“They'll make you a healthy scratch tomorrow night,” Theo mutters as he skates past me. “Get your head in the game, dude.”
I suck in a breath, nodding as I shake my head at myself. He’s right. I can’t afford to lose any playing time. I need to lock in and do what I need to do. If I’m going to stand strong and steady with Jade, I need to be able to do the same with my team.
Accountability and reliability is everything—on and off the ice.
Something inside me clicks and I put my head down and get to work. It’s like a flip of a switch and I’m back in it, battling for the puck. By the time practice is over, I’m soaked in sweat, breathless, and a bit lighter.
There’s something about losing myself in the game that has a way of grounding me.
“Matteo,” Coach Ford calls to me as I’m grabbing my water bottle to follow the rest of the guys back into the dressing room. “A second?”
Shit. He’s going to tell me I’m benched for tomorrow’s game.
“Yeah, sure Coach,” I say, bobbing my head as I follow him onto the bench. Everyone else is back in the dressing room and the Zamboni drives onto the ice. “What’s going on?”
“You seemed a bit distracted for the first half of practice.” He pauses for a second, his expression softening. “Everything okay? You and your dad sorted out your differences, right?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I say, a subtle relief washing over me. He seems more concerned rather than disappointed, so perhaps my chances of being benched are slim. “We talked about everything and we’re good now.”
He studies me for a beat. “Alright, well, if there’s anything you want to talk about, I’m always here. So are your parents. We’re all here for you, Matteo. We’ve all got your back.”
Emotion wells in my throat. It’s not often that Uncle Caleb lets his emotions show. It’s not that he isn’t supportive, he’s just reserved. It’s a vast difference from my dad, who has no issue telling you how he feels.
“Actually, can I ask you something?”
Uncle Caleb nods his head. “Yeah, of course.”
“How do you know when it’s the right time to tell someone you’re in love with them?”
He’s silent for a moment, his throat bobbing as he swallows hard. “As soon as you know that it’s true in your heart. Don’t say the words if you don’t mean them, but if you mean them, don’t keep them to yourself.”
“But what if it scares the other person?”
A ghost of a smile dances across his lips. “I’d be worried if both people weren’t terrified.” His eyes search mine. “Love is scary and maddening and truly a beautiful thing.”
“What if the other person needs time to process it?”
“Also normal,” he says, this time with a chuckle. “You know how much courage it took to say it? She also needs that same courage to be able to say it back.” His chest expands as he inhales deeply, his hand reaching out for my shoulder. “Time doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel the same way. Time is never a bad thing, Matteo. It’s just not something we have a lot of.”
I swallow hard as the sadness in his voice wraps around us both. He knows from experience, from losing his first wife.
“I can’t speak for her since I only met her at the gala, but I saw the way she looked at you, Matteo.” He smiles at me with his eyes, warm and sure. “She’ll come around to it. You need to trust yourself that you made the right decision.”
“How do I know I did?”
“You were honest with her,” he says as he rises to his feet. “You took a chance a lot of people shy away from.” He pauses, arching a brow. “Hit the showers, you stink.”
A chuckle escapes me as he turns to go, heading down the tunnel toward the coaches offices. I turn back to face the ice, watching the Zamboni as it goes past. A sense of peace settles over me as I hang on to Uncle Caleb’s words.
He’s right. I let myself be vulnerable and took a chance a lot of people don’t take.
And now I have to trust it was worth taking.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
JADE
“My heart was his, long before I realized.” - Clara Foss, Painted Inferno