One Pucking Destiny (Crane Hockey #4)

Chapter 9

CHAPTER

NINE

BASH

A dmittedly, the Texas bye week accommodations that Beckett and Elena secured are pretty badass. The massive property feels like our own little village. Beckett and Elena are treating this as their wedding reception, so they have invited the entire Crane Organization and their families. Normal bye weeks consist of the players, a few non-teammate friends, and a bunch of women. This place has a different feel, but I can’t say I hate it. Apparently, Elena’s late father left her a bunch of money, so she’s paying for everything for anyone who wants to attend. It’s pretty cool to see all the Crane office staff here with their families, too. Our organization is as great as it is because of everyone here. We all play our part .

This place has everything. The property has three mansions, one of which is occupied by the players and is more lively. One is reserved for families with children. And the third is secretly called the old people’s pad and is reserved for everyone’s parents. There are five pools, a golf course, a mini-golf course, a bumper car pad, a tennis and basketball court, and stables where we can ride horses. A huge kid’s play area by the house where the families are staying has every contraption a playground could have, including an area with inflatable bouncy houses.

In the middle of it all is a common area, a huge patio with seating, tables, a fireplace, and a bar. It’s covered by a roof held up by beams, leaving the place open to the outdoors. Next to the patio is the largest pool on the estate. During the day, we all go there to grill out, play cards, and be together.

We’ve been here for two days, and for the first time ever, I actually do feel relaxed on bye week. Beer in hand, I sport my bathing suit while lying in a lounge chair beside the pool.

“Yo, asshats.” Gunner Dreven, our giant goalie, stands at my feet.

“Come on, Beast. Now that’s just rude.” I wave my hand to the side, gesturing for him to move. “The name was uncalled for, and you’re blocking our sun.”

Jaden, Max, Eddy, and Sean grumble in agreement. At least I think they’re agreeing. They could still be in the hungover phase, where everything comes out as a groan.

Dreven continues, “Beckett sent me over to tell you that Elena’s daughter just arrived and to remind you all that she is strictly off-limits. As in there will be serious consequences if any of you so much as look in her direction. Are we clear?” Our grumpy goalie is intimidating on a good day. He’s downright terrifying when he wears a scowl like the one he has now.

“Don’t you think ignoring someone and refusing to talk to them is rude?” I quip. “I mean, if you want the girl to feel welcome, I think we should at least be allowed to talk to her.”

“You know what I mean. Nothing inappropriate,” he warns.

Jaden speaks up with a quirk of his brow and a smirk. “Define inappropriate.”

In one fell swoop, Dreven pulls the end of Jaden’s lounge chair and dumps him in the pool. “Any more stupid questions?” Dreven asks the rest of us. When we don’t answer, he walks away.

“Motherfucker,” Jaden grumbles, wiping the water from his face. He lifts the chair from the water. Eddy reaches over to help pull the chair out.

“It doesn’t seem fair to prohibit us from talking to her,” Max states. “I mean, she’s a grown-ass adult. If she wants to hang out with one of us, she should be able to.”

“Plus, she’s a fucking goddess. How are we not supposed to look at her?” Sean questions.

“Seriously.” Jaden lifts himself out of the pool. “We have teammates, office staff, children, and old people here. This is not the making of a bye week. A hot girl finally arrives, and we’re just supposed to twiddle our thumbs? I get it. This is the new family-friendly version of the Crane Hockey team.” He sounds less than amused. “But throw us a bone.”

“She’s that hot?” I ask.

“You haven’t seen her?” Max questions while four sets of eyes turn my way.

I chuckle. “No. Where did you all see her?”

“She’s come by the arena to meet Elena before,” Sean says.

“Plus, that one night a couple of months ago when we picked Beckett up at his place. She was there,” Max adds.

“Where was I?” I ask.

Jaden speaks up. “I think you were visiting Hattie.” He swipes his hands over his hair and then down his body, discarding some of the water. “This bye week needs a little livening up. Who dares me to push the Beast in the pool?”

A round of laughter ensues .

“Absolutely no one.” Max grins. “Can you imagine? He’d kill you.”

“Eh, he’s all bark, no bite,” Jaden states, but even as the words come from his mouth, it’s clear he doesn’t believe them. He seems to reconsider. “Fine, but I’m taking his money tonight during poker.”

