Miles Dempsey

Today was the day my life was going to change.
Either for the worst or the best.
Game 5. We need one more win and we're world champions.

Even though I've been ghost today and yesterday from everyone doesn't mean I haven't seen the messages. Before big games like this, I don't like to see what people are saying. In the media especially. The text messages I got were mostly from Mom and Nola.

The rest were from outside friends, Nola's parents, Bethany, and even Tiffany. She's been really busy these days but I could tell how excited she was from her message. I'm her best client for sure. She knows there's a bonus coming her way.

Drew has already given his big speech before tonight's game. A couple other guys also said some words and our coaches too. I can feel the nerves floating in the atmosphere. Most of them might be radiating off of me. Everyone does their pre-game rituals to themselves and there's very minimal chatter.

JT and Tate are both locked in. I can feel how much everyone in the room wants this. We could either become World Champs today or not. A loss wouldn't mean we're out of the race but everyone wants to shut it down today. Including me. That's the plan.

Another thirty minutes pass by and we slowly start clearing the locker room. Tate comes up behind me, "We've gotta end it here, man." I turn my head just a couple of inches as we begin getting closer to the ice. "We'll make it happen." Once the first player steps out, the crowd goes crazy. Crypto Arena is sold out tonight and the sea of fans mostly wear black and silver.

Chills go up and down my spine and the chanting just hypes me up even more. This is it. This is the moment I've been waiting for since my parents put a hockey stick in my hand. All the blood, sweat, and tears throughout my entire hockey career have led up to this point. I've never been on a stage this big.

This game was our moment.

Our moment to show all our doubters that they were wrong. No one believed in us this year. They thought we would have another terrible season and we turned that around in the first couple of weeks of the season. We've been proving our doubters wrong for months now. "Time to shut them up," I mumble to myself.

The starting line-ups start showing on the big screen and JT skates past me. "We got this, don't we?" he asks, yelling over the noise. "Of course we do, baby. Go out there and do your thing, Jay." I smack his arm and he smiles. Can't see his actual teeth since they're under a mouthguard but I still see that grin. As he skates away, I realize how proud of him I am.

Moving away from Vancouver wasn't an easy adjustment for him. JT is really close to his dad and step-mom. I remember how much he struggled the first couple of weeks. How it was affecting his game and guys on the team were talking smack about how he was a waste of a draft pick. Bullshit. From the moment I saw the kid on the ice I knew he'd be the next big thing.

All he needed was support and a boost of confidence. Tate and I were there to uplift him and show him just how to adjust. He's a special kid, man. Not just because of hockey. I've never met anyone like him in my life. JT has become a special part of my life and I'm not going to lie, I'll miss him once he finally decides to move out on his own. He's already talking about getting a car once the season is over.

I love him to death. He's like my little brother. I'm excited for him don't get me wrong, I just hope I can call him a teammate for life. Especially after he wins Rookie of the Year in a couple of weeks. I'll be there for that.

The National Anthem is performed and then the crowd is on their feet again. I take a deep breath and make my way over to the bench. I'm starting off on the bench tonight since Coach has a game plan. I'm alright with that. My guys got this.

The puck drops and the game starts. We win the face-off. I sit down, elbows on my knees, and watch intently. "C'mon guys, good start. Let's get a good start."

***

By the second period, I'm feeling dizzy. Not because I'm tired. I am but I've been more tired in my life. We're beating the Panthers 6-0 right now. Coach has been putting in players that don't usually play in tonight and they've been making a hell of a debut. I've played a total of fifteen minutes tonight, have one goal, and I'm not even mad about it because of how well the team is playing.

The first goal the Panthers score happens two seconds before the end of the second period. I'm not even worried about it. Calmness has overtaken my body somehow. Adrenaline still runs through my veins but it always does on game days. I pat every guy on the back as we take the last intermission. Coaches are excited, players are excited, but not too excited.

A lot can happen in twenty minutes, we all know that. The last thing Coach says before we go back is, "Give me six more, boys." Let's make it happen. Coach clasps my shoulder. "You're back in, Dempsey." Fuck yeah. The team and I make our way back into the ice.

