Sunday, June 23, 2024
🌈🏒Sunday's Sport Stats🏒🌈: Unwritten Rules by Brigham Vaughn
Rules of the Game #3
Rule #1: Don't fall in love with your family's sworn enemy
Taylor Hollis brought home gold at the Olympics, then quit competitive skating at the height of his career.
Four years later, he lives a quiet life teaching figure skating classes and looking for the perfect guy to settle down and build a family with.
When the Evanston River Otters hire Taylor to take part in a feel-good media piece, he’ll have to defy his father and work with the son of the man he detests.
And his one weakness is a hot older guy who’s good with kids.
Rule #2: Choose your loyalties wisely
Last season, Jamie Walsh left the Chicago Windstorm after a nasty divorce and falling out with his linemate.
Now he’s getting settled as a new forward for the Otters.
His biggest priority is his five-year-old daughter, Ava, but he can’t ignore how attractive he finds her skating teacher.
The only man he’s ever been interested in.
The more time they spend together, the harder it is for Jamie to ignore his feelings.
Too bad Taylor’s father has always blamed Jamie’s dad for ruining his hockey career.
Jamie and Taylor are perfect for one another but they’ll have to ignore both of their families’ unwritten rules if they let themselves fall in love with the enemy.
TRIGGER WARNING:
Frank discussion of eating disorders and past infidelity of secondary characters.
PROLOGUE
FOUR YEARS PRIOR
“Hey, wanna come with me to the rink?”
Jamie Walsh looked up from his phone to squint at his teammate. “We had practice this morning and I’m still wiped from the flight. Call me lazy but I don’t want to get any more skating in now, thanks.”
Dustin Fowler laughed. “No, not the hockey rink, dude, the figure skating rink. Weren’t you listening to anything I said?”
“Uh, no,” Jamie said guiltily. “I was texting Kara. Sorry.”
Fighting is more like it but what else is fucking new?
Fowler waved it off. “You’re good. I get it. Wives take priority.”
Jamie stifled a hollow laugh. Priority. Yeah. That was the damn problem. Kara didn’t think Jamie was making their relationship enough of a priority.
And yes, Jamie definitely felt guilty jetting off to the Olympics for two weeks when she was home with their baby girl. But this had been a lifetime dream of his and he was thirty years old. This was his first and probably last shot at winning gold with Team USA.
Why couldn’t she understand how important that was to him?
“Nah, it’s okay. Kara left to put Ava down for a nap anyway. She’s been fussy all day.” Jamie sat up with a groan. “So you want to go check out the figure skaters? You trying to pick up or something?”
Jamie was cool with playing wingman while his single friend found a hot figure skater to hook up with but he prayed he wouldn’t have to vacate their shared room later so Fowler could get some action.
Fowler chuckled. “No, dude. My sister is a skater. Her performance isn’t until tomorrow but it’s at the same time as our game against Finland. I wanted to swing by practice tonight and at least show a little support. Thought you might want to tag along.”
“Oh,” Jamie said. Damn, he really hadn’t been paying attention.
Fowler scratched his head. “No biggie if you want to stay here and have some alone time with your wife once your little one is napping though. I won’t be offended.”
Jamie managed a wan smile in response. Even if Kara wasn’t pissed about him leaving for the Olympics, they hadn’t had sex in a long time, much less via Skype. They’d Skyped a lot in the past when he was traveling with the Chicago Windstorm but of course, that was before they got married and had a kid.
“Walsh?” Dustin stared at Jamie like he needed to go through concussion protocol.
Jamie shook his head to clear away the depressing reality of his marriage and stood. “Yeah, let’s go. Watching some skating sounds fun.”
Better than sitting around their tiny room and moping, anyway. He stuffed his phone in his pocket and put all thoughts of his relationship aside.
He was here at the Olympics and he was going to make the most of it.
But when they left the Olympic Village and arrived at the rink, there were men on the ice.
“Umm,” Jamie said, looking around at the figure skaters.
Fowler laughed. “I got a text from Em saying the guys are nearly done with their run-through. The women will be up next.”
“Got it.” Jamie grinned at him.
“C’mon, man, let’s find a seat.” Fowler nodded to the stadium-style seating.
The stands were maybe half filled, and more people were trickling in.
Fowler waved to a couple sitting partway up and Jamie followed. He greeted Dustin’s parents warmly. He hadn’t seen them in years but he and Dustin had hung out a lot when they’d played together in Juniors and it was great to see his family again. They caught up for a minute before Jamie turned to face the ice.
There were half a dozen guys going through their full routines simultaneously. The controlled chaos wasn’t so different from warmups before a hockey game but Jamie was still amazed no one crashed into anyone else while executing complicated jumps.
The skaters were all incredible. They appeared to defy gravity when they leapt and spun, graceful and strong all at once. It was so different from the hard physicality of hockey.
Jamie’s attention was drawn to one in particular. It must have been the way he moved, every motion controlled but fluid. Effortless and graceful but still so damn powerful.
As he landed another complex-looking jump, Jamie let out the breath he’d been holding. “Damn,” he muttered.
“They’re good, huh?” Fowler said with a grin.
