Young & Wild & Free

“Whoa,” Taylor’s eyes narrowed in as he saw something he liked. “Who is that?” He nudged Jordan who looked to where Taylor’s eyes had settled. A young brunette was sitting near the far corner, one of the only other people in the arena and she had an open notebook in her lap.

“I thought I saw her show up with Horcoff, but I could be wrong.” Jordan shrugged. “She is not ugly, though, that’s for sure.” He noted with a nod, taking off from the corner they were standing in to participate in a drill. Taylor circled slowly, Ryan “The Nuge” Nugent-Hopkins was standing in the same corner that the girl was observing, giving him a great reason to meander over there. Halting to a stop, he poked Ryan with his stick, giving him a reason to goof off and sneak a glance at her.

Her hair was long and dark, olive-toned skin, and from what he could tell – a pretty nice body under the soft, grey Oilers tee and black yoga pants.

“Hey, who’s that?” He asked, nodding his head past Ryan’s shoulder, catching the rookie as he turned. “Don’t look, come on, Nuge.” He chastised.

“How am I supposed to know who you’re talking about if I can’t look at them?” Ryan asked, giving Taylor a frustrated look.

“I’m pretty sure you know who I’m talking about, Nuge.” Taylor narrowed his eyes, wondering why the girl hadn’t looked up once since he had skated over. Why was she there if it wasn’t to watch practice? Most girls looked at Taylor when he was nearby.

“Oh, you mean Blake.” Ryan nodded, “she’s with Captain.” He explained, making Taylor’s eyes nearly pop out of his head.

“She’s with Horcoff?” He asked, jaw dropping. “Does his pregnant wife know that he’s cheating on her with a pretty fucking young girl?” He was genuinely shocked.

“You dunce, she’s not with him, he’s her billet Dad.” Ryan swiped Taylor upside his head with his gloved hand. Taylor sat there for a moment, looking like an absolutely idiot as he openly and blatantly stared at Blake.

“Billet Dad?” He asked, the moment she finally decided to look up, startling him with her big brown eyes. He quickly turned and skated, cheeks burning from being caught as he joined Jordan near the bench again, the both of them grabbing a water bottle. “Horcoff has a billet.” He said, nodding towards the girl in the corner who had now pulled an iPad out of a drawstring backpack.

“A billet? Like she plays hockey?” Jordan asked, suddenly intrigued.

“Yah, that’s what Nuge told me.” Taylor replied, eyes still trained on the girl who seemed to care less that she was watching a private practice.

“You better find out what’s going in with that.” Jordan nodded. “She’s cute.” He finished.

Taylor had pretty much blown his focus for the practice, it was optional that day anyway and most of the guys had been goofing off all morning.

“Aye, Nugie, let’s take a walk.” Taylor called, nodding his head over. Ryan skated over to Taylor and they began to circle the rink. “Tell me some more about the girl.” He insisted casually.

“Uh, well her name is Blake, she’s staying with the Horcoff’s and she’s playing for the Edmonton Crunch.” He explained what little he knew.

“How old?” Taylor asked. Ryan shrugged in response.

“Horcoff asked me if I could show her around a bit, she’s not from here and doesn’t know anyone other than Cap, Phoebe and their kids.” He finished.

“I see.” Taylor nodded, “I thought the Crunch was a men’s team?” He asked, looking at Ryan with a scowl on his face.

“I’m pretty sure girls are allowed, I don’t think there are a lot of them in the league, but they’re allowed.” He replied. Taylor nodded again.

“Thanks Nugie.” He turned on his heel, skating quickly back to the bench where Horcoff and Ben Eager were sitting, looking at something on Ben’s hand.

“Hey Cap,” Taylor leaned over the boards. “Ebs, Nugie and I were having a little get together this weekend and I hear you got a buddy who needs some socializing.” He said, lifting his feet from the ice as he looked up at the Captain.

“You mean Blake?” He asked, nodding over to the girl who was still messing around on his iPad.

“Is that her name?” Taylor asked, pulling his ‘good boy from Canada’ shtick.

“Blake’s a good kid, Hallsy, I know better than to set you and Ebs loose on the poor girl.” Horcoff shook his head.

“Aww come on, Cap, we’re just gonna sit and play some COD, watch some movies.” He insisted. “Nugie said that you wanted him to spend some time with her.” He elaborated.

“Yeah, with good boy, down-home Ryan, not sneaky little bastards like you and Ebs.” He laughed with Eager. Taylor scowled again.

