Luc
Once back in the hotel room, Luc fell face first onto his bed. His body ached, and he was exhausted. Morning skate was rough. The beers he’d had yesterday with Sam and his dad didn’t help his mood this early Saturday morning. Coach ignored the tension between Luc and Kaden, but it was there. Kaden was his lovable, joking self with everyone except Luc.
Tyler tried to lighten the mood by interacting with both of them, but Kaden wasn’t having it. He’d stop Luc’s shots without a single comment, while he razzed the other guys about not being able to get a puck past him, or their hitting it off the cross bar and how everyone in the arena could hear the ring.
Luc tried to be sociable. Putting on his game face, he laughed at the comments Kaden threw out at the other guys. But Kaden acted as if he didn’t exist. This wasn’t high school, and Kaden’s actions were really starting to piss Luc off.
“How’d practice go this morning?” his dad asked.
“Why can’t he just let it go?” Luc groaned into the comforter.
“I assume we’re talking about Kaden.” His dad sat a bottle of water on the side table, and sitting down on his own bed, he continued. “Here, keep hydrated. You know, you two are going to have to work this out sooner or later.”
“I know! He’s going to have to get over it.”
“That’s not the same as working it out.”
“Dad, I think seeing us fight in practice the other day is causing the issue with Kassie. I didn’t think so at first, because she puts up this front that her big brother can’t tell her what to do, and that his tantrums don’t bother her, but then she walked out on me, and I haven’t heard from her since. I think it bothers her more than she’d like to believe. Or maybe I’m missing something.” Luc scratched his head and tried to replay what he could’ve done to upset her. But he had nothing.
“Son, you need to decide what you want from this girl. And make sure she’s also clear on your intentions. After that, you need to sit down with Kaden and lay it all out on the table. If you want to pursue this relationship with Kassie, you have to be the bigger man and iron things out with Kaden. If you don’t, she’ll always feel torn. And that’s no way for her to live. That’s not fair to her.”
His dad was right.
“Honestly, we haven’t talked about where this relationship is going. We started out just having fun. She joked about not being interested, and I just played along. The code was the annoying white elephant in the room, and neither of us wanted to mess with it. I’m not sure who fell first, but somewhere along the line we got serious. It was quickly to the point where, when I wasn’t with her, I wanted to be, and I was always thinking about her. I care about her; she’s not like the nameless girls I used to pass the time with. She’s different. She’s special. I don’t want to see her hurting. And if us being together causes so much of an issue with her brother that it hurts Kassie, then… then I’ll back off.”
“But you don’t want to back off. Do you?”
“No. Hell, no! But I will if that’s what’s best for her. I just want her to be happy. I want to see that smile on her face, and see her enjoy life. She can’t do that if she’s always looking over her shoulder or refereeing me and her brother. Sure, we have a great time when we’re together, but somehow Kaden always wiggles his way in. Then things get weird.”
“You need to tell her all this, not me.”
“I know.” Picking up his phone, Luc decided it was now or never. But he didn’t want to do it over the phone. He’d have to get her to agree to see him. If she even responded to his message this time.
Luc: Hey Kass. Miss you. I’d like to take you to dinner tomorrow. I think we should talk.
He didn’t get an immediate response, and his heart rate elevated as he waited. But finally, after what felt like it was eternity but in reality, was only less than two minutes, she responded.
Kassie: Wow. That sounded ominous.
Luc: No, not like that. It’s not bad, I promise.
Kassie: Okay. And I’ve missed you too. Sorry I didn’t reply earlier. Things were crazy. And yeah, I’d like to talk. But tomorrow is bad. My mom is having this big dinner thing. She’d like you and your dad to be there.
Luc: Oh?
Kassie: So? Will you be my date? She won’t take no for an answer, so you’ve been warned.
Luc: Then I graciously accept. But I would prefer to talk before we go over there. I assume it’s the whole family?
Kassie: Yes, Kaden and Ali will be there.
Luc: Meet me for breakfast?
Kassie: Sure. Is ten okay?