The Panthers are scared. They're giving us a hard time the first couple of minutes of the third. Their defense double-teams our best scorers and we can't get a shot in. Frustration builds inside of me and I start playing more aggressively. When I start to realize I can't score, I stop trying and assist other guys. Finally, we get another goal from our rookie, Garrett. The crowd is loud once again and I notice how pissed the Panthers are.

We're so goddamn close. I can taste the feeling in my mouth.

The little boy inside me is jumping up and down in his room wearing a Canucks jersey.

It's only twenty seconds later when the Panthers score another goal, courtesy of Reinhart. I don't give him too much shit because I actually really like the guy. He played for a school in Boston back when I was at Harvard. This is one of the many times we've played against one another and it's nothing but respect.

We start having a little fun on the ice as the clock winds down. It feels like our game at this point. Coach transitions players in and out but leaves me on the ice. The Panthers score again and their fans cheer. Maybe they still have a little bit of faith in their team. I'd like to sweep the Panthers but they have a good team. Their goals are beauties and our defense can't stop them when it comes to it. I'm not worried about them at this point.

The only thing I'm thinking about is winning. We're going to win. We're finally going to get the trophy that we've been kicking our asses for all season.

I thought I was going crazy when I started noticing that some of the players on the other team started playing sloppily. It looked like they were trying hard but not being able to get the job done. Tate was fighting to get their puck to our side and I skated over to our goal. Once he was able to bring it over, he attempted a shot. The Panthers goalie moved away from the net to shoot the puck back to his teammate.

With as much force as I could, I sprinted toward the puck, catching it before the other player did. I didn't even think or measure if the puck would go in, I just flicked in the net. Once it hit the back of the net, my team jumped on me, celebrating. "How the fuck did you do that?" Kelz asked. "No fucking clue!" I shouted back. The goalie not being in the net gave me an advantage for sure. There's no way I would have made that in with him defending his post.

Our fans start chanting 'go home' which is something they do when we're nailing our opponent in the coffin. Coach takes out all the starters, including me, and puts in our second and third teams. "Hey, we've got a plan for when Coach us back in. I don't know if it's possible but we're going to try and make it happen," Kelz starts. "What's the plan?" I ask and we huddle up close with a couple other of the starters.

Our left winger tells us the plan and has all of us on board immediately. "Let's make it happen, boys," I laugh and we all get on the ice for the last four minutes of the game. Our fans are on their feet now and chanting loudly. It's not even a distraction to us anymore. They know as well as we do that this is our time. The city of Los Angeles is getting a World Championship Team.

The bench is even on their feet now, bouncing up and down on their skates. God, this atmosphere is like no other. I've never felt so excited in my life. We're trying to execute our little plan before the game is over but so far it hasn't worked. Our captain is confused as to what we're trying to do and I've been trying to hold in my laughter. Tate's cracking up every time he skates close to me.

Maybe we shouldn't be having this much fun but when you have the game in the bag like this, might as well. With less than two minutes left, we get into game mode again. We're fighting for the puck and passing it off until we get close to the net. I'm staying close to our goal so I can help out with the assist. Jay steals the puck from the Panthers and rushes over to the goal. I see him make a beeline for Cap but I shout at him to pass it off to Kelz.

"Good man," I mutter to myself as I start to hop on defenders nearby. Kelz was the creator of this plan so I hope he has a good sense of direction. The Panthers must be confused as to why we keep doing the same thing. Just want to end the game a little extra special. "Hey, Cap!" Kelz shouts. Drew looks his way and he shoots the puck straight to his stick. Keeping defenders out of the way, Cap shoots the puck right between the goalie's legs.

The crowd goes crazy and so do all of us. Fucking finally.

"That was smooth!"
"Big man!"
"Best play of the night!"
"DREWWWW!"

The team shouts their praises at our captain who has the biggest smile on his face. With only twenty seconds left after that, we play around with the puck until we see that clock tick down to one. My heart starts pumping viciously the way it was before the game started. The clock ticked to zero and it was all over. We were the champions. The players all jumped on one another. Coaches did the same.

The one thing I wanted my whole career was finally mine. We were the winners.
It was only us.

