Wearing a wide smile that makes his dimple pop, Theo gestures at me then throws his hands in the air. “Listen to the mouth on this one. I swear, I don’t know what they’re teaching kids in schools these days.”

“They’re teaching them all the things you never learned. You know, like basic math and spelling,” Reese tells Theo, and the locker room erupts in laughter.

“Alright, alright. Let’s save the trash talking for the other teams,” Noah says as he steps in the middle of everyone. “I’ll meet you all there. You know where it is, Declan?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool, then let’s get moving.”

Everyone spills out of the locker room together, still laughing and bantering with each other. As we step out of the arena, some part of me still can’t believe this is real, or that this is my life now. I’ve wanted this for so long—literally most of my life—so to be heading out for drinks with a team of some of the best players in the NHL feels surreal. I don’t want to let it go to my head, but it feels like one night, I went to sleep as a no-name rookie, and the next morning I woke up a superstar.

Beaming, I climb on my bike and rev the engine. It’s loud—always has been—and it draws a few glances, just like it did the first time I rolled into the lot. A couple of the guys glance over as they get in their cars, but Noah’s already pulling out, so I decide to follow him over to the bar. I’ve been before, but I don’t fully remember where it is or how to get there from the arena, so better safe than sorry.

Noah parks around the back of the building, but I leave my bike in one of the designated spots for motorcycles closer to the door. I’m locking up my helmet in the under-seat storage when Noah walks up, followed by the rest of the team.

He nods at the bike, smirking. “Still making a scene with this thing, huh?”

“Always,” I answer, grinning.

Theo lingers by the bike, running a hand over the handlebars. “Man, I need to get one of these.”

I chuckle. “You thinking about it?”

“Hell yeah.” He tilts his head. “You ever let anyone else take it for a spin?”

I snort. “After seeing how you play? No way. You’re reckless enough on the ice. I’m not giving you the chance to wipe out on my bike too.”

The guys burst into laughter, and Theo shakes his head, grinning. “You asshole.”

I laugh along with them. I’m just giving him a hard time, but the truth is, my bike is my baby. There aren’t a lot of people I would let ride it.

Except…