Pucking Only (Night Hawks Hockey #2)

Chapter Three Reunited

CHAPTER THREE: REUNITED

SKYLER

The flight to Denver is smooth and uneventful, which is a relief after the hoops I had to jump through to get Mr. Ferguson to approve my little trip. I had to convince him that the direct experience would only make the game better. I agreed to drop my paid vacation rate while I’m out of the office. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make because it will all be worth it when I get that promotion.

As soon as the plane touches down, I text my dad to let him know I arrived in Denver safely. Even though he lives so far away, he still worries when he knows I’m traveling and wants me to check in.

Making my way off the plane, my heart is hammering with excitement as I weave through the crowd toward baggage claim. My Zelda t-shirt and yoga pants feel stretched out and rumpled. My skin is weirdly dry from the recycled plane air. I don’t really care. There’s only one thing on my mind right now. That’s finding my best friend, my head on a swivel as I search for Grace.

“Skyler! Skyler! Over here!”

Stopping in my tracks, I turn in the direction of her voice. When my eyes land on her, I squeal and run toward her. We crash into each other, screaming and laughing and hugging.

“You’re here! You’re here!” she exclaims as we jump up and down, hands clutched tightly.

“I’m here! I’m here!” I reply with equal jubilation.

We hug again, neither of us seemingly willing to let the other go. I’m so happy to see Grace again that I feel tears prick the corners of my eyes, but I hold them back. Being with her, I feel whole again - like she’s a part of me that I hadn’t realized I’d been missing. Now that we’re back together, I feel like the world has been righted and every piece of me has clicked back into place.

At last, we calm down enough that we can speak at a regular volume and stop bouncing.

“Oh, my God, it’s so good to see you,” Grace says, looking me up and down. “You look fantastic.”

I roll my eyes playfully and shake my head. “Please, I’m a mess. You, though…you’re stunning, Grace. Being in love seems to agree with you.”

I look her up and down, and she looks as beautiful as ever. Her brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail. When the light catches it, her golden highlights sparkle. Her blue eyes are twinkling in a way I’ve never seen before, and she seems to have a strange glow about her. She’s holding her chin higher, and she just appears…softer. Not as rigid and tightly buttoned-up as she used to be.

With a start, I realize that she’s actually looked this way before…that week in Miami, when she first met Jensen.

Her cheeks flush and her lips curl up into an almost giddy grin.

“Yes, well…I’m pretty lucky,” she replies. Looping her arm through mine. “Come on! Let’s get your bags and head to my pl ace. We’ll get you settled before you go meet the team tomorrow.”

“Sounds great,” I tell her.

“Jensen arranged everything with the coach,” Grace continues. “You’re going to get what is essentially a press pass. That is what I have. You will be able to have access to the team on and off the ice.”

“Perfect,” I reply. “I really can’t thank you enough, Grace. Jensen either, but I’m not going to tell him that because I can’t give him the upper hand.”

“The upper hand in what?” she asks with a laugh.

“In who you’re favorite person in the world is,” I explain in a deadpan tone, making her throw her head back in laughter.

We wait for my bags. Once we snatch them off the baggage claim carousel we make our way out of the airport. I’m immediately slapped in the face by the cold, Colorado air and suck in a breath.

“What the hell?” I exclaim. “You didn’t tell me we were in the Arctic Tundra up here!”

Chuckling, Grace rolls her eyes and says, “Oh, calm down. It’s not that bad for February.”

“This is what they mean when they talk about hell freezing over,” I insist.

Laughing, Grace continues leading me to her car, which is parked nearby in the West Garage. After loading my stuff, I climb into the car and she takes off into the Denver traffic.

“You’re going to love it here, Skyler,” Grace says as we merge into traffic. “Denver is a great city. I can’t wait for you to officially meet Jensen again…and the rest of the team. They’re all really great guys.”

I look at her with a wide smile and say, “Oh, how the tables have turned. Did I actually just hear you compliment an entire hockey team? ”

She rolls her eyes and lets out a huff. “Oh, bite me. You were right, okay? I was wrong to assume all hockey players were arrogant assholes.”

“I feel like I have stumbled into the Upside Down,” I tease, then add, “I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone.”

She hesitates a moment before adding. “And, of course…there’s Carson.”

My hands clench in my lap at the sound of Carson’s name.

“Ah, Carson ,” I sigh. “I was trying to forget that your numbskull brother is here, too. What a joy it will be to see him again.”

Grace chuckles and shakes her head. “As much as I love watching you two go at it and fight like an old married couple, you both need to behave yourselves. I’ve already had a talk with Carson, so he shouldn’t be a jerk to you.”

“Right,” I grumble. “I’m sure that’ll last.”

“Just try not to kill each other, all right?”