I felt like I was on Cloud 9. Everything else in the world had faded and I was a champion. We were champions. JT slammed into me then. "We fucking did it!" Tears streamed down his face and it touched me. This was his first year in the league. Not everyone wins the Stanley Cup Finals their first year but if anyone deserves it it's my guy right here. "You played a sick fucking game, kid." I wrap my arm around his shoulder and pull him close, kissing the side of his head.

He's panting hard and he smiles, laughing. "I have you to thank," he admits but I'm quickly shaking my head. "You're a star and you know it. It was all you."

"I take my game after one of the bests."

"You're one of the bests, you're a world champ, man!" I take the baseball caps being passed around and put it on his head. "Thank you, for everything," JT replies, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. I pat his back. My little brother man. "You know I got you for life, little brother."

"BOYS!" Mom's voice is all too familiar and catches both of our attentions. We pull away from our hug to greet our family who have made it on the ice. JT's stepmom and dad were able to make it out and he couldn't be more excited. "Mom!" I hug her first, the woman who raised me to be the man I am today. Without her, none of this would be possible. She was my chauffeur to practices up until I learned how to drive.

"Honey, you're awesome!! Didn't I tell you this was going to happen for you? Oh, I love you," she speaks quickly placing a kiss on my cheek. Pops gives me the biggest hug ever too. "Proud of you, boy. Words can't even explain. You deserve this more than anyone." Aunt Claire and Uncle John made it out too and all the love makes me feel even more accomplished.

"Ah, I love you guys. Thank you for being here," I tell all of them. My eyes shift behind them over to JT and his parents. The little brunette has her arms wrapped around his waist, smiling up at him as he talks quickly. I look up to the crowd but everyone is pretty much still in their seats. My heart sinks that I can't see her. That she's not here on the ice with me. I'd kill to have her next to me right now. "She's up there, honey. Very proud of you too." My mom must have seen my fainted expression.

I smile, barely, until JT and his family join us. This isn't the first time I've met them or talked to them. Most times, I say hello to his parents when he's on the phone with them so they aren't unfamiliar. While the adults talk, Ember taps my side. I look down and she has her arms open. Sighing, I bend down to take it easier on her, hugging her smaller body. "Don't be sad, okay? She's really happy right now. For you. She wouldn't want you to be upset."

Ember's words choke me up and I don't know why. Probably all the emotions coursing through my body right now. It's a lot. I swallow that crying feeling in my throat and nod once she pulls away. "Congratulations, Miles." I mouth a thank you to her. JT and I return to the side of the ice where the Stanley Cup is going to be presented to us.

I'm happy, I really am. I just can't stop thinking about Nola and how much I want to hold her.

"Ladies and Gentleman, the Stanley Cup!" The announcer shouts, taking me away from my thoughts. My eyes land on the silver cup and tears brim my eyes again. "Look at that. That's ours!" I didn't even realize Tate was next to me. His blue eyes light up with excitement and we laugh together. After a small speech, they call Drew up. As our captain, the Stanley Cup is presented to him. He lifts the cup in the air and the crowd gets excited.

We let him have his moment with the cup. He's been on the Kings his whole 23-year career and this is his second time winning the Stanley Cup. It's been over a decade since his last win. The first player he hands it to is Kelz. Kelz has been on this team for 10 years now. Kelz gives it to his best friend Lee. Lee hands it to Garrett, the rookie he's taken under his wing. A couple of more players get it before Tate does.

I cheer for him as he has his moment. He has a smile on his face as he skates back, handing the Stanley Cup to me. I cherish this moment, holding it so tightly as if someone might snatch it back from me. Our fans cheer as I skate forward with the beautiful silver. This is what dreams are made of, folks. Nothing I've ever experienced has felt better than this. As much as I don't want to let her go, I hand her off to someone who I'm close with. The kid, of course.

Tears stream down his face and the crowd loves him.

A reporter pulls me away for a post-game interview and I couldn't be happier. It might have been the happiest I've ever been after a game. I do two more interviews before we gather around to take a picture with the Stanley Cup. The excitement radiates off the team and we hold up a one with our fingers. "SAY STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS, BABY!" Coach yells.

"STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!"

