Page 92 of Ice Cold Hearts
There’s nothing better than skating off the ice amid an outpouring of curses from the home team’s fans interspersed with cheers from the handful of Cold Hearts fans who followed us to this game. The fact that we’re five states away from our home city and we still have fans here to cheer us on makes the win that much sweeter. I skate slower than normal to savor the high of the moment. The only thing keeping this from being a perfect night is that Emily and Audrey aren’t here in person to see it.
“Corbitt!” the assistant coach yells as soon as I enter the locker room.
I tramp over warily.
What could he possibly have to say to me? I didn’t even start any fights this game.
“Sir?” I ask.
“Your phone has been buzzing like a swarm of angry bees from the minute the final buzzer rang. They were getting ready to smash your phone to bits before I rescued it,” Will says gruffly. “There it goes again. Take the damn thing.”
I catch the phone he tosses and anxiously peer at the screen.
Gen. Corbitt Calling.
Holy shit. He hardly ever calls me.
I point at the hallway toward the coach’s office. “It’s so loud. Do you mind if I?—”
He nods and waves me off.
I answer the video call in the relative quiet of the office.
“Baby!” my mom squeals.
“Son.” Dad grunts.
“Mom, Dad—I mean, Sir,” I correct, “I’m happy to see you, but isn’t it the middle of the night where you are?”
“It’s ten hundred hours in Japan, Ian. That’s practically the middle of the day, but I guess for you, what did they call them in the paper, Anna?” he asks.
Mom shrugs.
“Playboy celebrities. That’s what it was. For you playboy celebrities out all night, sleeping until fifteen hundred, I guess that would be the middle of the night.” He says it disapprovingly, but the twitch at the corner of his mouth tells me he’s teasing.
I laugh. “I haven’t been out that late in a while. I’m getting up early enough these days that even you might find me respectable, Sir.”
He actually cracks a smile. “Hmmm… so this new woman of yours is getting you to shape up, then.”
I shrug. “I guess so.”
“Oh, I knew it,” Mom gushes. “It’s true love. When are you getting married? Let us know well ahead of time so your father can take leave.”
“Anna, quit smothering the boy,” he grumbles. “Things are going well with that woman and her daughter?”
I’m surprised he even bothered to ask.
A smile haunts the corners of my mouth. “Things are going well. Emily and her daughter are doing great. They’re definitely keeping us on our toes.”
His brows knit together. “So, you're all still seeing her?”
“Yes, Sir,” I answer warily.
The silence is deafening on their end of the call.
“Well, I don’t get it, but I can’t say I haven’t wanted to pawn your mother off on someone else for a bit so I could get a few hours of peace,” he grumbles after a while.
“Jackson!” My mother swats playfully at him. “That’s not even what we called for, Baby Boy. We’re finally in a time zone where we can catch your games more regularly, and we were calling to congratulate you on your goal today! I’m so proud of you.”