I give a firm nod. I don’t want to kill Carson. I don’t actually hate him. In fact, if I had to, I’d probably even claim him as a friend. We’ve known each other long enough. Our whole lives, really. Still, there’s something about Carson that drives me crazy. I can’t seem to keep hold of my temper when I’m around him. He knows how to push all my buttons and he seems to enjoy doing so. It’s not my fault we always end up going for each other’s throats.

“I’ll do my best,” I promise Grace, turning my head to look out my side window. “If he starts it, though…”

“Yes, yes, if he starts it, by all means, wreck him,” Grace says with a grin. “But I think you two will be able to get along a lot easier now that you are both older and more mature.”

I roll my eyes and scoff. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard you say, but I love you, so I’ll forgive you.”

She chuckles and glances at me out of the corner of her eye before she looks straight out the windshield again.“You are both ridiculous, you know that?”

I shrug and sink further into my seat. “He’s ridiculous. I’m a delight, and always right. He should know better than to think otherwise. He should also know that if he crosses me, I will make him eat his own balls.”

She laughs, unbothered by my threat. “Whatever. So, here’s the deal. You’re going to basically have my apartment to yourself. I actually spend most of my nights over at Jensen’s place, which is just across the street. We’ll still spend tons of time together but you’ll have some actual privacy. I hope that’s okay?”

“Yeah, that sounds perfect,” I assure her. “It’ll be good to have some time and space so I can get my work done. Plus, I need my special quiet time to double click my mouse, and it would be awkward with you there.”

Grace shoots me a glance and just ignores my hilarious masturbation joke. “Don’t get me wrong, Sky, I love having you here, but are you sure you want to go through all this trouble for that company? The way they treat you…”

“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “I’m almost where I’ve always wanted to be, Grace. I’m so looking forward to whipping Samuel’s ass and rubbing my victory in his smug, stupid face. Then I’ll be in a position where they’ll have to show me respect and listen to what I have to say. Everything will be different once I get this promotion.”

She frowns. “Are you sure? What if nothing really changes? What if you don’t get the promotion?”

I can’t even entertain that possibility in my head. If all this ended up being for nothing…

Shaking my head, I push the thought aside. No, no, I’m not even going there. I’ll lose my ever-loving shit if this doesn’t work .

“I’ll get the promotion,” I say with more confidence than I actually feel.

Grace sighs and nods. “Yeah, I’ve no doubt you’re going to knock this thing out of the park, Sky. They’d be idiots not to promote you.”

I sit back and release a long slow breath. They would be idiots, but a part of me worries about the fact that I have been convinced on more than one occasion that my boss is, in fact, an idiot.

“Grace, this place is adorable.”

Standing in the middle of her apartment, I look around and take in what is essentially going to be my new home for the next few weeks. It’s meticulously clean and organized. It makes perfect sense given how type A Grace is. And yet, it’s still warm and homey with vases of brightly colored flowers, framed pictures and water color paintings of flowers and landscapes on the walls.

Most of the photos are of her family. I smile when I find one of the two of us at our high school graduation. We’re both wearing our graduation robes. Mine is unzipped and my hat is askew, while hers is perfectly neat and arranged.

I smile softly, remembering how inseparable Grace and I were then. We were practically attached at the hip. Then I shudder, thinking about how much high school sucked. I was short, nerdy, and wore glasses…and while all those still technically apply to me, it made me prime prey for the mean girls. I put on a brave, sassy front and acted like their taunts and bu llying didn’t bother me. Truthfully, I wouldn’t choose to go back to those years if given an option.

"I can't believe you chose this picture out of all the other ones of us together,” I say with a chuckle. “What about the cute one we took when we met those guys at the bar on your twenty-first birthday?”

Grace lets out a laugh and replies, "If I recall correctly, it was you and Rylee who met the guys. I left early."

I pause and scrunch up my nose as I try to remember that night - it’s admittedly very blurry.

“Oh, yeah,” I say as more details fall into place in my head. “That’s right…my bad.”

Her living room area is to my right, and her kitchen is on the left. A short hallway off the living room leads to her bathroom and bedroom.

Grace looks up from where she’s standing in the kitchen, a bottle of wine in one hand and a corkscrew in the other.

“I’m glad you approve,” she says as she works to open the bottle. “You should have everything you need. The building is quiet, the wifi is strong, I’ve washed the bedsheets and you’ve got new, clean towels in the bathroom. Oh, I stocked the cupboards and fridge with all your favorites, too.”

“Thank you, mom,” I tell her with a wide smile.

“I just want to make sure your stay is as comfortable as possible,” she replies just as she pops the cork, pouring two glasses and bringing one over to me. “We have a few minutes until Jensen gets here. I ordered us dinner, so that shouldn’t be too long either.”

