Family Is All It Takes

“So Sutter and Mac, huh?” Sidney smirked the next day in the locker room.

“I couldn’t believe, man,” James laughs. “I thought he was bullshitting me.”

“So what she make?” Geno asked Brandon. He would care about the food.

“The best macaroni and cheese you will ever have,” he said. “Really good.” Brandon had done his best to be a good sport about the jokes and jabs the rest of the team had subjected him too.

“Mmm. We sure that’s all that was good?” Kris smirked.

“Dude,” Brandon grimaced. “First off, it’s Mac. And second of all, her son was right there.”

“He’s young; he wouldn’t know what the hell was going on. And that’s just it. It’s Mac,” Kris pointed out.

“Yes, it is Mac,” a voice sounded. “I’m coming in. You had better all be decent. It’s too early for me to be scarred.”

“We wouldn’t scar you,” James said grinning at the young journalist. “It would probably be some of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen.”

“Did you say beautiful?” Mac snorted. “I’d say horror.”

“Bet you wouldn’t mind seeing Sutter,” Sidney muttered under his breath.

Both Mac and Brandon swiped the hockey captain’s head simultaneously.

“Concussions!” Tyler Kennedy cried out. He and Pascal Dupuis jumped in front of their captain to ‘protect’ him.

Mac laughed and shook her head. “Yeah, ‘cause I’m so jealous of you and all the other boys. Seeing each other naked every day, that is so my dream come true. Not!”

“You know,” Kris laughed. “You almost made me believe you.”

“Yeah,” Mac said with a straight face. “Key word being ‘almost’. Shouldn’t you boys be on the ice?”

*****

Mac sat cross legged in the tunnel that led from the locker room to the ice with her laptop on her lap. She typed away while listening to the interview with Brandon from the night before.

She looked out onto the ice at the man in question. Brandon seemed to have been looking at her. Watching him almost fall flat on his face left her in giggles. He had his helmet off and Mac couldn’t help but… observe. He had a defined jaw, slightly obscured by stubble. He had a large smile that Mac couldn’t help but admire. And his eyes. They were… surprising. They were brown and green and just like a kaleidoscope.

’Did I just describe his eyes using a kaleidoscope as a descriptive device?’ Mac thought. ’That’s not possible.’

She turned so that she wasn’t looking at the rink. Mac really needed to start focusing.

*****

He couldn’t help but notice her in the tunnel. She sat, typing away furiously. She was so intent on her work that he almost fell over when he saw her glance up. She tried to shield her laugh, something Brandon found rather adorable.

’Did I just describe her as adorable?’ he asked himself. ’No fucking way that happened.’

*****

But he found himself looking at her more after practice.

She stood in the tunnel with her back to him. Mac wore a pair of dark skinny leg trousers and a white button up shirt with a flared collar. It was unbuttoned at the top, revealing just a bit of skin. Her long brown hair was straightened and it fell down her back, stopping just three inches shy of her waist. Turning around, she locked eyes with Brandon.

Her eyes were probably his favorite part of her, rivaled only by her smile. They were gray, identical to a stormy sea. Rimmed by dark lashes, they popped against her pale skin. Her smile was bright and managed to make the rest of her shine. He found himself grinning at her.

“Good warm-up, then?” she asked cocking her head to the side.

Brandon looked at her for a moment. “You have no idea.”