Trade Deadline - Avon Gale Page 0,94
gave Micah a quick handshake, but after getting the okay, Tristan dragged Micah into a hug. He was so tall the top of Micah’s head barely cleared his shoulder.
“It’s so great to finally meet you,” Tristan said as he stepped back. “Every time Bellzie talks about you, he has a smile on his face. I love seeing him so happy.”
Micah reached out to Daniel and twined their fingers together. “I’m happy, too.”
“I’ll also be happy when dinner arrives,” Morley declared with a smirk. He rubbed his flat stomach. “I’m withering away over here.”
“Need to keep that strength up to brawl with Seth Bolton on Sunday?” Ryu asked in a deadpan voice.
“Bolton from the Marauders?” Daniel asked, looking between them. “Why will you be brawling?”
Tristan sighed. “It’s been a thing all season long. Morley racks up penalty minutes every time we have a match with them.”
“He’s got an annoying face, and he likes to stick it into mine.” Morley spread his massive hands. “He also talks a lot of shit because we beat the Marauders in the conference final last year. The coach loves to put his defensive pairing against me and Holtzy whenever we’re on the ice. Bolton can’t get a rise out of Holtzy, so he comes at me, and bro, I’m not about to let it slide.”
“If you did, they’d have less power play goals against us,” Army pointed out.
Morley gaped at him. “You’re going to say that to me with all the trash-talking you do?”
“I’m not throwing punches.”
Morley’s expression creased into a scowl. “Whatever, dude. If he didn’t want to get punched, he’d keep his mouth shut.” The doorbell rang, and Morley sighed and ran a hand through his messy brown hair. “I hope that’s the pizza.”
“Don’t bring Bolton up again, please,” Tristan whispered once Morley’s footsteps had faded. “He gets moody about it every time. I’ve never seen him like this before.”
Daniel had questions, many of them, because Tristan was right, this was atypical for Morley. Not that Morley didn’t get pissed or hold grudges, but there’d never been a time when he’d continually gone after one player while Daniel was captain on the Venom. It made Daniel wonder if something else was at work. This wasn’t the time or place to discuss it, though, and by the voices booming in the foyer, he knew more of his former teammates had arrived instead of the food Morley had been hoping for.
“How’s Luna?” Daniel asked Tristan, changing the subject. “She’s the rescue cat they adopted earlier this season,” he added for Micah’s sake. “You should see her. She’s cute as hell. Just a big, scruffy ball of fluff.”
Tristan brightened. “Oh, she’s amazing.” He slid Sebastian a playful look. “Seb started calling her ‘princesa’ a few months ago, and now she won’t come to me unless I say it, too.”
“Aww, that’s sweet,” Micah said. “What kind of cat?”
“We’re not sure, exactly. We think she must be partly Norwegian Forest Cat, but it’s hard to say for sure.” Tristan whipped out his phone and showed Micah the lock-screen picture of Luna, practically preening when Micah gushed over her adorable, grumpy face.
Morley entered the room with a bunch of Venom players behind him, and things devolved into chaos for a bit while people collected snacks and drinks and, in the middle of everything, the pizza finally arrived.
Groups gathered in clusters with their plates throughout the kitchen and adjacent areas, and Daniel ended up surrounded by his closest friends at the dining room table, with Morley, Tristan and Sebastian across from him, Army and Ryu to his left, and Micah to his right.
“So, this junior coaching thing,” Morley said around his first bite, “did that come out of nowhere or is it just me?”
Daniel snorted. “I mean, it kind of did. I started volunteering with the youth league in our area back in January and, I don’t know, man. It happened quickly, but it just fits me.”
Morley tilted his head, his brow creased in contemplation. “I didn’t expect you’d want to retire so soon.”
“It wasn’t in the plans,” Daniel admitted. “But at the end of the day, I wanted to leave on my own terms rather than being schlepped around to different teams like unwanted luggage until I finally stopped getting contract offers.”
“C’mon, bro.” Morley frowned. “Don’t act like you were about to be put out to pasture or something. You’re not a dried-up cow. You still got milk to give.”
Tristan choked, and Daniel burst into shocked laughter.
“What the hell kind