I’d been pushing. I’d back off and give everyone some space to grieve.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Control

~~Easton~~

Hockey, I needed to concentrate my energy on hockey.

The Sockeyes had won the Cup last season, and all eyes were on us this season. We were also rebuilding, having lost key players to free agency and retirement. We were still in the hunt with over half the season to go. The defending champs would make the playoffs, but doing a repeat on the Cup was next to impossible.

Regardless, our captains wanted to win it all again, and so did the rest of us. As rookies, Kaden, Steele, and I all had lifelong dreams of one day hoisting the Cup high over our heads and skating around the arena with it while the crowd cheered.

My team was battling for the second spot in the division. We won the first away game of the road trip. Tomorrow we’d fly to Vegas.

Despite the upheaval in my life, I was playing well, one of the top rookies of the year. Coach Coop was pleased with my performance as was the head coach. I’d had a good game tonight, and I was proud of myself. My troubles with Caro and the kids hadn’t affected my play. I guess that meant I was growing up and turning into a true professional.

I walked into the hotel lounge after our away game, whistling a tune I’d probably picked up from one of the kids’ television shows. I’d planned on going straight to my room, but I was too wired to sleep, so I was left with nothing to do but seek out my cohorts. I was missing Caro and the kids way more than I cared to admit. I’d fallen for her again. The sex had been better than ever, and I adored her company.

Several heads turned toward me. The Puck Brothers sat at a table, their expressions grim.

“Easton, come over here.” Ziggy motioned me over.

I grabbed a beer from the bar and ambled over. Cautiously, I studied each one of them. Something was up. I pulled a chair from the table and sat down in it, grinning at them.

“Somebody die?” I asked.

They continued to stare at me, not one change of expression. This group was all about a good time, and they were being way too serious for my taste.

With Axel still in the minors, Ziggy appeared to be the spokesman of the group. He cleared his throat, not seeming to want to broach the subject, but he finally spit out the words he’d been holding back. “You’re not behaving like a Puck Brother.”

“I guess that depends on how you define Puck Brother. I’m not married. I’m not living with a woman. I’m just spending time with my kids, and she happens to be their mother.” What I’d been doing was way more than that, but my feelings for Caro were private and sacred, and I didn’t want to reveal my innermost thoughts to these clowns. They’d use anything they perceived as a weakness for fodder to harass me or play jokes on me. I didn’t care to be the brunt of their jokes.