Authors: Toni Aleo
And he still missed her so much.
Fallon hadn’t returned any of his calls, and when he talked to Aiden, he said that Fallon had been locked up in her room all night. His heart ached to be with her; he missed her more than anything and he wished she would stop being so difficult. What did he need to do? Did he need to leave her alone? Did he need to cut his losses and find someone else?
“Well stop thinking about whatever, you’re on son.” The attendant threw the door open and Lucas skated out just as Shea passed the puck up for him. Lucas took it into the zone and shot. He missed but luckily Anderson got the rebound and scored! As the guys all wrapped up in a manly hug, Lucas couldn’t seem to enjoy the moment. Scoring on the ice, (and off for that matter) was the best thing about hockey and Lucas had an assist with that goal, so why didn’t he feel even a smidge of happiness?
Because he missed her.
Lucas shook his head as he skated to the bench, jumping over the board before taking a seat next to Shea. Shea tapped him on the helmet before leaning against the boards and looking out on the ice.
“You seem a little angry tonight,” he observed as Lucas got in the same position he was in. “Something you need to discuss over a beer tonight?”
“I don’t drink,” Lucas said.
Pride filled him the way it always did when he refused to drink with the guys. It meant more that time though because he never thought he could go on after Fallon left for the second time, but it looked like he could. He was actually cured from the alcoholism and that was a blessing all in itself.
Shea nodded. “I forgot, I’m sorry. How about over some pop?”
Lucas shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“Well as your captain, you have to give me a good reason for why you’ve tried to kill almost every Sharks player tonight. Is it your hatred for the team you left, or is it Fallon? Or maybe Aiden, are they okay?”
“Haksson is doing well,” Shea noted and Lucas couldn’t agree more. Thankfully the goalie had become comfortable and was actually doing quite well.
“Let’s hope he stays that way,” Lucas said, and Shea nodded. “The new kid scares me.”
Lucas and Shea both looked back at where the new backup goalie sat. His name was Odder or Offer, or something, hell Lucas wasn’t listening. He just knew that the kid was a baby from the Rays and he looked scared as hell.
“I know, he looks scared to death,” Shea said before looking out at the ice.
“He does, poor kid,” Lucas muttered just as Coach Bacter called their line out.
“Don’t get put in that box anymore, Brooks,” Bacter yelled as Lucas jumped over the board and skated to his position. Lucas nodded and thought that maybe he would try not to get put in the box.
He wouldn’t promise it, though.
What a game. What a horrible freaking game.
The Assassins won, but it was close. Haksson went to block a shot and went down after getting it. Everyone was concerned but Haksson said he was fine, so they proceeded to play. Haksson let in four goals after that, giving the Sharks a one point lead before he admitted that he was in extreme pain. Lucas stood by the goal watching as they helped Haksson off the ice, and the new kid skated on. Lucas shook his head at the kid and knew they were going to lose.
But they didn’t.
The kid blocked every shot and with two goals from Phillip Anderson, the Assassins won. The new kid was to thank, too. The shots on goal were hard shots, and they should have gone in, but the kid was pulling ninja moves, catching the puck in ways that even Jordan Ryan couldn’t have done. Maybe Lucas didn’t have anything to worry about.
The kid was basically a ninja goalie.
Lucas sat beside him with Shea on the other side of him. The kid was grinning like he had just slept with Heidi Klum as Lucas threw his sweat-filled shirt off before looking over at him.
“So what’s your name?” Lucas asked.
The kid looked over and smiled. He made Lucas feel like a dinosaur with his bright blue eyes and bleach blonde hair. He had such a young face and a little gap in his teeth. He was a good-looking kid, but he made Lucas feel really old.
“Well good job tonight,” Lucas said, smacking him on his shoulder. Lucas didn’t think he hit him that hard, but Tate jerked forward some before looking back at Lucas with a nervous smile.
Shea laughed as he stood up undressing. Lucas stood up too, pulling off his shorts just as Shea poked him in the shoulder. Lucas cringed in pain before he looked over at the little heel mark that Fallon had left on him.
“What the hell is that? Oh, there’s two,” Shea said seeing the other side.
“Yeah, it’s nothing,” Lucas said, sitting down. He didn’t want to think about them. They hadn’t hurt when he was pounding into Fallon, but they stung now.
Just like his heart.
“I know what they are. Those are high heel marks,” Phillip said from across the locker room. “Brooks got lucky last night.”
The team all laughed, razzing him and making catcalls as Lucas just rolled his eyes. Before he could say anything, Shea beat him to it, glaring over at Phillip.
“Yeah, something that never happens for you, huh, Anderson?” Shea shot him a dirty look before saying, “Shut the hell up.” He then wrapped a towel around his waist and went to the shower as they locker room went eerily quiet. Lucas scoffed as he looked over at Phillip. He was glaring at Shea’s back and Lucas knew he wouldn’t say anything. Not to big Captain Adler. No one did, well except Lucas. He wasn’t scared one bit of Shea but then again, he wasn’t an ass to Lucas the way he was to Anderson. Lucas shook his head as he chuckled.