Luc: Yes. How’s the diner by Ali’s pet salon?
Kassie: Yeah. The one by the cupcake place?
Luc: Yeah, that too. A cupcake for breakfast dessert is never out of the question.
Kassie: Luc, I’m sorry I ran out the other morning.
Luc: Princess, please don’t worry yourself over it, okay? It’s a non-issue. We can talk tomorrow.
Luc: See you at ten?
Kassie: Luc, I miss you.
Luc: Sweets, I miss you too. More than you know.
He wasn’t thrilled about having dinner with Kaden, but at least there’d be a bunch of other people there. And Ali alone should be able to keep Kaden in line, not to mention his mother. Meeting Kassie’s mother. We really are a couple. She’s met my dad, and I’m meeting her mom. Maybe I don’t have anything to worry about after all.
“Dad, apparently Mrs. O’Conner is having dinner tomorrow night. We’re both invited, and Mrs. O’Conner really would like us to be there. So, I guess you can say our attendance is requested.”
“It’s your girlfriend’s mom, son. Attendance is required.” His dad shrugged.
“Dad, please.” There’re those damn labels again. Shouldn’t this be easier?
“It sounds fun. Are you going to talk to her before dinner? Straighten things out?” His dad asked it as a question, but it was more of a suggestion.
“Absolutely. We’re meeting for breakfast.” Luc felt good about breakfast, but the approaching game had him rattled.
Detroit had a tough team. They were bigger than the Renegades, and their goon hadn’t finished a game in the last month. He’d been tossed every time for fighting or unsportsmanlike conduct. Tad Tomko was his name, hurting stars and getting his team pumped and their heads in the game was his only job. And he was dirty good at it.
As soon as the puck dropped in the very first face-off of the game, Tomko went after Sam. Luc voiced his opinion about it being a cheap move going after a guy just recently back from an injury. Tomko was assessed a penalty for his action. From the penalty box, Tomko made a motion with his fingers that he had eyes on Luc.
Sam wasn’t injured, and he hopped back on the bench. “Bro, don’t worry about that jackass. He isn’t worth it.”
Luc could handle his own, especially if it meant that Tomko stayed away from Sam. After the puck flew out of play, the action was stopped and the players lined up and waited for the linesman to re-drop the puck. Tyler was taking the face-off, and Kris and Torin were on his wing.
Tyler hit the puck towards Detroit’s corner, then he chased after it while Detroit’s entire line scurried after him. That left Torin open in the middle of the ice, with a clear shot at the net. All he needed was the puck. Luc was trying to pay attention to what was happening, but he heard his name and turned to Detroit’s bench, only to see Tomko looking in the Renegades’ direction.
Tomko wasn’t blowing smoke, because the next shift out, he made a beeline for the corner when Sam was there. Sam’s head was down while he was fighting another Detroit player for the puck. Tomko took advantage of Sam’s vulnerable position and cross-checked him from behind.
“What is that asshole’s issue with Morris?” Luc yelled, as Sam went down to the ice.
Shaking his head, Sam got up on his own and skated to the bench. He appeared shaken, and Luc’s blood pressure was sky high. “He’s not even hitting him with hockey plays! He’s just being a douche and targeting him!”
“Stop your bitching and bring it to the ice, whiney loser!” Tomko yelled back.
The next shift, Tomko was going after Tyler, but was chirping at Sam, who was still on the bench. Luc was sure that Tomko’s only instruction tonight was to re-injure Sam. He wasn’t sure what anyone else thought, but Luc wasn’t going to let that happen.
Hopping onto the ice, Luc skated towards the puck. Stealing it from Detroit, he headed down the boards. As he went to the net, he heard a commotion behind him. The refs blew the whistle, stopping play, and hurried to the fight that was happening by the benches.
Tomko and Dash were tangled up. Both guys’ helmets were on the ice, along with their gloves. Dash’s shoulder pads were pulled to the outside of his jersey and Tomko’s eye was bleeding. But they were still upright and skating round and round as the fists were flying.
