Scoring One Night (Blue Ridge Mountain Hockey #4)

Aspen

T he stench of sweat and damp gear hit me as I pushed open the locker room door. My skates clacked against the tile, echoing off the concrete walls.

"Look, the International Games would love to have me—" I was cut off with a snort from Liam.

"Embarrassed, more like it," Liam said with a chuckle.

I tore off my damp jersey and threw it onto the bench as we approached our lockers. "As the youngest player, I've made some mistakes—"

Teddy nodded. "More like a lot of mistakes, both on and off the ice. And youth has nothing to do with it. I love you, , but you need to try harder."

I frowned as I grabbed a towel and sat on the bench. My teammates were right. While I loved having fun, it was time to take things seriously—especially if I wanted to get on the International Games team. That had always been the dream. My father always wanted me to be a hockey player. Since I was a kid and watched the games on television with him, he would tell me that was the dream of any sports player. When the United States hockey team won when I was five years old, I knew I wanted to make my dad proud.

Ever since he passed two years ago, I made it my mission not just to be a professional hockey player, but to get a chance to be a part of a team representing my country.

There was a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find Emmanuel, our veteran defenseman.

"Oh, hey, Emmanuel." My voice cracked slightly. Damn nerves.

I had been doing my best to avoid him. Here’s the thing about Emmanuel. He's a nice guy; the type of guy you turn to when you have a problem. He's always there for you, like a wise brother who says the right thing.

And that makes what I did last week even worse.

"Look, I need to talk to you about my neighbor's garden." Emmanuel shoved his hands into his pockets.

Ugh, I hated what I did to him. I had to be the life of the party and ruin everything.

I gazed at everything except him. "I've been so busy—"

"Cut the crap, ." Emmanuel sat next to me on the bench. "It was Lydia's front yard. She's my neighbor."

Lydia? Oh, no. No, no, no, no.

Lydia was best friends with Daisy... who happened to be Jackson's sister. Jackson was an amazing player on our hockey team, the Blue Ridge Mountain Devils.

She also happened to be dating Cillian, the oldest player on the team... and the meanest.

I should never have tried to set off fireworks at Emmanuel's housewarming party last week. Who knew that fireworks could shoot sideways?

"Oh shit. I screwed up. Ugh, I feel like such a jerk." I rubbed my neck as sweat began to drip down.

Emmanuel shook his head. "You aren't a jerk. As my mom always told me, we're all human. We all do stupid stuff sometimes. But people respect you if you work hard to fix the mistakes you make instead of running from them."

What he just said hit me hard. Emmanuel's mom was right. I had been so worried about the International Games judges who were coming to watch one of our games that I only focused on my work on the ice. They would also look into the mistakes I made in the past and might not consider me for the team.

They don't just look at your performance on the ice, but who you are as a person. I had done some ridiculous things in the past. Streaking across the stage at the Sports Player of the Nation Award Show comes to mind.

There was no way the judges wouldn't find out about my recent debacle with the fireworks. The players talk, and they are more gossipy than my nan and her friends when they play bridge.

I told Emmanuel his mother was a good person. He tried to explain to me I was good, too, but I didn’t necessarily agree. And I really didn’t think the judges would agree, either.

My mind was distracted with thoughts of the judges when I realized Emmanuel was still talking. "That's why I know you'll show up tonight to help me fix Lydia's yard."

"Tonight?" I was surprised by the suddenness of it all.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn’t sudden at all. It had been a week, and I needed to take responsibility for my actions.

Despite a few excuses I gave that Emmanuel didn’t buy, I finally agreed to help.

"Alright, I’ll see you tonight."

Emmanuel nodded, then got up and walked back to his locker. I rubbed my head, really not wanting to dig and plant bushes in Lydia's yard tonight. Glancing over at the showers, I decided to clean up quickly so I could get out of there.

Maybe I could rest at home before helping Emmanuel.

After the shower, I changed and headed toward exit of the locker room. That's when I ran into Liam and Teddy.

"!" Teddy called. "You coming out with us tonight or what? We're hitting up Castle Moat . Ladies' night!" He wagged his eyebrows.

