Joke’s on them, though. Legend has been playing the best hockey of his life since coming to the Vengeance and leads the league with a 2.24 goals against average. Just as I’ve seen so clearly with the other players on this team, they all seem to want to prove to their former mates that they are doing just fine in Phoenix.
Legend shut the Spartans out and their fans were very quiet by the end of the game. It was a repeat performance against the Atlanta Sting which was the next stop on our trip. Legend shut them out as well.
But tonight is definitely different because we’re playing the Cold Fury, and they’re going to be one of our toughest opponents this year.
Sadie leans forward to look past me to Valerie, and says in a voice that should be a little bit lower, “So how was your hookup with Legend last night?”
I choke on my nuts and give Sadie a sharp nudge in her ribs. “Lower your voice.”
Sadie shrugs. “Valerie doesn’t care who knows that she’s banging the Legend Bay. Particularly the way he’s played the last two games.”
Valerie’s eyes sparkle devilishly and she shoots us a wicked smile. “It’s true. I don’t mind if anyone knows that. And to answer your question, last night was unbelievable. That man has stamina.”
That starts a flurry of questions from Sadie and the two women talk about the nitty-gritty details of what went down last night between Legend and Valerie, which, apparently, included a naughty use of his neckties and bedposts.
I wonder if stamina is something that is common among all hockey players. Erik is the only one I’ve ever been with but I remember I could barely walk the next morning when I left his hotel room. We went at it all night and it was like we couldn’t get enough of each other.
Honestly, it’s why I thought we had a connection. It’s what made me so excited he wanted to see me the next night. Because I had never been with a man before who was so attentive and so focused on me. I clearly thought it meant more than it did.
I can’t help but smile to myself as I think about the last few days and how radically things have changed between Erik and me.
I’m actually a little embarrassed and ashamed with how much I had let Erik affect me in a negative way. I had by no means been holding an obsessive grudge over the last five years, and the truth is, before moving back to Phoenix, I rarely thought about him. But damn if he didn’t rile me up that first meeting on the plane when he called me a “party girl.” I let my anger overtake my common sense as distasteful memories rushed me, reminding me what an idiot I had been back then. Not that I wasn’t allowed to be mad, because I totally was. Erik even validated that I had a right to be angry.
But in hindsight I feel a bit foolish because Erik isn’t quite what I thought him to be.
He has clearly changed over the years. Matured. Gained a better perspective on life.
His apology to me was filled with absolute regret and remorse and I had no choice but to truly accept it.
So things are good between us and we are friends as we said we would be. That’s all it will ever be because while Erik may have matured over the years, he is still an absolute player, and my days of one-night stands and looking for love in all the wrong places are over.
Over the last five days, between the games, Legend and Erik have invited me, Sadie, Valerie, and Lyla to eat dinner with them. We were also joined by Bishop and Dax. Each time has been a little awkward, but not because of the past between Erik and me. It’s because Legend and Valerie shamelessly flirt with each other and neither one of them holds back with the sexual innuendo. They’re both having fun, though, and they know it’s nothing more than that. I realize that had I taken more of that attitude five years ago, I would have saved myself a lot of frustration these last few weeks.
The most refreshing aspect of Erik’s apology and our commitment to be friends is that I find it actually fun to hang around with the guys, Erik included. They are all in the same age range, cocky as hell, but also roguishly charming, which makes you forgive their arrogance. They’re all funny too—except for Tacker, who ate with us one night and barely said a word—and my ribs usually hurt by the end of the night from all the laughter.
True to his word, Erik hasn’t tried to flirt with me or come on to me once. He gives me the same attention that he gives Sadie and Lyla when we are all out to dinner. He gives no attention to Valerie since Legend is sleeping with her.