“Seriously. I’m envious of their footwork.”
“You should try training with them sometime. It’ll definitely help.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, during the off-season I work with a figure skating coach along with a private hockey coach and trainer. Really helps with my edgework and agility.”
Well that explained why he was so damn good. “I’ll have to look into it.”
Jamie turned his attention to the ice again, his gaze immediately landing on the dark-haired guy he’d been watching before.
Jamie leaned forward, studying the lines of his body, watching a tightly controlled spin segue into a graceful glide. His heart beat a little faster and he felt oddly flushed as the routine built in intensity.
Jamie watched, lips parted, when the guy landed with a final dramatic flourish, the last to finish his performance. Jamie was on his feet clapping before he could stop himself, but many of the other people in the stands did too.
“Hey, who is he, anyway?” Jamie nodded toward the ice as the skater acknowledged the applause with a little wave and glided toward the boards.
“The favorite to win gold for the US this year.” Fowler took a seat. “Taylor Hollis.”
“Oh shit,” Jamie whispered. He dropped into his seat with an audible thump, his knees taken out from under him like he’d been slashed by a stick.
Fowler gave him a puzzled look. “You know him or something?”
“Uh, not personally,” Jamie said with a grimace. “But, um, you remember who my dad is, right?”
“Yeah, Adam Walsh. Former Chicago Windstorm center …” Fowler’s eyes went wide. “Wait …”
“Yeah.” Jamie slouched in his seat. “His rivalry with Rick Hollis was pretty legendary and Taylor is Rick’s son.”
“Shit. They had beef back in the day.”
“They did,” Jamie said tightly.
“Huh.” Fowler considered the idea. “I’d never put two and two together.”
“I vaguely knew Taylor Hollis was a figure skater but I had no idea he was here at the Olympics this year.” Jamie scrubbed his hands over his face.
Shit.
The rivalry between their fathers had begun early in their careers and Jamie been seventeen when the accident happened. He’d spent his pro hockey career defending his father against the people who’d accused him of being a talentless goon.
The last thing Jamie wanted was for their history to be discussed in post-game interviews. He was under enough pressure already.
“Hey, there’s Em,” Fowler said with a nod as a young woman skated onto the ice, followed by a few other skaters.
Jamie watched Emily’s routine while Fowler caught him up on her career and training, his face glowing with pride. Her routine was flawless, and Jamie enthusiastically clapped for her.
After practice was over, Jamie followed Fowler down to the ice and into the back hallway where they waited for Emily to finish talking to the press.
Jamie leaned against the wall, hoping he wouldn’t run across Taylor while he was back here. He had a vague memory of seeing Taylor in the news over the years but he couldn’t remember what he looked like and he hadn’t been sitting close enough to the ice earlier to get a good look at his face.
He surreptitiously googled Taylor’s name to check. Huh. Definitely the kind of guy who would stand out in a crowd, so he should be easy to spot. Jamie kept scrolling Taylor’s bio, surprised to see he was a decade younger than him since their fathers were roughly the same age.
Of course, Jamie’s parents had been young when they got married and had kids. The Hollises must have been older.
“Great job, Taylor!” Mrs. Fowler called out and Jamie’s head snapped up.
Oh shit. Here we go.
“Oh, thank you,” a light, clear voice replied.
Jamie nearly dropped his phone in his haste to get it tucked into his pocket. When he looked up, Taylor Hollis stood a few feet away. Yeah, definitely easy to recognize with his big blue eyes, pale skin, and flushed cheeks.
A weird tension settled in the pit of Jamie’s stomach.
“Great to see you, Sue,” Taylor said, beaming. He leaned in to kiss her cheeks. “You’re here to see Emily?”
“Yes. We’re so proud of her. And you of course. You were marvelous earlier.”
“I knew I liked you for a reason.”
They laughed together and Jamie shot a confused look at Dustin. “You know Hollis?” he hissed under his breath.
“Me personally? No, but he and Emily train at the same facility in Chicago so our families know each other,” he said quietly. “Why?”
“I was just surprised.”
The Fowlers and Taylor made small talk for a little while and Taylor flicked a few curious glances in Jamie’s direction. His gaze was bold and assessing as it raked over Jamie’s body but nothing indicated he knew who Jamie was. Good. That was for the best. The last thing Jamie wanted was to drag the Fowlers into their messy family history.
When Emily appeared, Dustin and his parents drifted away to talk to her, and Jamie and Taylor were left alone.
Taylor tilted his head back and smiled up at Jamie. He’d exchanged his skates for shoes and he was a good five or six inches shorter than Jamie.
“Well, hello there. I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”
Taylor stuck out a hand and Jamie smiled as he shook, helpless to do anything else in the face of his bright grin. “Hello to you too. Great performance tonight.”
Taylor made a face. “Ugh. I totally flubbed my last triple toe loop but thanks.”
“It’s definitely easier to see the mistakes instead of the successes,” Jamie pointed out with a shrug. “But you can’t focus on only the negative. Gotta take the wins along with it, right?”
Taylor’s gaze raked across him again, landing on the Team USA hoodie he wore. “You’re competing?”