“Good luck.” Jaden has yet to beat any of us at poker. He has a problem schooling his expression. We can always tell when he’s bluffing.

I throw my arm behind my head. Closing my eyes, I tilt my head back and let the sun warm my skin. There’s a shuffling of chair legs against the patio tile and a scurry of bodies. I open my eyes to see all the guys hurrying toward the covered patio area. I’m too curious to remain by myself, so I follow them.

A crowd of people stand in front of Beckett and Elena to meet this daughter, I assume.

“Hey there. Nice to see you again,” Jaden says in his signature flirtatious tone.

He better watch himself.

When I make it over to the group, I inch through the guys to introduce myself. It’s only polite, after all.

I stop, frozen in place, and my heart starts beating out of my chest while I struggle to pull in a breath. It’s been four and a half months since I last saw her face, one that I never thought I’d see again .

I have scoured Michigan State University’s social media pages for a glimpse of her, looked up all the student lists available online, gone to more college bar nights with Hattie than I care to admit, dropped by the bookstore multiple times, and spent hours walking around the very large college campus like some sort of stalker in hopes of seeing her again. Desperate for a glimpse.

Now, those big, beautiful doe eyes that frequent my dreams stare right back at me.

“Cookie.” Beckett motions me over. “Have you met Elena’s daughter, Ari?”

Her eyes light up with recognition, just for a moment, before she plasters a generic smile on her face. I open my mouth to answer Beckett, searching for the right words. As many times as I’ve hoped to see my mystery Book Girl again, I’m at a loss, the ability to speak vacating my brain. Before I can formulate an answer, she extends a hand and shakes mine. “Nice to meet you…Cookie? That’s an interesting name.” Her response is generic, similar to how she’s greeted every other person here. There’s no evidence of our prior connection.

“You’ll find out the origin of his nickname at the competition tomorrow,” Beckett says casually.

She drops my hand. “Competition?” Ari looks at Beckett .

He supplies a goofy grin. “A cookie baking competition.”

“Man, you hockey players are hard-core. Baking competitions? I’m afraid to ask what I missed the first couple of days.” She chuckles, swiping a lock of her long brunette hair behind her ear, a seemingly mundane gesture. But something was in that movement—a spark of nerves and a plea for secrecy. It fluttered over her face so quickly I almost missed it, but it was there.

There’s no doubt she remembers me, but more than that, she clearly doesn’t want anyone here to know that she does.

“Nice to meet you,” I blurt out, earning some side glances since the moment for that statement has long passed.

The team peppers Ari with questions like a group of middle school children eager to edge their way in with the cool kid.

What are you studying?

When do you graduate?

Where are you planning to live?

What do you think of Beckett and Elena’s marriage? And the baby on the way?

The questions are rattled off in rapid succession. Her responses make it to me, but they’re garbled as if my head is submerged in a pool of water. I feel heavy and weightless all at once. My feet are set in place, anchored to the ground by the shock of her sudden presence in my life while my body floats up in the sky, hopping from cloud to cloud like a gleeful Care Bear overfilled with joy at finally finding her.

Inhaling a steady breath, I take a step back, anxious to leave. I need to clear my head and get my shit together. Increasing my distance from her eases the ache in my chest and allows me to breathe.

When I’ve cleared the pavilion, I turn away and jog toward the mansion that houses my room for the week. It’s not the reaction I thought I’d have when finally finding her, but this isn’t the way I thought that would happen either. I can’t confront her in front of the team. Nor can I speak to her at this moment when words fail me. She’s just arrived, and while I’m not certain how long she’s staying, I know I have time.

My head is muddled with confusion. The visceral reaction I felt with her arrival has thrown me off. This is ridiculous—I know that. I can’t rationalize this feeling. The situation isn’t that deep, or at least it shouldn’t be. I simply need to get her alone and talk to her. She wants more, or she doesn’t. She thinks about our night together, or she doesn’t. Life will go on either way.

I open the door to my room and close it behind me. Leaning my back against the wooden surface, I go over my next steps .

Take a hot shower.

Chill the fuck out.

Call Hattie.

Talk to Ariana.

One thing is for sure, this bye week has just become a lot more interesting.