Page 49 of My One & Goalie
“Hey, buddy. What did you think of the game?” he shouts through the glass.
“Loved it! Great win. Thanks for the jersey too.” Jett spins around, modeling for Xander.
“It fits you great. Looks good. On both of you.” Xander lifts his gaze, locking eyes with me, and my pulse picks up speed.
I twirl around like Jett did and Xander presses his hand to the glass. “I especially like the back.KOVAClooks good on you.”
I blush, heat flaming my face. “Thanks. For everything. The plane tickets, the game, the jerseys.”
“You bet. I missed you.”
“Same.” I lift my hand up, joining my palm with his on the glass. We stare at one another for a long second, my heart pounding.
“Hey, Kovac.” A player with dark, wavy hair skates over, thumping Xander hard on the back. “You gonna introduce me to your new lady or what?”
Xander half-scowls at him, then his face breaks into a grin. “Axl, this is Rachel. She’s way too good for me, which means you need to keep your distance.”
“Whoa!” Axl throws his palms up, acting innocent. “Brother, you know I’d never disrespect you like that. And you must be Jett.” Axl smiles at Jett. “This guy’s told me all about you. Said he needs to practice extra hard or you’ll be coming for his position.”
Jett beams at Axl, then up at Xander, shrugging. “Maybe. He’s still a little better than me, though.”
“He’s got a lot more practice under his belt. Give it time. Nice to finally meet you both.” Axl winks at me cheekily and Xander shoves him.
“Watch yourself,” Xander warns, and Axl chuckles.
“You coming out with the team to celebrate?” Axl asks.
“Don’t think so. The little dude needs to get some sleep. Maybe next time.” Xander pats Axl on the back and he shakes his head, his dark waves brushing over his jersey.
“Already domesticated. Nice work, Rachel. You tamed the bad boy of hockey.”
“Get going before I check your butt,” Xander snarls playfully at Axl and he skates off, waving.
Xander turns back to us. “You ready? I have to grab my stuff, then we can head out. Order room service, watch a movie.”
“Yeah!” Jett cheers, and my heart’s about to burst with love.
I never thought I’d be this happy again, but here I am with the two guys who matter most to me in the world.
“Sounds perfect.” I smile at Xander and he winks one more time before skating away to the locker room.
EPILOGUE: XANDER
With Rachel and Jett on my team, I have my best, winningest season ever.
Rachel comes to every home game and manages to attend a bunch of away games, cheering me on from the stands. Seeing her beautiful face in the crowd lights me up in a way nothing ever has before.
I can’t live without her.
Our team makes it to playoffs and we win the Second Round, but get eliminated in the Third. Which is fine by me, because now I can spend all my time with Rachel and Jett in Starlight Bay.
Back home in Starlight Bay, we fall easily into a cozy routine. I take Jett to school and pick him up in the afternoons, then we head to hockey practice. Jackson lets me slide back into the defensive coach position and I enjoy the hell out of my role, teaching young kids how to play hockey.
Charles is out of the picture for now, having failed to attend even one anger management class. Rachel’s relieved and Jett doesn’t seem too torn up about not seeing his dad, at least for now. Hopefully, the jerk comes around and does what the courtasks, but who knows. I’m here to protect both Rachel and Jett now. Nothing’s going to happen to them on my watch.
Rachel and I have more than one talk about the future. I think she’s in it for the long haul, but I’m not one hundred percent sure. That’s why I’m so nervous buying the ring.
We still have a lot of logistics to work out, with my hockey schedule and Jett’s school attendance. We’ll have to spend time apart, but I’m confident we’re meant to be.