The locker room is full of celebrations and we all cheer for Drew again on his goal. There's laugher and chatter everywhere and we're already making plans for tonight. "How about something private for tonight, eh? Family, significant others, close friends, and that's it! We'll take the party outside tomorrow if you fuckers are still alive," Kelz suggests. "As long as it's at your place," Cap adds and everyone laughs.

Kelz smiles. "You know it, baby. See y'all in a couple hours!" The team shouts again and we're blasting Drake through the speakers as we change. Some guys, including myself, are pulled for more interviews. We don't leave the arena for another two hours. I brought some extra clothes with me in case we were to go out so after I drop off JT at home, I'm back on the road.

He's catching a ride with Garrett to Kelz's place in a bit. My mission now starts with an N. I desperately need to see my girlfriend. It's been too long since I've been around her. All I want right now is to be close to her. With the crazy traffic, it takes me about thirty minutes to get there. Before I can even knock, the door flings open.

Nola stands beautifully on the other side, still in her attire from the game earlier. Her smile is wide and she throws her arms around me in excitement. Once our bodies are connected, I can finally breathe normally again. Nola takes my face in her hands and plants kisses all over it. "Stanley Cup Champ, baby! Ugh, I'm so proud of you," she exclaims. Her words bring warmth to me. Nola was on the forefront of my brain the whole entire game.

Knowing she was watching me the whole time was pushing me to do my best every time I got a chance to touch the ice. I wanted this so bad on the ice but I knew I couldn't have it. This moment here feels amazing nevertheless. I'm crazy about this girl. "Thanks for showing out for me, Scott. How'd I do?" I ask. Her huge smile never fades. "So good, babe. Stunning goals. You should have seen me I was yelling so loud for you," she tells me, her cheeks flushing. "That sounded weird."

I laugh at that and her getting shy about it. "Thank you. Did you see Cap's goal at the end?" Nola smiles again, her shyness fading. "Yes, I could tell you guys were trying to make that happen. It was great," she giggles. I place her down and pat the side of her hip. "Well come on, get ready. We're going out tonight, baby." She looks at me confused. "Kelz is throwing an after-party at his house. No outsiders, so we'll be fine. I really want you there. I missed you today," I admit.

Her smile is faint. "Me too. Are you sure though?" she asks and I can see worry in her eyes. If Nola is scared that some troll might be there to expose our relationship to the public then it makes me know she doesn't want to be in the media as my girlfriend either. She's safe with me though. Kelz knows better than to let randoms into his house. "Yes, we're going to be okay. Just come with me, please baby."

Nola's smile gets a little wider and it makes me feel better. "First, come here." My girlfriend takes my hand and leads me into her bedroom. She reaches into her bedside table and pulls a small bag out. "Open it." Her smile is big when she hands me the gift bag. My brows furrow. "What's in here, Scott?" Nola steps toward me, "Just open it."

Cautiously, I pull a small box out of the bag, opening it slowly. A silver ring sits inside of it. I pick it up and see the Stanley Cup engraved on one side with the team logo. The inside of the ring has M.D. My initials. I look up and Nola is smiling shyly at me. "Scott..."

"Do you like it?"

I slip the ring on my finger to show her that I do. Fits like a glove. "I love it. But what if we didn't win the Stanley Cup? What would you have done with this ring then?" She smiles and shakes her head. "You were always going to win, Miles. I knew you'd fight until the end for it," she admits. Her hands lace around my neck. "I'm so immensely proud of you."

This moment in time doesn't even feel real to me. A girlfriend and winning the Stanley Cup were two things I didn't even imagine getting this year and now I'm standing here with both of those things. It's crazy to say. It's crazy to live. But I've truly never been happier in my life.

"Life feels unreal right now, Scott," I say honestly. "That's partly because of you." She lowers her hand and cups my face. "You deserve all of this." Bringing her closer to me, I close the space between us, kissing her soft lips gently. When our lips connect, it feels as if we've both been needing this for days. Nola pulls away after a short second and leads me over to her bed.

She sits down first, looking up at me with those damn dark blues. "Can I have you tonight?" she asks in that soft voice. Her confidence takes me by surprise a little bit. I'm not going to lie it also makes me get hard. Instantly. She didn't need to flat-out ask me to have sex with her for me to understand what she just said. Everything inside of me is telling me to say yes but I want to make sure this is what she really wants.

