I do remember her,” I tell her, nodding. “I’m glad she came to stay with you so you weren’t alone.”

“Me too,” she says quietly as she directs her gaze down to her hands. She runs her right thumb over the left’s nail. A soft pink polish coats them.

I can’t help but wonder if Riley is the only one who came to see her…and I decide to take a page from her book.

“Is she the only one who came to keep you company?”

Nova whips her head to the side as a wave of surprise passes over her expression. Her blue eyes meet mine. “Yes. I don’t have time to entertain other…company.”

Relief floods me, and I stare back at her. She seems to know exactly what I was asking. I’m glad to know there’s no one in her life like that. “I understand that.”

She doesn’t break eye contact, and her tongue darts out to wet her lips before she speaks. “What about you?”

“What about me?” I question her, knowing exactly what she’s asking, but I want to hear her say the words. Ask me if I’m single, Nova.

“Who are you entertaining nowadays?”

I’d love to entertain you.

The corners of my mouth twitch. “No one,” I tell her honestly. There have been a few women in the past, but nothing long lasting. None of them were the type I would bring home to my family. Since Nash, his family, and the guys were the closest thing I had to one, I know none of them would have approved.

And there was no one I would have wanted to bring home for them to meet.

Those women were just passing moments—someone to occupy my time with and to make me feel a little less alone on those lonely nights.

I can’t even imagine bringing someone back here now. I wouldn’t even want to. Nova Simmons is the only one I want to occupy my time—even if it’s just as friends.

Nova’s throat shifts as she swallows. Her lips part, a shallow breath escaping her as the subtlest pink hues dances across her cheeks. “That’s good to know.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhm,” she murmurs, nodding as she mimics my movements and props her elbow on the counter and sets her chin on her hand. Her face is free of makeup, and I love how comfortable she is in her skin. Nova has always been so sure of herself and what she wants out of life.

I stare at her for a second, my stomach feeling like it’s floating. I pull out my phone, tapping on one of the ticket apps as I scroll through available seats. “Did Nash get you tickets to the home opener?”

She raises an eyebrow at me as she sits up straight. “No, not yet. He mentioned it, but didn’t say anything else.”

“Good,” I tell her, smiling to myself as I find seats in a suite box and select two of them. I can feel Nova’s eyes on me as she waits for me to say something.

“Why do you ask?”

The transaction is complete, and I send her the link for the tickets through a text message. I lift my eyes to hers as her phone dings on the counter. She raises an eyebrow at me, and I say nothing as I wait. Nova picks it up, unlocks the screen, and her eyes scroll through the text.

“What is this?”

“Tickets for you and Poe,” I tell her as she lifts her gaze back to mine. “I figured Nash was going to invite you, but I wanted to beat him to it.”

Nova’s eyes are soft and warm, gentle and tender as they penetrate mine. “You didn’t have to do that, Lincoln.”

“I wanted to.”

She shakes her head, almost as if she doesn’t want them. “Let me at least pay you back for them.”

I realize how forward the action was, even if it was coming from a good place. I don’t want her to feel pressured or anything negative. “If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

“No, I do want to.” She pauses, flattening her lips. “I also know these seats are expensive.”

So, it’s just Nova being her stubborn self.

I laugh softly, smiling at her. I can more than afford to put her and her daughter in a cushy suite. “Just say thank you, Nova.”

The corners of her lips lift. “Thank you, Nova.” Her eyes widen. “Shit, I mean Lincoln.” She lets out a hearty laugh, and I watch the way her face transforms like the moon. “I need to go to sleep.”

“Sleep sounds amazing right now,” I agree as I lean back to stretch, letting out a yawn.

Nova rises to her feet and pushes in the chair before she looks at me again. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

I smile at her, reveling in the promise on her lips.

“Tomorrow.”