I hesitated, glancing at Emmanuel. I'd planned to help him with Lydia's lawn, but the temptation to blow off some steam was strong.

I pushed my shoulders back. This was my test—to stop my wild ways and be mature. To prove to the judges, to Emmanuel, but more importantly, to myself, that I could keep my word. That I could do better.

"Um, about that..." I started, an apology ready on my tongue. But Liam threw an arm around my shoulders.

"You have to come. I need my wingman. And that hot bartender Sarah was totally checking you out last time..."

I heard Emmanuel clear his throat, and I gazed over at him. I snapped back to attention, shrugging off Liam's arm.

The thing about Liam was, he was from somewhere in Europe—no one really knew where. And Liam was tight-lipped about his past. We all had a bet going that the Russians or Italian mob wanted him and that's why he hid from the cameras and never told anyone about his family.

Because he wasn’t from the US, he had an accent. It made him sound posh, so when he wanted you to do something, it automatically sounded like a wise idea.

"Actually, guys, I can't tonight. I, uh... I already have plans."

Teddy frowned. "Plans? What could be more important than this amazing team-building exercise?"

"Team-building? I thought it was just us."

Liam nodded. "It is, but we need to loosen up for the International Games judges watching us at practice tomorrow."

They would be here tomorrow? I thought they were only going to watch one of our games. Shaking my head, I pushed my shoulders back. I had made a promise.

I took a deep breath. "I promised Emmanuel I'd help fix up his yard tonight. You know, to make up for the whole fireworks fiasco."

That made the guys laugh and make fun of Emmanuel's housewarming party. The more they chuckled and pointed out the absurdity of how Emmanuel was treating me like a child, the more they made sense.

Irritation flared in my chest. "The last thing I want to do is manual labor right before the International Games Committee watches us at practice. I want to relax tonight." The words tumbled out of my mouth.

I should say I regretted saying that, but I didn't. It's how I felt. After all, it was an accident. Besides, Lydia was a landscaper. She would be much better at fixing the lawn; I'd only screw it up more.

Teddy held up his hands. "That's why we're going out. Just a few drinks and some fun. We all plan to turn in early."

Emmanuel had his back to us while he was over at his locker, but I knew he could hear us. He was a good friend, as well as my teammate. If this was reversed and I needed his help, he'd be there for me, no matter what.

But I wasn’t Emmanuel.

I wasn’t a good guy.

"Screw it," I said, my voice echoing off the metal lockers. "I'm in."

Liam grinned, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "We're gonna tear up Castle Moat tonight."

Teddy clapped me on the shoulder, his grip firm and reassuring. " Rivera, back in action. The ladies of Castle Ridge won't know what hit 'em."

I laughed, feeling a surge of adrenaline course through my veins. This was what I needed—a night out with the boys, a chance to cut loose and forget about all the pressure and expectations weighing me down.

As we stepped out into the cool spring mountain air, I felt a sense of freedom wash over me, like I was shedding the weight of the world and embracing the wild, untamed spirit that had always been a part of me.

The drive to Castle Moat was a blur of loud music, off-key singing, and good-natured ribbing. Liam and Teddy were in rare form, cracking jokes and trading stories about past conquests, and I found myself getting swept up in their infectious energy.

As we pulled into the crowded parking lot, the neon sign of Castle Moat casting a warm glow over the scene, I felt a familiar thrill of anticipation run through me. This was my element—the pulsing beat of the music, the crush of bodies on the dance floor, the electric charge of possibility that hung in the air.

We pushed through the doors and into the chaos, the smell of sweat and alcohol hitting me like a wave. I grinned, feeling the energy of the place wash over me, and headed straight for the bar, ready to let the night take me wherever it wanted to go.

"First round's on me, boys!" I shouted over the pounding bass, signaling the bartender. Liam and Teddy whooped and clapped me on the back.

Once the shots arrived, I raised my glass in a toast. "To good friends, great hockey, and even better mistakes!"

Maybe this night would be a mistake, but there was always tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow I'd do better.

I hope.