The refs obviously knew it was better to let these two fight it out than to try to break it up, and that’s just what they did. Only when the players were tired out did the linesmen separate them.
Luc watched the jumbotron to see what went down, and to try and figure out why Tomko was escorted off the ice and Dash sent into the penalty box. At first, he thought Tomko was going to be tended to for the gash over his eye. But then he saw the replay of Tomko jumping off the bench with one purpose, and that was going after Sam who was coming off the ice. He only got in one check and tried to take a swing, but Dash, who was already on the ice, grabbed Tomko and they started to fight.
Tomko was being charged with a fighting major. He was done for the night, and Dash was serving a penalty in the box.
The rest of the game was uneventful. All except for the new respect he had for Harrison Dash. Dash was exactly the muscle and grit this team needed, as well as being a very talented player. With Dom in net, the Renegades won the game 1–0. But Luc’s mind wasn’t on the game anymore. He wanted the hours to pass by quickly so he could be sitting at breakfast with Kassie, getting everything straightened out.
Luc took a sip of his freshly-poured coffee. Steamed wafted up from the cup. “Glad you agreed to meet me for breakfast. Kass, I felt really bad how we left things.” Holding a sugar packet between his finger and thumb, he nervously turned it end over end, trying to avoid her stare. He knew what he wanted to say, but it was harder to start than he thought.
Kassie swirled her spoon round and round in her coffee. She sighed and her eyes stayed on her cup. “I should be the one who feels bad, not you. Luc, I’m so sorry I left like that. That was unfair of me. What you must think…”
Luc dropped the sugar packet and took her hand. Her sad eyes met his. “Kassie, I don’t want you to feel bad. I just want you to be able to talk to me.”
“I want that, too. I don’t know what happened. We had such a nice evening together. But after you fell asleep, my mind kept going back to you and my brother fighting at practice.”
“And it bothered you?”
“Yes. I try to be my own person and not let my brother affect what I do, but he’s not only my brother. He’s your teammate. I have to live with the decisions that I make, but you have to deal with them daily as well. If your job is now more difficult to do because of this—us—then shouldn’t we think twice?”
“No.” There was no hesitation in his answer. “This is exactly why I wanted us to talk.”
Before he could say anything else, the waitress brought their breakfast.
“Okay,” the woman said, reciting the food on the plates. “I have a Western Omelet with home fries and toast, and a Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries, and a side of home fries.” She laid the plates before them and topped off their coffees before moving to the next table.
Luc looked down at his omelet. His stomach growled, while Kassie now concentrated on her plate, moving the strawberries evenly over her waffle.
Cutting a piece of omelet and popping it into his mouth, Luc set the pace. They could eat and talk.
“It isn’t fair for you to shoulder all this responsibility,” he said. “We are in this together.”
Kassie stabbed a strawberry with her fork, and pointed it at him. “Luc, this is your career we’re talking about.”
“You’re not going to ruin my career. Sweets, what is really bothering you? ’Cause we all know I can handle myself when it comes to Kaden, on or off the ice. And Coach isn’t going to trade me unless Tyler says something. And I don’t see that happening.” Tyler would be the last person to enforce no dating among the team.
“It’s just that I know my brother is being a real ass about everything.” Kassie cut a bite of waffle and ate it with her strawberry.
“Kassie, he’s your big brother. It’s normal that he’d think he needs to protect you. I get that. But as far as he and I go? We’re both big boys; we can handle our own crap. This will work itself out. I bet I’m not the first hockey player who noticed you. I’m just the first one you noticed back—am I right?”
Kassie nodded cautiously as she chewed.
“I’m sure there have been plenty of guys that he told to back off that you never knew about.” Luc had seen this before. He was never foolish enough to mess with a teammate’s sister, until now. Guys don’t take kindly to it. That’s why Kaden’s actions didn’t really affect him. It was expected. He just wished Kassie wasn’t so concerned about it.
“I wouldn’t doubt it. That was part of the reason for my no athletes rule. It was more like no hockey players rule, but a stupid lacrosse player kind of made me change it to all athletes.”
