Leif
I toss my phone down and grip the back of my neck.
“Dude, I can’t believe you beat me to the fucking altar,” Chris cackles.
“Me too.” Hudson raises his hand, but his expression is more serious than the rest of the guys.
I squeeze the back of my neck, as if the pressure there will alleviate the pounding in my head. Cami straight up bounced on me.
I turn away from my friends in the swanky hotel suite and pour another cup of coffee from the room service someone ordered this morning. Just keep the caffeine coming.
“Aw, come on, y’all at least had a wedding night, didn’t you?” Fucking Ray thrusts his hips.
“If you’re doing it like that, it’s no wonder you’re not getting action,” Chris snorts.
I burn the roof of my mouth and bite back my swear.
“Give Leif a break,” Hudson chides the guys.
“My wife fucking ghosted me,” I spell it out for my friends. “You guys, I legally married Cami.”
“Damn,” James mutters. “Annulment can be a bitch.”
“Screw that. Divorce is gonna be a bitch,” Ray adds. “You’re a fucking professional hockey player.”
“You think she knew?” Chris wonders.
I shake my head. “No, I don’t. And honestly? I don’t think she would care one way or the other.”
“Until you see her in court,” James mutters.
“Fuck.” I scrub a hand down my face. Even though annulment and divorce are the obvious outs to my current dilemma, both options sour my stomach. For a handful of hours last night, wrapped up in Cami, I felt…home. It doesn’t make any damn sense, but I still can’t believe she dipped out on me this morning.
Unless she regrets it. My stomach twists at the thought.
No regrets, she said. But she said that while tipsy and in the moment. Things look different in the daylight.
Frustration builds in my body, and I take another swig of my coffee.
“Pool party?” Ray offers.
Hudson slings an arm around my neck and squeezes. “Come on. A piña colada will cheer you up.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, shoving him off me. “I married a fucking stranger and—”
“She did the walk of shame to not have to face you in the morning,” James calls me out.
“Yeah,” Ray agrees thoughtfully. “She definitely doesn’t know you’re a hockey player.” His expression brightens. “That could be good, bro. Less attention.”
“I’ll make sure the bartender adds an umbrella to your beverage,” Chris promises, throwing a pair of swim trunks at me.
“Come on. It’s our last day in Vegas. Tomorrow, it’s back to reality.” Ray cuts me a look. “And for some of us, reality is going to suck.”
I snort and shake off their ribbing. I head to my bedroom, ignore the indent of Cami on the left side of the bed, and change. Glancing around the space, there’s no trace that she was even here save for the rumpled bedsheets. She really did slip away with the morning light and like a goddamn chump, I want to chase after her.
Hell, my brothers would never believe it if they could see me now.
I don’t stress shit like this. I’m cool. Laid-back. Easygoing.
Jensen’s last text message flickers through my mind.
I heave out a sigh. I’m definitely not good.
She gave me fucking stakes. And then, she bailed.
My chest feels tight, a pang slashing across my pecs. I press my palm to the center of my chest, as if it will help ease the pressure gathering there.
I want something—someone—to care about. I want more than…this. The piña colada and the easy pussy.
But I’m an idiot for thinking it could be my wife. Hell, Cami is just a stranger who I met in Vegas.
I work a swallow but all I taste is sour disappointment.
Still, I wanted it to be her.
Dragging my palms over the weed leaves imprinted on my bathing suit, I decide the only thing left to do is enjoy the day. Cami is ignoring my messages and right now, I can’t handle the thought of her regretting us getting married. Besides, if she wants to pretend this shit never happened, that’s her prerogative. Eventually, it will catch up to her.
But not today.
Today, I’m going to chill poolside with my buddies, drink a fucking piña colada, and try to forget the beautiful woman who flipped my world upside down.
“I want a straw too!” I holler as I reenter the communal space.
A cheer goes up from my friends.
“There he is! Laid-back Leif.” Ray whips a bottle of sunscreen at my head.
I catch it and slip it into my backpack.
“Lead me to the pool,” I demand as Chris laughs.
Then, I follow my friends and allow myself to roll with it. I proceed to get shitfaced. And sunburned.
