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Madison
Last night the team was on a road trip in Boston, so at least she had a little time to think about what happened after dinner with Matt the other night. He had almost kissed her. Too bad all she could think about was how much she missed him and what would’ve happened had he actually kissed her. And the more shocking part was how badly she had wanted him to. She knew exactly what she wanted to happen, and she wouldn’t have ended up sleeping alone that night.
“He tried to kiss you? Well, what happened?” Brooke Briggs, Madison’s sister was lying face down on the massage table for an hour session.
Madison was grateful for the break from her busy schedule and chatty clients. At least with Brooke she didn’t have to pretend to be the upbeat, good mood, therapist. She could just be herself and worry about the almost kiss.
“Look at you all interested in my love life now.” Madison razzed her sister, referring to her rarely being around.
“Sorry! Work keeps me busy. I think I’ve done more traveling this year then in my life.” Brooke whined.
Love had never been kind to Madison. Her last relationship had been with Justin, and it was long ago. She cared for him, but real love was never part of that equation. His drinking went from recreational to every day. Then he got mean when he drank. The night he turned that anger on her was the end. One beer bottle smashing beside her head was one too many, and she never looked back. That was why Matt’s drinking always struck a nerve with her.
Matt wasn’t Justin. But she still shaded her heart when it came to him. She didn’t need love to survive but seeing Matt again after being away in Wilkes-Barre had her realizing how much she missed him, their talks, their lunches... him.
“Brooke, things are getting... unusual with him. I mean, we’re friends. And we love spending time together. But the flirting is happening more, and it’s both of us.”
“You’re flirting with him, too? Woah. Sis, you’re into him, aren’t you?”
“Shut up. At first flirting was a fun thing we did with each other, because we were just friends. But it’s not like that anymore. Things get said...” Like me telling him how attractive he is.
“Or kisses almost happen?”
Madison left out the small kiss that did happen in Wilkes-Barre. She brushed it off as nothing since she and Matt had never discussed it, even if she wanted it to mean more.
“Yeah.” She’s right. I am into him. Dismissing the thought, she jumped back to reality, to concentrate on her job. “I just don’t know.”
“What’s to know? He likes you, and obviously wants you. What do you think would’ve happened if you had let him kiss you?”
“It wasn’t that I didn’t let him. We got interrupted.”
“Okay. Then what do you think would’ve happened had you not gotten interrupted?”
“I don’t know.”
“I think you do know. You know exactly what would happen. And it scares you. Because you might like it. Why can’t you just let yourself be happy for once? I’ve told you before; not every guy is like Justin. There are good guys out there.”
Brooke was right. Madison had been way too hard on herself, never letting anyone in, and now keeping Matt at arm’s length. She just didn’t know how to be any other way.
“You deserve to be happy, Sis. And if he’s what makes you happy, you need to go for it. Maddy, don’t let what happened in the past define you.”
For the rest of the day, her sister’s words ran through her head. She was interested in Matt. She could maybe pass off that first little kiss in Wilkes-Barre as a goodbye from a friend who wouldn’t see her for some time. But then he had almost kissed her again, and that changed things. Now she knew he was attracted to her as well.
That thought excited her, sent flutters to her stomach. But it also sent a jab of fear into her heart. She knew he’d had his fair share of women in his bed, more than she cared to think about. What if physical attraction was as far as Matt’s interest in her went, and all he wanted was a no-strings lay? The thought hurt, because when it came to Matt, that would never be enough for her. She wanted it all.
And then there was his drinking. She just couldn’t tolerate that. He needed to decide what he wanted. And she needed to decide if she could compromise her feelings about the alcohol. Every good relationship has some sort of compromise. Right?
Her alcohol issues were connected to a person. And Matt wasn’t him. Maybe it was more a question of his loyalty, and as far as she’d seen, Matt was loyal, beer or no beer. And just because he was a fighter on the ice didn’t mean anything. Madison had never seen alcohol trigger anger in him. Again, he wasn’t Justin. She had a lot to consider.
MADISON LOOKED THROUGH her closet ten times, trying to figure out what to wear to the Renegades game tonight. She suddenly regretted not owning a hockey jersey. I’ve been good friends with Matt, a local hockey player, for over a year, and never thought to buy a Renegades shirt? That would need to be resolved soon if she was going to be attending games. Eventually, she decided on a form-fitting black t-shirt, fleece-lined black leggings, and her converse.