“Suit yourself, Cap, just trying to be a nice gentleman.” He skated away, but he had far from given up.

After practice had finished, he had showered, and dressed, he was heading through the lounge to the back door with Jordan. He stopped when he heard the distinct sound of an untaped stick against the rubbery floor of the lower concourse. He, Eb, and Horcoff were almost always last out of the locker rooms. He turned the corner to see Blake stick handling a tape ball.

“That’s a nice stick.” He commented, not breaking her stride or concentration as she flipped the blade, bouncing the tape ball up and down as she looked up to the faces that were staring back at her.

“One95, 87 flex and red instead of yellow, just like Patrick Kane.” She grinned.

Not a good kid with that look on her face. Taylor immediately wrote off his Captain’s words as he took in the gorgeous girl’s smirk. She looked like trouble to him. He gave her a quick scan, grey tee, black yoga pants, brown ugly boots. Standard girl outfit.

“Nugie says you play for the Crunch?” He asked interestedly, running a hand through his hair as she flipped her stick, holding it still as she abandoned her tape ball.

“Assuming you’re taking about Ry, then yes.” She laughed. Dimples, god Taylor loved dimples. But why she was calling him Ry? Did Nugie know her better than he lead on?

“Is that a guy’s league?” Taylor asked as Jordan pulled out his phone.

“You’d think so by watching, but there’s like three other girls in there somewhere.” She laughed. Those dimples were going to kill him.

“Full contact?” Taylor asked, rather intrigued. Blake rolled her eyes as she moved to brush past the two, leaving just a suggestion of her perfume to linger.

“Just cause I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t take full contact.” She said before disappearing down the hallway to the lounge.

“Sassy.” Jordan commented, knowing his closest friend on the team’s interest had definitely been piqued.

“I like it.”

•••

“Blake, honey? What can I make you for lunch?” Phoebe called.

“I’ll have whatever the kids are having, Pheeb! You don’t have to make something special for me!” She called up from her basement bedroom. Stuffing her birth control pills back into the little zip-around, she stashed that in her nightstand before bounding up the stairs to see Shawn and Phoebe’s two five-year-old’s Jack and Tommy playing mini-sticks.

“Blake! Come play!” Jack cheered excitedly, the little tow-head pulling another stick from the basket beside the couch in the lavish family room that hardly looked the place for a round of hockey. Neither Shawn nor Phoebe was sure where the blonde hair had come from, but their twins were adorable.

“In a bit, fellas, I’m gonna see what’s for lunch.” Blake ruffled Tommy’s hair as she stepped up into the granite and stainless steel kitchen.

“Grilled cheese and tomato soup, how’s that?” Phoebe asked. Phoebe and Shawn had been married for seven years and after having the twins for the past five years, Phoebe was thrilled to have a girl in the house.

“Sounds perfect.” Blake replied, sitting down at the kitchen island on one of the stools.

“How’s the homework coming?” Phoebe asked, putting a griddle on the stove as she pulled the bread and cheese down to the counter, assembling sandwiches three at a time.

“Eh, it’s homework, nothing too hard today. I turned in two math assignments and started a paper for next week.” Blake shrugged. While in Edmonton, she was taking online classes to finish her senior year of high school.

It was Shawn who suggested they take a billet that season. He had done it himself growing up and when one of his golfing buddies had mentioned that the Edmonton Crunch were looking for billet families, he was quick to ask Phoebe what she thought. Neither of them expect for a seventeen year old girl to show up at their door, but they were thrilled nonetheless to be helping her with her hockey.

Plus Blake was great with Tommy and Jack and she was someone Shawn could actually play with in the backyard that winter when it got cold enough to flood for some pond hockey.

“Nice job.” Phoebe smiled, starting the soup in another pan while Blake pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket.

“Stupid thing, you’d think that if I was moving to Canada my parents would like to contact me enough to get me a Canadian plan.” She sighed, tossing her phone on the counter top with a crack of plastic. Phoebe frowned softly, Blake had only been in their home for the past three weeks, but she had gotten to know a fair amount about Blake’s personal life. She was born and raised in East Lansing, Michigan where both of her parents were fairly well off through the automotive industry.

Blake had been beyond a standout player in her high school league by the time she was a freshman and she moved on to elite leagues until her junior year when she got an invitation to play for the Edmonton Crunch. She took her first chance out of Michigan and never looked back. Her parents were happy to sign the billet checks – but that made no difference to Phoebe and Shawn who were more than able to accommodate the girl in their five-bedroom home.

