Alle Kapitel von Off Ice: A Forbidden Rink Romance : Kapitel 51 – Kapitel 60

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭I groaned as I dropped the last paper onto my desk and leaned back in my chair, letting out a long breath of relief. Finally!I had spent most of the afternoon going through reports, reviewing the players' performance, checking the notes I'd made during practice and making sure we were actually prepared for the upcoming game. The match was getting close, and the last thing I wanted was for us to walk into it depending on another lucky win like the one we'd had before. We needed to be ready this time, and that meant making sure I knew exactly where everyone stood before we stepped onto the ice.I rubbed my forehead, feeling the familiar ache behind my eyes getting worse. The migraine had been coming and going all day, probably because I hadn't been sleeping properly lately, and staring at papers for hours hadn't exactly helped. I picked up the last report again just to make sure I hadn't missed anything, scanned through it one more time and finally dropped it back on

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭I was expecting an expensive restaurant.Maybe one of those places with soft lighting, expensive menus and food that I would have to pretend I understood just because Malakai had decided to take me there. I had spent most of the drive wondering where exactly he was taking me, and by the time we finally stopped, I was already preparing myself for the worst. What I wasn't expecting was a food stall near the beach.I looked at the small setup in front of us, then at Malakai. "This is where you brought me?"He looked completely unbothered by my reaction. "Yeah."I glanced around again. There were a few plastic tables scattered around, people sitting and eating while the sound of the waves filled the background. The air was colder than I expected, and I instinctively folded my arms across my chest.Malakai noticed immediately. "You're cold.""I'm fine.""You've been saying that since we left."Before I could argue, he walked back toward his car and returned a moment later

𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒊I was worried, more than I wanted to admit, but since Beckett had asked me to let it go for now, I decided I would do exactly that. I didn't like it, and I definitely wasn't satisfied with the way he'd avoided my questions, but I knew him well enough to understand when pushing wouldn't get me anywhere. Whatever was going on with that resignation letter, Beckett clearly wasn't ready to talk about it, and with the game starting in a few minutes, there was no point forcing the conversation when we were both supposed to be focused on the match.I grabbed my helmet and stick and left the locker room, trying to push everything concerning Beckett to the back of my mind. It wasn't easy. Every few seconds, the same question kept coming back.Was he really planning to leave?I shook my head and tried to focus on something else. I could deal with it after the game. If Beckett wanted to tell me, he would eventually tell me, and if he didn't, I'd find a way to get the truth out of

𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒊"It's a Grade 2 MCL sprain. There's also a bone bruise and a small tear in the meniscus."I stared at the doctor for a moment, trying to process everything he had just said. My knee was still aching badly, and every little movement sent another reminder through my body that something wasn't right.My father was the first to speak."How long will it take him to recover?"I turned my head toward him, wondering again why he was even here. My parents had never been interested in coming to my games before, so seeing them sitting in my hospital room after my injury felt strange. Maybe my father had come to see how badly I had messed up this time. Maybe he'd come to remind me that he had warned me about hockey from the beginning.The doctor looked at him before answering."If he responds well to treatment, four to six weeks before he can return to full contact."Four to six weeks.I breathed out slowly, letting the number settle in my head. It wasn't great, but it wasn't the

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭“I was wondering when you'd show up.”I opened the ward door and found Malakai already looking toward me, a small smile appearing on his face the moment our eyes met.“Hey.”I closed the door behind me and walked toward the bed, dropping my bag beside the chair before pulling it closer. “How are you feeling?”“Better now that you're here.”I couldn't help the small smile that crossed my face. “You're supposed to be resting.”“I am resting.”“You're flirting.”“Maybe I'm resting and flirting at the same time.”I shook my head, but the smile stayed as I sat down beside him. He looked better than he had when they first brought him in, though the brace around his injured leg was enough to remind me that he wasn't anywhere close to being fine yet.“We won the game,” I said.He raised an eyebrow. “You already told me that.”“Did I?”“Yeah.”I frowned, trying to remember exactly when I'd sent him the message, then remembered standing in the parking lot after Reyes drove away,