Risking the Shot (Stick Side #4) - Amy Aislin Page 0,93
to stay up to see his uncles when they finally arrived. Toronto had played Vermont at home today, which meant Owen and Kas were in town. Since their team was flying to Montreal first thing tomorrow, tonight was their only chance for a visit until the season ended. For Vermont, that could be within the next two weeks, or longer if they nabbed a wild-card spot in the playoffs.
That was two games in a row he and Andy had attended in the span of three days, which was more than he’d been to in the last several years combined. Dating an NHL player certainly had its perks. Toronto had lost tonight, but two days ago, on Saturday, Tay had scored the winning goal in overtime, and Dakota had been able to see his grin from the stands.
Even better was when Tay sought him out on his way down the chute after the game, sending him and Andy and Calder a fist pump. And even better than that? When Tay snuck into Dakota’s bed at two in the morning after celebrations with his teammates, smelling like a mixture of cologne, beer, and sweat like he’d just come from a frat party. They hadn’t done anything—Tay had fallen into bed in an exhausted heap. Didn’t mean he didn’t love having Tay close whenever he could.
Though he’d have to say his favorite part of the night was when he’d taken Andy down to the glass during the pregame warm-up. Tay had spotted them right away, tapping his stick against the glass in hello with a wink at Dakota, and tossing a puck over for Andy.
Andy had Tay sign it yesterday, and it now sat in a prominent place on his night table.
“Where are they, Daddy?”
“I’m sure they’re on their way.” Dakota checked his phone and saw two missed texts—one from Owen and one from Tay. “They should be here any minute, actually. Hungry?” Placing the tray on the table, he slid onto the bench seat across from Andy.
Shaking his head, Andy went back to his made-up game. Yeah, his kid was tired if he wasn’t narrating tonight’s game to him.
While he waited, Dakota pulled up his email on his phone and opened the draft logos Tay had sent him earlier. They were all simple yet elegant. One was a three-tiered cake done in flowing black lines, classic and timeless. A second was a cupcake done in pastels, with that same blurry quality that dominated Tay’s comic. And a third was a more old-fashioned feel, with bubble letters and bright colors.
He had a feeling he and Calder would have a tough time deciding. They were all perfect. Like Tay had snatched up the essence of what they did and put it to paper. He turned the phone toward Andy. “What do you think?”
Andy leaned forward to look, chin on the table. “Did Tay do it?”
“Yeah. It’s for our new logo.”
“It’s not chunky.”
“No,” Dakota said with a laugh. “They’re definitely not.”
Muted voices from outside reached them a moment before the door opened, and Andy was bolting for the foyer in the next second. Dakota followed more leisurely and found Andy fairly vibrating with energy. He appeared confused as to who he should hug first.
In the end, he went in order of how they’d entered the house. First Calder, who’d stayed behind after the game to drive Owen and Kas over once they were changed and finished with the press. Then Owen, then Kas, and finally Tay. It was a flurry of activity as four grown men removed coats and boots in a tiny foyer, Andy bouncing around their legs and urging them to hurry.
Owen met Dakota’s gaze around Calder and jerked a thumb at Tay. “This one followed us here.”
“Hey! Considering I arrived first, technically you followed me.”
“Doesn’t explain why the enemy’s in my brother’s house.”
Tay snorted a laugh. “Says the guy whose team won tonight.”
There was a question in Owen’s eyes when he stepped up to Dakota and drew him into a hug. Dakota ignored it and held his baby brother close. “It’s been too long.” Three months wasn’t overly long, but it felt like forever since they’d seen each other at Christmas.
“Way too long.” Owen pulled back and raked him up and down. “You look good.”
“Me? You look like you could bench press me.”
“We should try it!”
“Maybe in the off-season, huh?” Kas’s thick arm came around Owen’s shoulders. “When you have time to recover if you hurt yourself. Hey, Dakota.”