"Are you sure about this, Scott? There's no going back once the deed is done," I remind her even though I know she's not an idiot. "Yes, please. I just.. really want you," she pleads, taking my hand in hers. I'd be an idiot to reject her. My fucking perfect girlfriend that I can't help but fantasize about. Look at her.

She's unreal.

I'm sure the guys wouldn't notice if I'm a bit late.

"If you want to stop at any time, just let me know, okay?" I tell her, making sure she hears me loud and clear. Nola nods impatiently and pulls me closer. Not wasting a second, I pull my shirt off before she pulls me onto the bed. I'm on my back and she straddles my lap. Shit. She's more dominant than I thought she'd be for her first time. Nola takes off her own skin-tight shirt, revealing her bare breasts underneath.

My eyes widen, certainly not expecting it. Not a bad view at all. Shit, I might come before we do anything. I'm too attracted to this girl. "Are you gonna get completely naked before I'm able to touch you?" I tease. Nola's brow raises in a challenge. "Do you want me to? Because I can," she says. "Go on," I reply to see what she's about. The lights in her room are on so it's not like I can't see her. She's perfectly visible to me.

Nola slips out of her white pants and panties at the same time leaving her bare now. I'm too stunned to even speak. Oh yeah, I'm a lucky man. "Your turn," she says, grabbing my hand to help me stand. I don't even hesitate. Once I'm up, I remove my pants and briefs. She waits a while but finally looks down and I see her eyes widen. It makes me laugh. "Alright there, Scott?" I ask.

She looks back up at me and nods quickly. "C'mere babe." I'm the one taking her hand now and making her get on her back under the duvet. I get on top of her and kiss her roughly. I'm turned on way too much to not be inside her yet but I don't want to hurt her. She grabs my shaft and moans into my mouth. Nola slowly pumps me and I push into her touch each time, lowering my lips to her neck.

A soft whimper escapes her lips when I suck on her sweet spot. With a free hand, I roam my hand down her body, taking one of her boobs in my hand. I rub her nipple with my thumb before covering it with my mouth. Nola moans, tugging on the longer strands of my hair. I look up at her just to make sure she's okay. "I've got you, ice princess," I tell her. I turn her over so that she's lying on her stomach and move her blonde hair off her back.

The chills on her back touch my lips as I trail kisses down her spine slowly. My dick is harder than a rock at this point, begging to be inside of her. "Do you want to do it like this?" Nola asks, turning her head a little to face me. Hell yes. But also, no. I flip her over on her stomach again and shake my head. "I want to look at your pretty face," I tell her. She opens her legs slowly and I can't help but look down.

"Can I touch you?" I ask. Nola nods impatiently. "Please." Lowering my body into her again, I crash our lips together and use my free hand to touch her. The minute my hand touches her, she bucks her hips up. "Fuck, Scott," I breathe between kisses when I feel how wet she is. She breathes quicker and I pull away from our kiss to give more attention to her pussy. I thumb her clit slowly at first. Nola whimpers, holding onto the bedsheets. "More," she begs.

Listening to her plead, I rub her clit in a circular motion quicker than before. She gasps and her increasingly louder moans tell me it's what she wanted. Nola moves her hips with my hand, turning me on something fierce. I need to be inside of her like now. After about a minute, Nola lets out a loud gasp and her lips make an 'o' shape. I feel her finish on my fingers making me smirk.

That's just the first one, Scott.

Nola catches her breath and I smile looking down at her. "You done, Scott?" Her eyes open quickly and she shakes her head. "Not until you are," she replies, grabbing my dick. She lets it go, turning over to grab something from her bedside table. It's not until she turns around that I realize it's a condom. My brows furrow and something churns in my stomach. "You just have condoms lying around?" I question.

"Gosh, no. I just got them the other day," she admits, her face turning slightly red. That's when I knew she wasn't lying. "You've been planning on this?" I tease. She smiles and pulls me down by my neck. "Obviously. I told you I wanted you. I'm ready for you." Nola places the condom in my hand before lowering hers to touch herself. My eyes widen slowly as she starts pleasing herself. She's so fucking sexy. "I want you," she pants, looking straight at me.