And yeah, a little fucking heartbroken too. But no one else needs to know that.
By the time I’m back in Knoxville, I’m hopped up on frustration and anger—two emotions I dislike. I pride myself on taking things in stride, but when Cami offered me stakes, and I said I wanted them, I didn’t realize how much that decision would affect my outlook.
Knowing I’ve got a wife running around who won’t reply to a damn text message is infuriating. And hurtful.
I’m out of my element.
Needing to blow off steam, I head to the gym. The arena where the Thunderbolts play, the Honeycomb, is pretty quiet in the summer months. The players who have family out of town have headed home or have booked a vacation out of Knoxville.
It’s a relief, since the last thing I need is to be hounded with questions by my teammates. I was traded in the middle of last season, right before the Christmas trading freeze, and while I’ve got a good rapport with my teammates, I’m still relatively new.
Jensen calls as I’m tossing my bag in the locker room.
I pick up. “What’s good?”
“I’m ready to ask you that. You never replied to my text,” he says.
I sigh, not ready to go into details, so I give him a version of the truth. “Just a wild night. I got a matching tattoo with a woman I hooked up with.” But my stomach sours when I think of Cami as only a hookup. She’s so much more than that it’s not even funny.
“Damn, Leif.” Jensen chuckles. “I hope it’s not her name.”
“Nah.” I inject lightness into my tone and glance at the curling wave on my wrist. “Got a wave.”
“Another fucking wave.” I can hear my brother rolling his eyes.
“Yeah. But listen, I just got to the gym.”
“Okay, I’ll let you go. One thing—you talk to Mom?”
“Today? No, why?” I pause, my curiosity rising.
Jensen sighs. “Could be nothing but I haven’t heard from her. King couldn’t get in touch with her either.”
Unease sweeps my veins. “You think—”
“She could be coming to see you, Leif.” Jensen chuckles as my nausea increases.
“No way,” I spit back. “She’d at least call.”
His laughter grows. “I don’t know, little brother. But if Mom shows up on your doorstep, run.”
I snort. “She’s not that bad.”
“She’s on a mission, Leif. Be prepared,” he warns.
Since the start of last season, Mom has successfully ensured that King, Jake, and Jensen are matched up with the right women. But little does she—or anyone else know—I’m now a married man.
“Don’t worry about Mom,” I say, wanting to reassure him. And myself.
Jensen laughs again. “I’m not. That’s for you to worry about now. Have a good workout.”
“Talk soon,” I reply, ending the call.
I sigh heavily and stow my phone. The last thing I need is Mom showing up in Knoxville. But right now, I’m at the gym to clear my head.
When I step into the gym, the clanking of weights causes me to pause. I don’t want to deal with anyone right now—even less after Jensen’s phone call. But, when I note it’s our team captain, Damien Barnes, I relax and venture into the space.
“Hey!” He sits up on a bench and drags a towel across his face. “What’s up, Leif?”
I shrug and move toward a rack of dumbbells. “Same old. How are you doing?”
Barnes studies me for a beat. He’s quiet and thoughtful. More introspective and polished instead of the usual rough-around-the-edges, rowdy athlete. He’s also locked down with a serious girlfriend—ahem, fiancée—Harper who is a fun-loving, chill woman I hit it off with immediately.
At least my team captain is cool and the furthest thing from a gossip.
“Not bad. Harper’s in Aspen this week, visiting my sister.” He takes a swig from his water bottle.
“You didn’t want to visit your sister, too?” Given that we now have some off time, I’m surprised Barnes held back.
He snorts. “I know. I’d usually tag along but Fiona, that’s my sister, recently got engaged. Her fiancé took my nephew Garrett on a fishing trip, and Fi and Harper are dress shopping. With my mom. Definitely steering clear of that.”
“Oh. That sounds nice,” I comment.
Barnes snickers. “You don’t know my mom.”
The corner of my mouth tugs up on its own accord. I think about the past year and how meddlesome my mom’s been in setting up my brothers. She would love an opportunity to dress shop for any wedding.
Silver lining—at least I’m technically married and therefore, as soon as Mom hears of this news, I’m no longer a target. I just hope I can tell her before she appears like Jensen insinuated.
