Family Is All It Takes

Brandon Sutter walked into Consol Energy Center, unready for the day’s practice. He was exhausted; having gone out partying the night before. He had taken a leggy blond back to his apartment and it had taken him forever to get her to leave that morning. Maybe he deserved it.

Upon seeing a tall brunette walking in ahead of him with her arms full, he smirked to himself. This one would be a piece of cake. It was time to pounce.

“Let me help you with that,” he crooned easily.

The woman looked up with a smile, but it quickly fell. “I’m good.”

“You’ve got five bags here, let me take some,” Brandon insisted.

“No,” she said shaking her head. “I’m fine.”

“Damn,” he said. “I was just trying to help. Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Mackenzie,” she said. “And I am not a Brandon Sutter fan.”

‘Well then,’ he thought to himself as he watched her walk away. ‘Maybe that wasn’t easy.’

******

“Mackenzie!” Dan Bylsma smiled. “It’s good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you too! I’m so happy to be back!” she grinned.

“How was Montreal?” he asked.

“It was good to get away. And the people I got to work with at the sister paper were all really talented,” Mackenzie said.

“How was the wedding?” Dan queried as he took a few bags from her arms.

“It was beautiful. Very Jordan and Heather. The reception was a little…subdued. But when you’re with the Staals, things you usually get pretty lively,” Mackenzie described. “They’re all settled in North Carolina.”

“We’ll miss him on the line this year,” Dan nodded. “Have you met Brandon yet?”

Mackenzie scowled.

“I’ll take it you have,” Dan chuckled. “Is Mac Lawrence not a Brandon Sutter fan?”

“Those are almost the exact words I said to him this morning,” she said.

“Give him a chance, Mac,” Dan said cocking his head to the side.

“Not a chance, Disco Dan. He basically took my best friend to North Carolina along with my cousin. I don’t like him,” she shrugged.

“Fair enough,” he said putting his hands up in defeat. “Have you told the guys you were coming?”

She shook her head. “I left a clue on Twitter for my readers, but none of them have said anything. I’m assuming they either didn’t pick up on it or they didn’t read it.”

“Come on then,” Dan said waving her down the hall with himself.

******

“And I think you’ll all be happy to see who it is,” Dan shouted to the team in the locker room.

Mackenzie took that as her cue. Waltzing into the locker room, she smiled.

Placing her hands on her hips, she pursed her lips. “Hi, boys.”

“Mac!” they all roared in unison.