I'm ripping the condom wrapper faster than I ever have. Let's hope my dick can last more than two minutes. I slip the condom over my shaft and make sure she's wet — she is. Nola's chest rises and falls quickly again and I position myself to confirm that this will be as painless for her as possible. I tease her opening with the tip of my dick and it has as much effect on me as it does her. "Fuck."

"I'm going to start slow, just talk to me, okay? Tell me if you want me to stop."

"Okay."

I grab my shaft and push my tip slowly into her. Nola gasps and I see her face contort for a second but she doesn't say anything. Her tightness makes my dick feel fucking amazing but I hold back any reaction until she's okay. "More?" I ask. She nods, looking down at me inside of her. "Okay, here we go." I push into her a couple more inches. Nola breathes deeply. "All of it. Give me all of it." With one final push, I'm all the way inside of her. She whimpers again. "Fuck, you feel so good, baby," I tell her, combing her hair out of her face.

I let my dick sit inside her for a while before I start thrusting in and out of her at a slow pace to get her used to the feeling. She hasn't told me it hurts and her soft moans make me think she is getting used to it. "Can I go a little faster?" I ask her. Nola opens her eyes and nods at me. I push her legs forward, knees bent so that I have a view of me going inside of her.

My thrusts get deeper and quicker. Ah, fuck, maybe this wasn't a good idea. I don't want to finish before she does. I use my thumb to play with her clit while I'm thrusting and Nola squirms underneath me. "Miles," she moans a sexy noise. "You're taking it so well, baby," I praise, not slowing my thrusts. "Oh my god," she breathes, throwing her head back slightly and arching her back.

She tightens herself around my shaft and I release a groan. I look down to make sure she's okay and she's looking right at me. My eyes don't leave her now and with every thrust inside her mouth opens with a moan. Ah fuck, I'm so done for. My dick twitches inside of her and I think about stupid shit, trying not to come. I stimulate her clit even more, thrusting upward to rub my shaft against her clit too. "Come on my dick, baby, c'mon," I demand, hitting her sweet spot.

Nola moans loudly now, playing with her breasts as I fuck her. No, I'm not fucking her. I'm making love to the girl I'm head over heels for. This isn't fucking. It never will be with her.

She tightens around me again and I feel her climax all over me the next second. Now that I've made her come, it doesn't take long for mine to come next. With just a couple more thrusts inside her tight pussy, I'm done for. I pull out before I come just to be safe. "Fuck," I breathe, holding the condom that's ready to slip off. Nola catches her breath under me and I remove the condom from my dick and throw it in her pink trashcan.

"Towel?"

"Restroom," she pants. I retrieve a towel from her bathroom and walk over to her. Helping Nola clean herself up, I kiss her lips softly. "Beautiful girl," I say, cleaning myself off after her. "Can we shower together?" Nola asks then. "Yeah, baby, come here." I grab her arms and pull her up. She wraps her legs around my waist as I bring us into the shower. Nola sets the shower to the burning hot water.

She stands under the head and I brush her hair back to wet it. "You feeling okay?" I ask genuinely. Nola opens her eyes and looks up at me with a huge smile on her face. She wraps her arms around my neck. "It's all I ever wanted. I'm happy it was with you," she tells me. That makes me feel better. "Did it hurt?" Nola scrunches her nose and tilts her head back and forth. "Just a little bit a first but it felt amazing after that. Since you're so big, I thought it would hurt more."

Her face flushes but I just smirk, raising my brows at her. "Thanks for the dick compliment, Scott," I joke. She narrows her eyes at me and slaps my chest lightly. After our shower, Nola tells me she still wants to go out to Kelz's party tonight. We both change into our outfits and she looks so good I almost don't want to go. She wears a little white two-piece set that hugs her figure beautifully, matched with some white heels that still don't make her any taller than me.

I'd ditch any party for my girlfriend but multiple guys on the team are already asking me where I am so we leave as quickly as possible.

