Scoring Position (Hockey Ever After #2)

by Ashlyn Kane

Where did he even begin untangling this mess? Ryan sat on the couch kitty-corner to Nico’s. “I owe you an apology.” Nico’s head came up so fast, it almost gave Ryan whiplash. “What?” Ryan winced. “The Grouch thing. I was just trying to make the rookie feel better, but I didn’t have to throw you under the bus to do it. I shouldn’t have said it, and I’m sorry it caught on. I won’t say it again.” Guys in the league had all kinds of nicknames they hated, but you could put up with a nickname you hated if you knew you were good at hockey and felt included. Right now, neither of those things applied to Nico. Nico knitted his eyebrows, his face full of distrust. “Is this a joke?” “No. The thing I said about the closet, that was a joke. This is a sincere apology. I’m softening you up because everything that comes after this is going to be harder to hear.” “Can’t be much worse than what I’ve been telling myself,” Nico muttered. “Maybe,” Ryan agreed. “What’ve you been telling yourself?” He leaned back a bit more and pretended to be relaxed. Hopefully that would look nonthreatening. Nico crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders. “I’m an idiot. I can’t believe I—I was such a brat. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s like I get stuck and all I can think about is messing up and I can’t get unstuck.” “So, like, you keep going over the missed shot or pass in your mind, instead of focusing on the next one?” “Yeah.” Nico sighed. “I know it doesn’t help, but I don’t know how to stop it....