“Yeah, I’m—”
Taylor held up a hand. “No. No. Let me guess.” He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Jamie closely. The attention made Jamie warm. “Snowboarder? Freestyle skier?”
Jamie’s smile widened. “Neither.”
“Luge.”
He chuckled. “Nope.”
“Darn. I was hoping I might get a chance to see you in spandex.” Taylor winked.
Jamie laughed. “I’ve been known to wear spandex.” Though it was usually buried under layers of padding.
“Hmm.” Taylor’s gaze trailed down to linger on Jamie’s thighs. “Speed skater, then. You have great quads.”
The back of Jamie’s neck got warm again and he wasn’t sure if he was glad or sorry he’d given in to Fowler’s heckling and changed from sweats to jeans before they left. “Nope, but you’re closer.”
Taylor let out a little huff. “Hmm. You aren’t a hockey player, are you?”
“Hey,” he protested. “What’s wrong with hockey?”
“Nothing! My dad was a hockey player. I can’t believe I missed the obvious choice.”
Jamie’s stomach sank and he rubbed the back of his neck. Well, now he’d be an asshole if he didn’t acknowledge their connection. “Uhh, yeah. I kinda knew about your dad. I’m, uh, Jamie Walsh. My dad’s a former player too.”
The look of horror on Taylor’s face when he made the connection made Jamie wince.
“Yeah, sorry. I should have led with that, I guess,” he mumbled. “I didn’t want to make things awkward in front of the Fowlers. If you want me to go, I can—”
“No.” Taylor shook his head. “No, don’t go.”
“Well, I get the situation with our families is, um, a little complicated.”
Taylor sighed. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“But uh, maybe it would be good if we cleared the air before the media got wind of us both being here? I know my dad felt really horrible about what happened between them and—”
“Felt really horrible?” Taylor’s voice turned incredulous. “He fucking should. He nearly paralyzed my father.”
“It wasn’t intentional,” Jamie said bristling. “It was an accident. If Tucker hadn’t plowed into my dad, it never would have happened.”
Color rose in Taylor’s cheeks, and he crossed his arms, glaring at Jamie. “He was already going after my father before Tucker slammed into him and—”
“That’s bullshit,” Jamie said, glowering. “And this is a ridiculous grudge to hold after so long.”
“You didn’t watch your father get wheeled off the ice on a stretcher,” Taylor snarled, poking at Jamie’s chest with his index finger. “You didn’t see the look on his face when he realized his career was over.”
Jamie batted his hand away and stepped closer, scowling down at him. “You were what, eight at the time? Maybe you misunderstood the situation.”
“I was seven but I understood plenty.” Taylor didn’t back down an inch, jutting his chin up, his full lips flattening into a scowl. “My father nearly gave up on everything because he’d never be able to play hockey again. Because the doctors told him he might never walk again. So fuck you, Walsh. Fuck you and your father.”
Taylor turned away, anger radiating from every line in his slim body as he swept past the Fowlers.
“It was great to see you but you might want to rethink the people you spend time with,” he sneered, with one backward venom-filled glance at Jamie.
Hollis/Walsh Feud Reignites at the Olympic Games
The on-ice rivalry between Rick Hollis and Adam Walsh in the early 2000s was the stuff of legends.
It sold tickets and pumped up fans on both sides but the hotly contested fight for a playoff spot between the Chicago Windstorm and the Detroit Auto Wrenches quickly turned ugly.
A hit from Adam Walsh led to Rick Hollis being taken off the ice on a stretcher, ultimately ending his career.
Although Walsh was cleared of any wrongdoing by the league after Hollis’s injury, Hollis has never held back about his feelings for Walsh’s style of play.
What’s equally clear is that there’s no love lost between the younger generation either. Neither Jamie Walsh nor Taylor Hollis commented on a reported altercation at the Olympic practice rink last week but Taylor Hollis ended his silence yesterday.
The recent USA vs the Czech Republic game was marred by an altercation between ice hockey forward Jamie Walsh and the Czechian center that left Jakub Svoboda limping to the trainers.
When asked about it, figure skater Taylor Hollis echoed his father’s words about there being no place in the game for unsportsmanlike behavior.
“I’d hoped there had been changes made since my father’s day,” the younger Hollis said. “It’s disappointing to still see goon-like behavior not only being allowed but rewarded.”
Despite the rivalry between their families, Jamie Walsh and Taylor Hollis both brought home a combined total of four gold medals for Team USA in the Olympics this year.
Jamie Walsh has been unavailable for comment.
Sunday Sport Stats
Curious about the reading order for Rules of the Game? There are two series within the Rules of the Game universe, following two hockey teams. This is the chronological reading order:
Road Rules (Evanston River Otters)
Bending the Rules (Toronto Fisher Cats)
Changing the Rules (Evanston River Otters)
Unwritten Rules (Evanston River Otters)
Rules of Engagement (Evanston River Otters)
Breaking the Rules (Evanston River Otters)
Brigham Vaughn
Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.
SMASHWORDS / PINTEREST / B&N
EMAIL: brighamvaughn@gmail.com
Unwritten Rules #3
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