The loud exhaust of Matt’s pickup truck told her that he’d just pulled into her driveway. Since it was freezing out, she put on a puffy silver jacket, and hurried out to the truck. Madison wouldn’t make the same mistake twice in this cold.
“Maddy, I would’ve come to the door to get you,” Matt complained, as she climbed into the truck. “I at least would’ve opened the truck door for you. I am a gentleman, for Pete’s sake.”
She knew all that. “It’s fine. I didn’t want you to be late.”
Matt shook his head, seeming amused. “Sugar, I’m sure they wouldn’t even care. If they even noticed.”
“Please.” She slapped his thigh. “Stop moping. And there are better uses for your money than paying a fine for being late.”
“Whatever.” Matt smiled as he drove to the arena. “By the way, nice silver jacket. What are you supposed to be? A marshmallow in disguise?”
“A marshmallow in disguise? Wow... I don’t know if I should laugh or be offended.” Her snicker made it obvious that she wasn’t offended. “And I thought I looked cute in this jacket. Anyway, as soon as we get to the arena, I’m running to the store and going on a shopping spree.”
Matt looked to her and raised an eyebrow. “For anything in particular?”
“Isn’t it obvious from my puffy marshmallow jacket? I need some Renegades gear. I’ll probably get a hooded sweatshirt today, but I do need to get a jersey soon. I really just want to look around and see what I can find.”
“Oh good. So you weren’t planning on wearing that foil marshmallow in the arena?” Matt pretended to be relieved.
“What did my very stylish and very expensive jacket ever do to you?”
“Nothing, but apparently it tricked you into buying it.” Matt chuckled. “But seriously, if you want a hoodie, mine is in the backseat. You can wear that.”
“Thanks.” She looked back at the gray hoodie in the backseat. “But I need one for my wardrobe, anyway.”
“So take mine. You can keep it. I’ll get another one. Mine is the locker room sweatshirt, the ones the guys have. It’s nicer than most in the store. But if you still want one, I’ll get you one.”
“That’s not necessary. Really. I can buy my own stuff.”
“Oh, I know that you can. No argument there. But this is my treat. Like you said, there are better uses for my money than paying fines. Oh, and by the way, just make sure you have your family pass. You’ll need that for access to the family room and the private concessions area.” Matt then turned up the radio and started singing to the music.
She’d never been to a game as a player’s guest. Apparently, from how Matt was talking, she had some special privileges with his ticket. Madison was excited to see what waited for her at the arena.
Once at the Rivers Arena, Madison left her silver jacket in the car, and instead wore Matt’s sweatshirt. They were in the parking garage, so at least she avoided some of the winter chill.
Inside the arena store, she was in awe of all the team-labeled items. They had everything from jerseys right down to table lamps. Madison looked around, leaving Matt talking to one of the employees. When she was finished shopping, she had a fleece Renegades scarf, a knit cap and gloves, and a gray fleece Renegades pullover. The pullover was warm and soft and perfect for the cold weather.
Setting them on the checkout counter, she pulled out her credit card and waited for the cashier to ring everything up.
“Hey.” Matt’s voice beside her ear made her jump a mile. “Find everything you need?”
“Thanks for scaring the crap out of me. And yeah, almost. I wanted to get a jersey, but I didn’t see any with your name on them.”
“Well that’s exactly what I needed to know.” Matt nodded at the cashier.
“What are you talking about?”
“Mary here”—Matt pointed to the cashier— “is ordering you a jersey, and I was only waiting to find out what name you wanted on the back, and what size.”
“What? Well yours, of course. And I was looking for a women’s large. But you’re not buying it for me.” She gave Matt a stern look, which was useless, because all he did was smirk back at her. Madison tried handing the cashier her credit card, but the woman refused it, looking amused.
“Too late. Everything is taken care of. Thanks, Mary.” Matt took the receipt, as Mary handed her the bag full of Renegades items. “Maddy, if you don’t want to hold that at your seat, I can take it out to the truck.”
Madison looked at the bag, and it seemed like it might be a pain to hold for the whole game, especially since she wanted to get some arena food. “Okay, hang on.” She dug into the bag, pulling out the hat, gloves and scarf. After tearing the tags off and tossing them back in the bag, she pulled the knit hat on, shoved the gloves into her purse, and laid the warm scarf around her neck before handing the bag to Matt.
Still irritated that he’d bought everything for her, and knowing he wouldn’t take no for an answer, because he was as hard-headed as she was, she smiled politely and added, “Thanks for the gear, but next time we go out for dinner, I’m buying.”
Matt just winked at her. “We’ll see about that, sugar. Let’s get you to your seat.”
