"Your team is literally named after a catastrophic event that happens weekly here," I remind him. "I'll take the snow."
The press actually laugh. They love this, the way we give each other shit, and Tate and I excel at it. We know the game and we like playing it, on and off the ice.
We turn to face our audience now, wrapping our arms around each other and letting them snap some more shots.
“Okay.” The Quake coach claps his hands. His name is JudeBraddock and he’s an ex-player just like Alex. “You guys got yourFamily Tiesmoment now let’s go back to being opponents.”
“You got it Coach,” Tate says and turns to me. “Later cuz.”
I turn and head back to the visitors' locker room. I have to pass the visitor's guest lounge and that's when I see her. I swear to god it's a mirage. Hallucination. I stop so abruptly that my dress shoes squeak on the polished concrete floor.
She turns away from her dad and smiles. “Surprise.”
I smile so big and so fast that I might have to see a trainer about pulled muscles in my face. I walk right up to her as fast as I can and scoop her off her feet in a giant hug. “She’s actually here to see me,” Coach grumbles.
“No honey,” Mac’s mom says from where she’s standing next to Coach, patting his arm. “We’re here to see you. I’m pretty sure she just wanted to see him.”
“My mom wanted to surprise my dad on his first road trip with his new team,” Mac explains, her lips against my neck as she’s still hanging from my embrace a half inch off the ground. “I couldn’t resist joining.”
“Can you introduce me to your boyfriend already?”
I put Mac down and she takes my hand and turns to face her family. I've met her mom before, but not her sister who has been a new addition to her family in the last decade. It's the sister who demanded an introduction and as soon as we're facing her, she steps forward and gives me her hand. "I'm Cassia."
“Cassia, I’m Conner. Great to meet you.” I turn to her mom. “Nice seeing you again Mrs. Larue.”
I extend my hand but she ignores it and pulls me into a hug. “Call me Brie. You used to when you were a kid and there’s no point getting more formal now.”
“Okay, Brie.” I smile and hug her back with one hand because I don’t want to let go of Mac’s with my other.
“I’m still Coach, not Alex,” he reminds me even though I don’t need it. “And I need you to go suit up.”
“Sure. Of course.” I turn back to Mac and steal a kiss, hoping it doesn’t get me killed. “Can I see you later? We are spending the night at?—”
“The Beverly Wilshire, I know,” she finishes. “Us too. We fly home tomorrow when you go to San Diego.”
Brie leans in and wraps an arm around both of us before whispering. “Maybe don’t plan your booty calls in front of your dad, Mac honey.”
Right. Oops. “I’ll text you.”
I squeeze her hand and jog off.
We win the game, and much to Tate’s annoyance I’m the reason why. I score both goals. He scores the Quakes’ only goal so the media is eating this up. Garrison Boys Carry Their Teams on Their Backs in East-West Late Season Battle, is the only headline I see online as we’re boarding the bus back to the hotel.
I’m about to settle in next to Abbott when I hear the coach speak. “Okay guys, we have hitchhikers tonight,” he announces as Brie, Cassia, and Mac climb up the stairs. “My wife and kids are here.”
The guys shout out hellos and I immediately move to the empty seats behind Abbott. Coach clears his throat. “My daughter Cassia, my wife Mrs. Larue to you motley crew, and my daughter Mac who is also, for some inexplicable reason, Garrison’s girlfriend.”
The bus erupts in a chorus of whistles until Coach's glare steals all the noise from the bus. "Yeah. So now you know andthat's the last we'll speak of it. Great game guys. Thanks for pushing. One more to win before we head back home."
Mac walks right past her dad and sits down next to me. I try not to grin too hard as I lace my fingers through hers.
An hour later, after I’ve made her come apart on my tongue, and again on my cock, she lays curled up with her head on my chest while I wrap one of her curls around my index finger.
“So Dad’s handling it okay,” Mac says softly.
“Can we not talk about Coach when we’re naked?” I request and I feel a laugh rumble out of her. “But yeah, I think we’re going to be okay.”
“We are.”