Shea really hated that guy.
“So why is your beautiful wife driving you crazy?” Lucas said as he dropped down in the seat beside Shea. Shea shut his laptop as he chuckled.
“She is pregnant.”
Lucas smiled. “Can’t be that bad. Elli is a sweetheart.”
“She can be, and she can be crazy. Ever since we found out the baby was a girl, she’s been driving me insane with all things girl. How hard could another girl be? We already have one!”
“Another girl? That’s awesome Shea. What are you guys going to name her, Sheanana?” Lucas laughed.
Lucas thought he was hilarious but Shea didn’t think so as Lucas continued to let out a gut-busting laugh. When he finally calmed down, he cleared his throat. “Bad joke, sorry.”
“Really bad joke,” Shea said with a shake of his head. “Why is it when I am really starting to like you, you piss me off?”
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “It’s my charm.”
“Charm my ass.” Lucas laughed and Shea’s face broke into a grin. Shea stretched his arms out in front of him before saying, “So what has Fallon done?”
Shea nodded. “I don’t know if she’s anything like Elli was, but I had to basically scream I loved her in her face, from the rooftop, and from the middle of the arena for that girl to believe me. Women are nuts,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Fallon is a good woman, and a damn good mom.”
“I know, and I want her so badly, I could scream. I want my family together. I want to make more little babies. I want to be happy, with her and Aiden.”
The next morning, after a lon
g
sleepless night, Lucas dialed Audrey’s number since he knew Fallon wouldn’t answer.
“I know, she does it to us all. I haven’t heard the latest saga of Lucas and Fallon but I’m pretty sure she’ll tell me soon. She’s pretty much locked herself up in the room.”
“Yeah that’s what Aiden said. She won’t answer my calls either.”
“She’s special, but we both know that,” she joked. “So, what’s up?” she asked brightly. Lucas smiled despite himself; Audrey was so bright and bubbly. It was hard not to smile when you talked to her.
Thanks for letting me know Fallon,
he thought.
Lucas hung up the phone and couldn’t get dressed fast enough. He was beyond excited for he was going to go pick up his favorite little guy.
After a tear-filled greeting, Aiden sat in the backseat talking so fast that it was giving Lucas a headache, or maybe it was the fact that Lucas hadn’t slept the night before. Either way, his head was pounding. Aiden was excited to tell Lucas about everything that had been going on at school and how he had been practicing every day and couldn’t wait to show Lucas his moves. Lucas’ heart swelled at the mention of him showing Lucas his moves. It was something he used to tell his dad all the time, and hearing Aiden say it made him reminisce about those times with his dad.
“Who knows,” Lucas said with a laugh, hoping to take Aiden’s mind off it. He couldn’t believe that Fallon would say that. It wasn’t as if she was walking Aiden to the car, Audrey did! If anyone was childish, it was her!
Damn fool woman.
Lucas went through the McDonald’s drive thru, getting both him and Aiden some food before heading back to the house. After eating their breakfast and watching cartoons, the two went downstairs to play some hockey. Aiden couldn’t contain his excitement as Lucas drove the Zamboni around the rink with Aiden in his lap. He let out loud screams at each turn and talked endlessly about how awesome it was to ride the Zamboni. Lucas was glad to make him so happy and after parking the vehicle, the two got ready to take the ice. Lucas helped Aiden put his skates on and tape up his socks, but that was about it. Aiden was catching on to what equipment went where and Lucas couldn’t have been more proud.
His boy was meant to play hockey. Just like him.
They took the ice, warming up a little before they started taking shots on goal. As Lucas watched Aiden, he saw that Aiden had been practicing and pride filled him from the inside out. Aiden was perfect.
“Wow bud, that’s awesome!”
“Isn’t it!? I watched you do it on YouTube,” Aiden gushed as he skated around a little faster than he had the last time they were out.
“I can tell, you are doing amazing bud, I’m really proud of you.”
Aiden smiled widely up at Lucas before taking another shot on goal and it went in. He threw his arms above his head and let out a loud “Yee Haw” before he started for the goal to get the puck. As Lucas watched him gather all the pucks and pass them out to Lucas, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about Fallon.
If she would stop being so hardheaded, she could be sitting on the bench, watching them play and cheering them on. She was the most amazing hockey girlfriend and he knew for a fact that she was going to be the best hockey mom ever. He just wished that they could do it as a family and not separately. He missed her so much and wished that she was upstairs right at that moment, making something good for him and Aiden to eat when they got done.
Shea’s words played over in Lucas’ head as he skated in circles around the pucks:
Just don’t give up.
And Lucas knew he couldn’t. He knew in his heart that Fallon was the woman for him, and damn it, he knew she knew that he was the man for her. Lucas was tired of it. He was going to march right up to her and demand a second chance! She owed it to both of them. They deserved each other.