MADISON JUGGLED HER souvenir cup of pop and her plate of barbecue pork nachos, as an usher showed her to her seat in section 109. It had been a while since she’d been to a game, and she had never had seats this close. She’d always been in the upper bowl, almost at the same level as the scoreboard.
She was early, since Matt had to be there two hours before the game started, but it gave her plenty of time to relax and eat her nachos. Madison loved arena and ballpark foods, and since she didn’t go often, she overindulged when she had the opportunity. There was a kielbasa sandwich in her future, as well.
The arena was quiet, except for the soft background music playing. There was still about twenty minutes before ticketholders would be allowed in.
“Excuse me,” a woman’s voice interrupted her snack. The woman was dressed in Renegades gear and had a pink Renegades baseball cap on. Another young woman with her had the same hat.
“Hi.” The woman sat down next to Madison. “Are you a guest of Matt’s?”
Madison nodded, wiping barbecue sauce off her chin. “Yep.”
“Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. He’s actually a good friend of ours, and these seats have gone unused lately. I was happy when I saw you sitting there.” The woman put out her hand to Madison. “How rude of me, I should’ve introduced myself. I’m Kat Lafleur, Kris’s wife. This is my sister, Gia. She’s Patrick’s wife.”
Madison smiled as she hurriedly looked at the pink Renegades hats. She knew who Kris Lafleur was, but wasn’t as familiar with Patrick. Once she quickly confirmed the woman’s husband was Pat Dubois, she smiled back. She shook Kat’s hand first. “Hi. I’m Madison.”
“Hi, Madison.” Kat nodded to the seat next to Madison. “Are you waiting for your date?”
Madison let out a hearty chuckle. “No. I’m flying solo tonight.” And every night.
“Oh?” Kat raised her eyebrow and smirked. “Nice. Well, we’re your neighbors for the next few hours. If you need anything, just ask. We’re here to help. And just so you know, you don’t have to go running around the arena and stand in the long lines for the concessions stands. Since you’re a guest of Matt’s—he gave you a family pass, right?” Madison nodded. “Great! We have our own private concessions area in the family room. Let us know if you want something, and we’ll go with you.”
Gia shrugged with a laugh. “Just some perks of the family pass. And the food is so much better.”
“Exactly. And there’s plenty more,” Kat said, with an inviting smile. “But don’t worry, we’ll fill you in. Just stick with us.”
“Do you guys always sit here?”
Kat shook her head. “No. Kris and I have a little boy, so when he comes to the games, I’ll watch from the family room.” Kat pointed behind them, but Madison wasn’t sure exactly where.
“Or sometimes we sit in the team suite.” Gia pointed up to the luxury boxes.
“Is that Matt’s sweatshirt?” Kat asked, smirking.
Madison looked down at her sweatshirt. “Yes, it is. I told him I was going to buy one tonight, but he insisted I wear his. I did hit the team store when we got here and tried to buy some Renegades gear of my own.”
“Tried? Do you mean Matt swooped in and told the girl to charge his card?” Kat asked with a smirk.
“Well, yeah. That’s exactly what he did.”
“Yep, sounds like Matt. He might be an enforcer on the ice, but in real life, he’s just a big teddy bear,” Kat responded.
“Exactly. And he insisted I keep this sweatshirt, even though I, well, he bought me a new fleece. He said it’s the team’s official sweatshirt or something?” Madison felt like a high school girl wearing her new boyfriend’s letterman jacket. It was all surreal.
“Yeah. All the guys on the team have one. See how it has his number on it and his last name on the arm? You can buy replicas in the store with that logo on the front, but they don’t have the number or name. That’s sweet that he gave it to you. You guys must be close?” Kat was not shy about fishing for what she wanted to know.
“Yeah. I guess. He’s been going through a rough time, and I try to be there for him. We’ve been friends for a while.”
“Yeah, his troubles are no secret, so I’m glad he has someone. Matt knows he can always lean on Kris, but I think he feels like he’s imposing on us. That’s why I’m especially grateful that he has you.”
“Are you two...?” Gia asked, leaving the end of her question to be assumed.
“Are we... dating? Uh, no. Just good friends.” Madison smiled, but in her heart, she knew she wanted more. They might already be more than just friends.
“Oh, okay. Well, like I said, we’re here for you if you need us,” Kat replied.
But something in her voice told Madison that Kat didn’t believe that she and Matt were only friends. Or maybe it was Madison’s conscience that knew she and Matt were more than friends.