Knox shifts beside me, and I can feel the tension radiating off him. When he speaks, his voice is thick with emotion. “I’m sorry, man. I should have noticed that you were going through a rough patch. I’m your captain, and I failed you.”
“Knox—” I start, but Ollie cuts me off.
“No,” he says, his voice gaining a fraction of strength. “Not on you, Cap. Not on either of you.”
But Knox isn’t having it. He steps closer to the bed, his jaw set with determination. “I’m going to do better. I promise you that. Is there anything you need? Anything I can do?”
Ollie’s eyes drift closed for a moment, and I think he might have fallen asleep, but then they open again. “Just need to focus on recovery. Get better.”
“You will,” Knox says with absolute certainty. “You’re a tough bastard, Davis. You’ll be back on the ice before you know it.”
The ghost of a smile touches Ollie’s lips. “Hope so.”
“Is it okay if I check in on Frank and Molly in the meantime?” Knox grins. “Just until you get back on your feet?”
“Yeah, that would be good. Dad’s too proud…”
Ollie drifts off, sleep finally claiming him, and as I watch his chest rise and fall, I’m struck by how fragile life truly is. How fleeting. I don’t want to waste another moment trying to mold myself into the perfect daughter, the perfect employee, the perfect anything.
I want to live my life on my terms, and I want to do it with Knox by my side, damn the consequences.
34
KNOX
I pullup to the Iceplex early on Tuesday and park near the side entrance. We’ve got practice today, but at this hour, the place is deserted. There are only a few cars in the lot. I spot the one I’m looking for easily.
Fueled by determination, I grab my bag from the passenger seat, hop out of the truck, and make my way inside. The morning air is cool and crisp, a reminder that Thanksgiving is just days away.
If everything goes according to plan, I’ll be celebrating with the team.
The organization put on a nice spread last year. A few of the guys brought their families, but most of us didn’t know each other too well, and it ended up being a pretty sedate affair.
I have a feeling this year’s dinner will be better attended and far rowdier.
Yeah, with Ginny unofficially headlining the shenanigans.
At least the entertainment portion of the evening will be covered.
I grin as I push through the doors of the facility. Then I shift my thoughts to the mission at hand.
Coach has been ignoring my calls, and he iced me out when I tried to talk to him after practice yesterday, so I figured an ambush was my best shot at having a real conversation.
If this fails, I’ll have to lay it all on the ice at practice. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that. It would be awkward for everyone involved.
For weeks I imagined that the worst possible outcome of my relationship with Ava was getting benched or being cut out of Adam’s life. Now I know there are worse consequences, like watching Ava nurse a broken heart.
It’s fucking torture, and not the fun kind.
She’s barely eaten in two days, and yesterday she only got out of bed long enough to visit Ollie. The instant we got home, she crawled right back under the covers.
I can’t take it.
If Coach wants to freeze me out, fine, I probably deserve it, but I can’t sit by and watch him do the same to Ava. Not when it’s tearing me up inside.
When I get to his office, the door is ajar, and I knock to announce myself.
“Come in.”