“Well, thank you.” I take the glass and take a sip. “I really appreciate you letting me stay here, Grace.”

“It’s a really good building,” she assures me. “Friendly neighbors, tight security. And Carson’s just a few floors above you. ”

I freeze and stare at her with wide eyes. Shit! I totally forgot! Ugh, Grace had mentioned once that Carson lived in the same building as she did. I’d apparently shoved that bit of information to the back of my mind.

A sudden knock on the front door yanks me from my spiraling thoughts.

“Oh! That’s probably Jensen!” Grace declares, hurrying past me to answer it.

I stare after her, a mixture of shock and irritation pulsing through me. I’m not surprised she kept that little bit of information secret. Yet, it irks me that she did. Still, I don’t suppose I can be too upset with her, and I’m not going to scold her in front of her boyfriend.

She opens the door and exclaims, “Hey!”

“Hey, babe,” Jensen replies and drops his head to give her a kiss after which Grace moves aside and gives him room to come into the apartment.

He’s taller than I remember. To be fair, I haven’t seen him in person since we met him in Miami our freshmen year of college. Not that we actually knew who he was back then or that he was Carson’s best friend.

He’s still ridiculously good-looking. Tall, muscular build, dark hair that’s long on the top and cut short on the sides, and a closely trimmed beard give him a rugged yet stylish appearance. He smiles, his green eyes twinkling, and offers me his hand to shake. It’s big, and you know what they say about men with big hands. I shoot a grin toward Grace and waggle my eyebrows at her. She rolls her eyes. Her cheeks turn pink, and the corners of her mouth twitch up into a bashful smile.

“Hey, Skyler,” he says, his voice deep and rumbling. “It’s nice to meet you…again. Properly this time.”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you properly too,” I reply, giving his hand a firm grip and shake. “I totally forgot how attractive you are in person. You were with another ridiculously hot guy in Miami…who was he again?”

“Ah, yes,” he chuckles. “As blunt as ever, I see. That was my brother, Tyler.”

Ah, yes. Tyler. The super sexy giant.

“Yeah, him,” I nod, grinning. “You should re-introduce us sometime. Grace, we can date brothers, right? There’s no rule against that?”

Grace chuckles. “Nothing in writing, no.”

Jensen laughs and says, “I’ll see what I can do. Tyler’s a pro-football player with the Memphis Rhinos, so his schedule is about as packed as mine.”

I let out a disappointed sigh. “Well, we’ll find a way if we’re meant to be.”

Jensen shakes his head and declares, “I think it’s time for a drink.”

“Let me get you a glass,” Grace says, smiling up at him.

She goes to the kitchen to pour a third glass while Jensen and I stand awkwardly staring at each other.

“So,” Jensen begins, looking at me. “You make video games, huh?”

I nod. “Yep. Do you play any?”

He shrugs. “I dabble here and there but I’m not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination. One of the guys on the team is, though. Zander…you’ll meet him. If he wasn’t playing pro hockey I swear he’d be a pro gamer.”

That peaks my interest. “Oh, yeah? Sweet! You’ll have to introduce us. I’m always up for meeting fellow gamers.”

“For sure,” he nods as Grace returns and hands him a glass of wine before ushering us to sit on the stools next to the kitchen counter. “The team is excited to have you around. They all think it’s cool you’re using us to make a video game. ”

Arching a brow, I reply, “Soooo, you’ve been talking to your teammates about me, huh?”

His mouth drops slightly and he looks momentarily startled, but then smiles again. “Well… I had to warn them all about you. Prepare them so you don’t totally plow them over.”

“Hmmm, that’s actually very smart of you. Make sure they guard their loins before I arrive.”

He releases a snort of laughter. “Holy shit, the guys are going to love you.”

I chuckle. “I hope they know the game isn’t about the Night Hawks specifically…”

He nods. “No worries, they know. Some of them are going to try and convince you to model game characters after them, so fair warning.”

I laugh. Okay, I knew I liked this guy if he was smart enough to realize how fantastic Grace is. The fact that he can take some friendly teasing gets him extra major brownie points in my book.

“What did you order for dinner?” Jensen asks, wrapping his arm around Grace’s shoulders and dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

“Oh, I ordered from Jade Palace,” she replies.

Suddenly, another knock sounds on the door.

“I’ll get it,” I say without thought.

“Oh, Skyler, you don't have to,” Grace calls out. “I need to tip them…”

But, it’s too late. I’m at the door and opening it, expecting it to be the Chinese food we ordered for dinner. It should be arriving about now.

However, when I open the door all the way, it’s not a delivery guy. Standing at the threshold gazing down at me with wide, surprised eyes…

It’s Carson.