When we arrive, Kelz greets me at the door. "The man of the hour! Man, where have you been?" he questions, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. "Sorry man, had to go pick my girl up," I kinda lie. Kelz's focus shifts from me to the blonde next to me. "That's right," he smiles, "Nola, right? Nice seeing you again. Hey, enjoy yourself, guys!" Kelz passes us and I see him attack Jeff Forsky our backup goalie. I laugh and shake my head.

Nola grabs my arm as we walk into the party. It's packed thats for sure. I don't recognize everyone here but I'm sure Kelz kept his promise about no outsiders being invited in. Guys from the team come up to greet Nola and I. When I find my best friend, he and his girlfriend were both drunk already. Tate can be the life of the party when he's drunk and well, we all know Kait can be too.

He lifts his girlfriend's legs in the air while she chugs from the keg stand and people root her on. Nola giggles and I shake my head but smile.

As long as they're having fun.

Once Kait's back on the ground, Tate notices I'm here and comes barreling into me while Kait does the same to my girlfriend. "Man I've been looking for you everywhere! We're Stanley Cup Champions!" Tate slurs. I laugh, "I know man, I can't believe it." Going on with his antics is the best thing to do. "Where's the kid? Is he with you?" Tate asks. I furrow my brows and shake my head. "He came with Garrett."

Tate shrugs. "Hm. Haven't seen him." My best friend sees Nola and greets her as I look around the crowded house. It would make sense that Tate hasn't seen the kid considering how jam-packed it is in here. "Be right back, stay here," I tell Nola. Most of the players I run into along the way say they don't know where JT is or that they haven't seen him.

That's weird. I don't see Garret either.

When I call JT, it goes straight to voicemail. I try to call Ember and she picks up. "Hey, Em. JT with you?" I ask quickly. "No. He's on a flight right now, he didn't tell you?" she replies. What the fuck? No, he didn't. "No," is all I say. "He flew back to Vancouver with his parents tonight but he'll be back tomorrow for the celebration tomorrow," Ember informs me.

Huh. He didn't tell me that. Don't know why.

"Alright, thanks, little brunette. See you tomorrow," I tell her and we say goodbye before hanging up.

Miles: Let me know if you need anything, kid. See you tomorrow.

After sending that text to JT, I returned to where I left Nola. She's no longer with Tate and Kait though. From afar, I notice she's talking to Viktor Kozlov. He plays hockey for the Boston Bruins. The only reason he's here tonight is because his brother is on the Kings. My eyes narrow in that direction. He's a lot taller than Nola which gives him dominance over her.

My blood boils hot especially when I see a stupid smirk on his face. I'm not having it. I walk casually toward them, placing my hand on the small of her back. "Hey, baby," I greet Nola, ignoring him for a second. "Miles Dempsey, how are you doing man?" Viktor butts in. I finally glance in his direction and give him a fake smile. "Great obviously. I just won the Stanley Cup championship man." Viktor chuckles and nods.

The Bruins didn't make it to playoffs this year. I don't think he's mad it wasn't them. It's been a long while since the regular season ended. "This your girl right here?" he asks then. "Sure is," I respond tightly. "Couldn't tell," he replied, looking Nola up and down.

Did this motherfucker really just check her out in front of me? "You're really looking to get your ass kicked tonight aren't you, Kozlov?" I stand straighter, getting closer to him. He chuckles. "It's a compliment. Your girl looks good, Demps," he rasped. "Yeah asshole, I know she does but keep your dick in your pants and a mile away from my girl before I bury it in the ground right next to you." My ears are hot and all I see is red.

This fucker is obviously drunk and needs to stay the fuck away from Nola. No man should be that close to her. "Let's go, Vik," Ivan, his brother, grabs his shoulder and pulls him away from me. "Sorry man." Ivan apologies but I brush him off and turn back to where my girlfriend stands behind me. Nola scoffs into a chuckle. "Sorry about that babe," I genuinely say.

Nola smiles and wraps her arms around me. "You're kind of sexy when you're protective over me," she whispers in my ear. A smirk curves my lips up. "You're mine. I'm not letting any man look at you the way he did," I tell her. She giggles and pulls me in for a quick kiss. "Let's go have some fun. You're a Stanley Cup Champion, did you forget?"

Definitely not.