So, I sat with the other guys on the bench, waiting to be put in.
Finally, halfway through the first period, the coach turned to me. “Turner, get your ass in there and show us what you’ve got!”
I smiled at him—and it felt good.
Good that he had some level of confidence in me to dig them out of the three to nothing ditch we were already in.
Good to feel trusted to do my job again.
But, I had to say—getting back on the ice during a game felt even better.
There was nothing like it.
I’d barely gotten into position when a chorus of, “We Will Rock You,” started in the stands.
“Yo, Turner!” the captain called out as he circled over to me. “Isn’t that your wife?”
I frowned at him and immediately looked to where he nodded.
“Holy shit,” I whispered when my eyes focused in on the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
“Jesus, how’d you catch a hot chick like her?” he asked and hit his stick against my skate.
“No fuckin’ clue,” I answered, still not trusting my eyes.
Was she really there?
Or was I imagining her?
My gaze lowered to read the sign she held in her hands—it said, “Rock Me, Trey Turner!”
And fuck if that didn’t crack me right up.
Lexi let one hand drop from the sign, and it slid to the side slightly. Then, she waved at me.
Then, I waved at her.
Hope swirled around my head and my heart—maybe, just maybe, we’d be okay.
“If y’all are done flirtin’, can we get back to the game, now?” one of the refs skated up to us and asked.
I laughed out loud and so did the captain.
When the other two refs came over to join us, we heard Queen’s version of “We Will Rock You,” play over the sound system.
Soon, the entire building was stomping and clapping to it.
“Looks like you got your girl back, Turner. Happy for ya, man,” the second ref said.
The third one laughed and replied, “Enjoy it now, Turner. In ten years she’ll be trying to get rid of you.”
The first ref countered back with, “Nah, Danny, that’s just your wife. And who can fucking blame her?”
We all cracked up until the first ref blew his whistle. “Good luck, Turner. Glad to see ya back on the ice.”
We were listeningto the coach get started on the post game talk.
“After this, we’ve got a three hour meeting and debrief on the game,” he said sternly, and my heart nearly stopped beating.