They call my name as first star of the game as I go around tossing pucks into the crowd. I skate by Matthew’s family all on their feet and see the smile on Allison’s face. I toss the puck over the glass at her and little Cooper catches it before her, so I laugh as I skate off the ice and head to the locker room. The press is there to interview me. I take off my helmet and run my hands through my hair.
“You were on fire today,” the reporter starts off. “How were the ice conditions out there?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t the smoothest ice, but since when is it smooth when you play outside,” I answer, smiling.
“You had the record high for playing minutes today and you had three goals and one assist. You think this will come into play when it’s time to negotiate your new contract?”
“I’m not thinking about that. I’m thinking about the here and now and enjoying every single second. New York is home for me and I hope they keep me.” I shrug and look at him. “Time will tell,” I say as he thanks me for talking to him.
I talk to four more reporters. By the time I walk back inside the room, half of the team is already in the shower. I get in the shower, but I’m the last one dressed, out of the room, and on the bus. I walk in and I don’t see Allison anywhere, figuring she is on the other bus. I sit down in the front, bringing out my phone, and seeing a text from her.
Franny fell asleep on me, so I’m in the family bus so she doesn’t wake up.
SO proud of you #MadMax rules
I shake my head as I answer her.
You can show me how proud tonight.
We get to the plane as everyone walks off the buses and we all load up again. It’s an hour longer because of all the people, but this time Allison comes to sit next to me.
“Hey,” she says as she sits down and I want to lean down and kiss her lips, something I do all the time, but something I’ve never done with people around and I have to say I’m ready for it to be out.
“Hey yourself.” I smile at her as she fastens her seat belt.
“Can we have Chinese?” she asks me as she looks out the window at the plane finally going down the runway.
“Yeah, we can have Chinese,” I say and put my head back as the flight takes off. We land before the beverage service is done and with this many people it’s nuts. We walk off the plane and as I grab our bags Allison says bye to her parents I walk ahead of her and start the car. I pull up the number of the Chinese restaurant and place our order before she even gets in the car. I look around and see that no one is close, so I lean into her as she kisses my lips twice and then a third time.
“Good job, honey,” she says as she puts her seat belt on and I make my way to the restaurant but not before she asks to stop at home and get more things. “At the rate I’m going there will be nothing left for me at the brownstone.”
I nod as I pull off, thinking that was exactly my plan to begin with.
When we finally arrive home, it takes two trips to the car to bring in everything and the food. We dump everything, sit at the island, and eat.
“You were on fire tonight.” She dips her egg roll in the sauce. “My man.” She bites it and licks her lip that has sauce on it.
We finish eating as she recounts what it was like to watch the game.
“It was freezing as fuck,” I say as I pack away the leftovers.
“We have one more game and then we take off for eight days, so if you aren’t going to eat it, chuck it,” Allison says.
I close the fridge and then toss it all out, knowing that I’m not eating this tomorrow or the next day.
“We play Chicago and then we take off for Arizona and then Vegas?” I ask her to make sure and she nods.
“It’s going to be a rough couple of days. We leave Arizona that night to fly into Vegas,” she says as she walks to the cabinet and takes out Stanley’s food. “I need to wash some clothes and then put stuff away.” She walks away, picking up her bags and bringing them to the room. “Babe!” I hear her yell as my eyebrows shoot together.
“Babe,” I whisper to myself as I walk into my closet where I hear her yell my name again.
“MAX!”
“Yes.” I see both our bags in the middle of the room as she starts tossing things in piles. She puts on one of my sweatpants that are rolled at the waist and look like they will still fall off her and one of my T-shirts. “Angel.”