From the bench I watched the guys as they scattered, some to the locker room others to the net, and a few to the other end of the ice. I leaned over the boards as Roussel skated up. A huge smile spread across his face as he stopped in front of me.
“Did you enjoy your weekend without...” he nodded his head towards the ice where Tyler and Jamie shot pucks at the net before he leaned over and grabbed a water bottle.
“It was…” I shrugged, “different. Did you enjoy your break?”
“I did,” he confirmed as he leaned back over and replaced the water bottle on the bench.
“So you ready for the game tomorrow?”
He nodded, “yea, but it’s not like it’s going to be a tough one, we’re playing the Avalanche.”
I bit my bottom lip as I glared up at him as I thought about what to say. “Well if I remember correctly, the team’s track record against the Avalanche isn’t the best.”
“Lot of confidence in a team that’s lost their last 4 games.”
I shrugged. “What a better way to end a slump than against the team first in the division.”
Roussel grinned as he leaned on the boards next to me. “I propose a wager.”
“A wager?” I shook my head with a laugh as I turned my attention back to the ice.
“Unless you’re afraid your teams going to lose.”
“No,” I huffed, I could never bet against or turn down a bet against my team. “Of course not, let’s do this.”
“Okay,” the grin on Roussel’s face widened as I turned back to him. “I propose that if we win you have to root for us when we play the Avalanche for the rest of the year. That includes wearing my jersey.”
“Alight,” I smirked, that wasn’t as bad as it could have been. “Well I propose that if the Avalanche win you have to wear a tie that I pick out for game days for the month of February.”
Roussel nodded, “sounds like a wager,” and he extended his hand to which I gratefully accepted.

---

Hockey players gossip like teenage girls, so it didn’t take long for word to get around about the wager that Roussel and I made, but the talk died down by the time we landed in Denver that evening. It was nearly quarter after five by the time the team made it to the hotel, enough time to enjoy some dinner before the guys needed to head off to bed.
Which is exactly what they did. That is how Tyler and I found ourselves on the elevator up to the 15th floor later that evening.
I took a deep breath as my eyes studied the buttons on the side of the elevator. “So I’m meeting Gabe for lunch tomorrow.”
“I figured.” Tyler inhaled softly as he turned his head in my direction. “I’m surprised you didn’t meet him tonight.”
“His flight didn’t get in until this evening so he said he just wanted to get home.”
Tyler nodded. “That’s good then, more time for me to spend with you.”
“Yea,” I snorted, “because we don’t spend enough time together as it is?”
“There’s no such thing as to much time with me.”
I shook my head with a laugh. “So you don’t want to go with my tomorrow?”
“No,” Tyler chuckled. “I have prepared myself for the fact that you were probably going to see him when he comes to Dallas or we go to Denver so…”
“So no tagging along.” I turned to face Tyler as the elevator dinged and door slid open.
“No tagging along.” Tyler confirmed as he followed me into the hallway.
He walked behind me as I retrieved my key card out of my pocket, slipped it into the card reader and opened the door. “Thank you,” the door rested against my shoulder as I turned to look at Tyler.
“And thank you for telling me.” Tyler brown eyes never left mine as he leaned in.
“Tyler,” I spoke his name softly, his face inches from mine.
“Um,” his lips hummed.
“We’re in public,” I reminded him as I pulled away and I could hear Tyler groan as I slowly closed the door.

---

I smiled as I spotted the mop of blonde hair at the table in the corner of the small restaurant Gabe said to meet him at. He didn’t seem to notice me until a guy on the other side of the table pointed in my direction and as Gabe turned, a huge smile spread across his face.
“Brittany,” Gabe welcomed.
“Gabe,” I returned the greeting but couldn’t focus entirely on him. Instead my eyes drifted to the other side of the table which was occupied by none other than Tyson Barrie.
Gabe must have noticed where I was looking because he said, “MacKinnon ditched him and no one else wanted him so…”
“Shut up man,” Tyson shook his head with a laugh as he stood up. “I hope you don’t mind, I’m Tyson.” He extended his hand with a smile.
“Yea, Brittany,” I inhaled through my nose and out though my mouth as I took his hand. “Do you mind if we take a picture?” I bit my lip as the words slipped out. Usually I had much better control then this, except for that one time I met Saad, but that was a story for a different time. “I’m sorry, that was… unprofessional.”
“Well you’re not working right now so it’s okay,” he reassured me with a laugh. “And no, I don’t mind taking a picture.”
“Thank you,” I grinned as I dug my phone out of my bag and then laid my bag on the table.
“Do you mind,” I stuck out my bottom lip, giving Gabe my best puppy dog eyes as I handed him my phone.
“Actually I do mind.”
“Shut up Gabe and take the damn picture.” I thrusted the phone into his hand before I turned back to Tyson and I could hear Gabe mumbling under his breath. “You ready?”
“Yea,” Tyson smiled and he slipped his arm around my waist.
“Ready.” Gabe said, but there was no chance to reply before he pushed the button on the screen waited a second, and then he lowered my phone. “Here you go.”
“Thank you,” I told Tyson as I pulled away and then thanked Gabe as I took my phone back.
“So what, you don’t want a picture with me.” Gabe asked as I walked around him to the chair next to him and Tyson reclaimed his seat.
“Why would she want a picture of your ugly mug?” Tyson said with a laugh and I bit back my laughter as Gabe sat back down.
“To balance out that picture she just took with you.” Gabe fired back not missing a beat.
“No,” I shook my head my cheeks still pulled up in a smile. “Because I see you all the time, who knows the next time I’ll get to see him.”
“Well next time we play Dallas I’ll have to tag – a – long with Gabe again.”
“Yea,” Gabe smiled as he picked up the menu. “And you should invite pretty boy again too Brittany.”
“Gabe,” I shook my head as I picked up the menu that laid in front of me. “First off don’t call him that, and second of all you don’t have to worry about him coming with us again.”
“You didn’t tell him did you?”
I dropped that menu and turned my head to Gabe. “I told him.”
“Sure you did.”
“I told Tyler okay,” I exhaled as I turned back to my menu.
“So your Segs’ girl?” Tyson peaked over the top of his menu to look at me.
I took a deep breath as I met Tyson’s eyes over the menu. “Yea.”
“And I bet he’s going to be mad when he finds out where you are.” I could hear the smile on Gabe’s lips even before I looked at him.
“He knows where I am okay,” my head snapped in Gabe’s direction, “but speaking of bets you guys better win tonight.”
“What, you think we’re not?’
“No,” I sighed as I laid down my menu and looked between the two guys, “but Rous and I made a bet and well if you guys lose I cannot cheer for you when you play the Stars the rest of the season.”
“Well that just gives us more motivation to win tonight.” Tyson grinned with a wink before he looked back down at his menu.

Notes