With all the messiness of our real lives getting mixed in, can we really make this work?

42. Declan

Chapter 42

Declan

It’s hard to believe it’s only been a week and I’m already back at practice—although with the way Dunaway is riding my ass, I wish I was still laid up with Hannah.

Just like the doctors said I would, I’ve made a full recovery, but I’ve still been trying to take it easier out on the ice just in case. The last thing I need right now is another injury, whether it’s to my head or even a stubbed toe. But since Dunaway threatened to bench me, I can’t afford not to give it everything I’ve got, which isn’t exactly compatible with taking it easy.

Like he can hear me thinking about him, Dunaway blasts his whistle and flags me down. “Murray! What the hell are you doing out there? I don’t pay you to daydream. Get moving.”

“Yes, Coach,” I call back, pushing harder and sprinting to rejoin the lineup of guys for the next drill. He’s obviously still pissed off at me and not being shy about taking it out on me, but that’s fine. Like I told him, he can say or do whatever he wants to me. It won’t change how I feel about Hannah or how much time she and I spend together.

The rest of the team has noticed, too. Theo glances over his shoulder at me from farther up the line and raises his eyebrows, but I just wave him off. I don’t want to draw any of the guys into this drama, and I’m sure it’ll pass as soon as Dunaway works through whatever is stuck up his ass about it. But he must be particularly annoyed today because he blows his whistle and calls practice five minutes early when someone misses a shot.

“That’s enough for today. Clearly, we’re all not in the right headspace,” he says and leaves the arena for his office. The rest of us mill around on the ice for a few minutes until we’re sure he’s gone, then start streaming out one by one to the locker room. Theo sidles up beside me and wraps an arm around my shoulder.

“Seems like Coach isn’t taking too well to you dating his daughter, huh?” he asks, but I can tell from the tone of his voice he’s not being a smart ass about it. He’s legitimately asking. I’m not sure how he found out about that already, but then again, I’m not surprised that word has already spread among the team. There’s no such thing as secrets on a professional sports team.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Want to grab a beer later? Talk it out?” Theo offers.