I tell Barnes, “Trust me, Mama Bang could probably give her—and any other mom—a run for her money.” I lift an eyebrow. “Six kids—including five boys who play in the NHL. My mom takes no prisoners.”
Barnes chuckles. “Fair. You may actually have me beat with that. So, how was Vegas?”
I hesitate, wondering how much I should share. Barnes is my team captain and, as far as I’ve seen, a strong leader and a discreet teammate. I sigh. “How much time do you have?”
He freezes and looks me over. “How badly do you need a workout?”
I shake my head. “Just blowing off steam.”
“Would a beer suffice?”
I nod. “Corks?”
“Let’s go grab a brew and a bite,” he agrees, standing from the bench.
Even though I still feel restless energy coursing though my limbs, I know sitting down with Damien and talking shit through will be its own kind of therapy. Right now, I could use the sounding board. Maybe even his advice.
We head into the locker room, and I change back into my shorts and a T-shirt while Barnes takes a quick shower. When we’re both dressed, we head to Corks. I park behind him, we enter the popular sports bar, and we snag a table in the back.
Around us, televisions broadcasting the summer Olympic Games show highlights from a recent basketball game and swim competition. We place our orders and make small talk.
But after the first sip of beer, Damien cuts to the chase. “Vegas?”
I shake my head slowly, rolling the cold bottle of beer between my hands.
Damien swears softly. “How much did you lose?”
I look up. “It’s not that.”
He frowns. “Not gambling? Then, what?”
“I got married.” I practically announce it and the server approaching our table with a board of nachos gasps in surprise.
Damien drops his head and the server places down the board and scurries away.
“Okay,” my team captain breathes out, remaining his cool, calm demeanor. We share that trait. “Okay.” His eyes flick up to meet mine. “What is she hitting you with? Money? A lawsuit? A scandal? Pictures? Just, lay it out for me, man.”
“Nothing,” I admit.
Damien stares at me like I’m an alien. “What do you mean, nothing?”
“She ghosted me, bro.” I snort and grip the back of my neck. “Fuck, I don’t know why it’s bugging me this much. I barely know the woman and yet—she’s straight up ghosting me, and I can’t fucking stand it.”
“Hold up.” Barnes lifts a hand. “Do you, Leif, do you like this woman?”
“I think so,” I admit, surprising the hell out of both of us. “But right now, I just need her to talk to me. And she’s—” The shrill ring of my phone cuts me off.
I pull my cell from my pocket and glance at the screening, frowning when I read Mom’s name. No fucking way.
“Give me a second,” I tell Barnes. “It’s my mom.”
He leans back in his chair and lifts his beer.
“Mom,” I answer, about to tell her it isn’t a good time to talk.
“Leif, how many times do I have to tell you that a fake rock is an awful place to hide a key? I found it in about three seconds. If I can spot it, anyone can,” Mom rambles through the line.
I straighten in my chair trying to play catch up. “Mom, what do you mean? Where are you?”
Mom exhales but the sound is…cheery. “I’m here, Leif! And I must tell you, you’ve done an excellent job with the aesthetic of your place. It could use some tidying but, well, that’s another reason why I’m here, right? Say, when will you be home?” she continues in a singsong voice, as though this is normal.
As though I should have expected her to show up in Knoxville. And, given Jensen’s phone call an hour ago, I should have.
A conversation from weeks ago with my brother Jensen flickers through my mind.
If Mom shows up on your doorstep, run.
Oh, fuck.
I groan.
Across from me, Damien gives me a look.
“I’m just grabbing a bite with my team captain,” I tell my mother. “I’ll be home in a bit. Do you need anything?”
“Oh, no! Don’t worry about me. I’ll make myself at home and see you soon!” She hangs up.
I drop my cell phone to the tabletop.
“What’s going on?” Barnes asks. “Did your family find out? Is your mom—”
“Here,” I interject. “My mom is here. In Knoxville. At my house. For a surprise visit or an… I don’t know, an ambush.”
Across the table, Barnes’s eyes widen. “Shit, Leif. I think you were right. Mama Bang fucking wins.”
Yeah. Mama Bang always wins.