“Well maybe you and I can get to the mall this weekend and check out what Verizon is selling these days, how does that sound?” Phoebe asked, grabbing a glass and the chocolate milk from the fridge, one of the few things that Blake let her keep in the house just for her. She didn’t like taking up extra space or money from the Horcoff’s, but they treated her so well. She had her own shelf in the pantry of all her favorite foods, a handmade fleece blanket for when they had family move nights, and her own name-slot on the garage’s scoreboard for shinny hockey.

“You don’t have to do that, Pheeb, I can make things work with Skype and stuff.” Blake insisted, pushing her brunette waves from her face. Phoebe shook her head with a smile, wondering if her husband knew what he had gotten into by bringing such a lovely girl into their home. It wouldn’t be long until Shawn was sprouting grey hairs at the boys that would no doubt be lining up at their front door. “Hey punk.” Blake laughed as she pulled Jack into her lap, Phoebe dropping two straws into the chocolate milk so that he and Blake could share the special treat.

“So how was practice today? Any fun?” Phoebe asked, taking the sandwiches off the griddle and plating them up alongside small bowls of soup.

“It was okay, I hopped on Facebook for a few minutes and did some homework. Shawn told me there would be more to watch tomorrow afternoon when it was a real practice.” Blake shrugged. Phoebe nodded in reply.

“Meet any of the boys?” She pressed, stirring her iced tea. Coke was her drink of choice, but now that she was a confirmed two and a half months pregnant, she was laying off the caffeine.

“Um, I met Ryan, that was nice. I kind of met Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, but not really.” She said, laughing at herself as she realized how odd that sounded. “Yum thanks.” Phoebe set down a hot sandwich and soup in front of her.

“You kind of met them?” Phoebe asked, intrigued.

“Yeah well Hall was creeping me out during practice then he kinda ran into me in the hall afterwards when I was waiting for Shawn. Asked me some weird questions then I took off.” She finished.

“That’s weird.” Phoebe said, eyeing the teenager discreetly.

“Yeah, seems a bit off. Ryan’s super nice, I think we’re hanging out this weekend. Shawn totally put him up to it, but I’m kind of excited.” She shrugged.

“Oh that will be fun.” Phoebe nodded, her voice going up in pitch as she poured the last of the soup before the garage door could swing open.

“Daddy!” Jack hopped down from Blake’s lap and ran to Shawn.

“Hey buddy,” Blake watched as Shawn swung Jack up into his arms before walking into the kitchen. “How’s my girl?” He asked, making Blake blush as he leaned in to kiss Phoebe softly on the lips. Blake’s parents didn’t show affection in the slightest.

“Blake was just telling me how practice went.” She smiled as Shawn set Jack down on the counter and swept his wife around the kitchen in a slow dance. Blake giggled as she watched them move around the wood floor. Jack returned to the family room, half a sandwich in hand as he nibbled it.

“Yeah, practice was boring.” Shawn laughed, making Blake nod in agreeance. “Optional skates are usually pretty low key.” He insisted as Phoebe slid a plate of sandwiches in front of him.

“But Blake is hanging out with Ryan on Saturday, right?” Shawn asked, pausing after demolishing his first grilled cheese.

“I dunno, Cap, you’re the one that’s putting that show together.” Blake shrugged.

“Well I think he said that he could get together on Saturday. I told him that was fine but I guess I didn’t really even ask.” Shawn laughed.

“Saturday works for me.” Blake nodded. She hopped down from the stool, loading her plate and bowl into the dishwasher and grabbing her glass and heading back down to her bedroom.

“Blake?” Blake recognized Shawn’s voice as he shouted down to her bedroom. She stuck her head out the door and barely caught the object he threw at her. She eyed the cell phone wearily as she turned it over in her hand. “Told Nuge to give you a call but then I remembered you didn’t have a Canadian cell. Picked this up at the mall.” He explained nonchalantly as if he hadn’t just bought her an expensive cell phone.

“Shawn, really. You don’t need to get me a phone.” She frowned softly.

“It’s all good. No worries.” He shrugged before turning back and walking to the family room. Blake messed with the phone for a moment, crossing her room and flopping down on the big, soft bed as she transferred a few of her contacts from her American cell.

Not twenty minutes later she was considering a nap when the phone began to vibrate.

this is ryan, want to get some food on Saturday? Blake saved off the contact before replying to the NHL rookie that was her same age.

pick me up at one? Ryan replied that he would and she laid back in bed, folding her glasses on her night stand and burrowing down into the blankets. Sometimes - life was good.