“Want to talk about that?” Luc asked as he inhaled his omelet.
“No. Absolutely not.” She shook her head frantically, and held her hands up in front of her. “I am so sorry I ran out the other morning. I got nervous and handled that poorly. I like you so much, I just… I can’t explain, it… I’m just afraid.”
Luc’s heart dropped. Did she really think he would hurt her? “Sweets, I would never…” He knew she was in a volatile mood, and his words needed to be chosen carefully. Anyone can promise they won’t hurt someone, but he needed her to know that he meant it. “I… I’ve never met anyone like you before. And I know I bring a lot of baggage with me. I’m an athlete, I travel, I can keep a crazy schedule, and on top of all that, there are fangirls. My fans are a big part of what I do. The more you interact with them, the more you secure your place as a fan favorite. That’s good for my career, the team, and even the city.”
“I know all about that stuff, and I don’t care.” Kassie shrugged.
“Even the fangirls? Or is that what scares you the most?” He watched as her eyes glistened with what he feared were unshed tears. “Sweets?
Kassie cleared her throat and blinked a few times before she spoke. “No. I don’t worry about the fangirls. I have no idea what I’m worried about. I already told you that I’ve seen you with the fangirls, and I’m okay with it.”
“You’re not really giving me any reason why you’re scared. Did I freak you out at the club? I mean, I know that I can be a bit protective, so I get where Kaden is coming from. If that was too much, I apologize. But you have to tell me these things.” Luc didn’t like thinking something was secretly bothering her.
“No.” She shook her head again. “That’s not it. I told you, I don’t know what it was.”
Luc was pretty sure he had her figured out. “It was that scuffle at practice, wasn’t it?”
Kassie’s silence said more than she knew.
“Kaden misread the situation and reacted. I can’t blame him.”
“I don’t care why. It just bothers me that I was the reason. This is your career, and I don’t want to put that in jeopardy.”
“Sweets, like I said, it was miscommunication. That particular fan was holding a sign that she made for me.”
Kassie nodded slowly. “I know. I saw she was holding a sign. But I told you I don’t c—”
“Kass, just hear me out. I didn’t see the sign right away, because I don’t spend my time looking at the fans. My attention is on the ice. Sam grabbed me and showed me the sign she was holding. It said, ‘Marcella please take a selfie with me—I just finished my last chemo treatment—I’m cancer free!’ Was I supposed to ignore her? She was just a kid.” Luc choked up at the thought of her. That girl was so young, and to go through an ordeal like cancer and chemo, he’d only done what anyone would do. “I helped her celebrate her good news and posed for a selfie, and even tossed a puck over the glass to her and her friends. Kaden saw that and lost his mind. He didn’t know the situation, because I know your brother, and he would’ve done the same thing.”
Luc was well aware that her expression hadn’t changed during the explanation.
“Luc—”
“Kass, if that hurt you, then I apologize. I would never do anything to hurt you. Had you asked, I would’ve explained this to you earlier and maybe avoided all this. But you didn’t see that side of it. I know how things can look sometimes—”
“Can I say something now?” Kassie smirked. “The fangirls don’t bother me. That’s a sweet story, and I’m glad you do that for your fans. I think I just got cold feet. I’ve been burned once before by an athlete, and the familiar fear got the best of me. And before you ask again, no, I do not want to talk about that.”
Her fears were real, no matter what she admitted. And he knew one way to show her that he only wanted her, and show everyone else that she was his, too.
“There are always going to be puck bunnies and fangirls wearing my jersey and chanting my name. You just need to trust that the only girl I want is you. I’ll fight for you. And I don’t like to lose.”
Kassie pushed away her half-eaten breakfast. “Fight for me? You mean on the ice?”
“On and off. When I decide it’s time to fight for what I want, I won’t be deterred.” And he knew the perfect thing. “Look, if you need me to prove to you that you are my one and only, I’ll do just that.”
“No, I don’t need you to prove anything,” she protested. “If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me.”
“Too late.” Luc grinned. This girl had his heart, and she didn’t even know it.