My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 329

“Another day, maybe,” Luke said, matching my gaze. “We’ll find him. I promise.”

I nodded as I put the truck into drive. “I hope so,” I murmured, veering out onto the road. “And when we do… I’m gonna kill him.”

After dropping Luke off, I parked my truck in the driveway, its headlights casting long shadows that danced across the front lawn.

I sat there for a moment, staring at the house that had become my sanctuary. My thoughts lingered on Nina, on the baby, on all the what-ifs that churned in my mind like the stormy sea. Despite everything Luke had said – truths I knew in my gut were right — I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that gripped me.

Leaving Nina alone, especially now, felt like an insurmountable task. My hand hovered over the ignition, hesitating to turn it off. If I stepped out, if I walked through that door, I’d be one step closer to leaving her for a dream job that had been, up until this evening, exactly what I’d wanted.

Driven by instinct, I pulled out my phone and dialed Tim’s number. The call went through, and I heard the familiar ringtone echo in the confines of the truck.

“Enzo! How’s it going?” Tim’s voice crackled through the speaker.

“Hey Tim, not too bad. How are you guys?” I tried to keep my voice steady.

“Good, good. Just wrapping up practice. Hold on, let me put you on FaceTime; the team would love to see you.”

Before I could object, the call switched to video mode. Suddenly, I was looking at a sea of faces — my would-be apprentices, all sweaty and out of breath, but smiling nonetheless. Some paragraphs are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on Jobnib.com. Visit Jobnib.com to read the complete chapters for free.”Hey, it’s Enzo!” someone shouted.

“When are you coming back, man? We miss you!” another voice chimed in.

Tim laughed, holding the phone up so that everyone was in view. “As you can see, you’ve made quite the impression. They’re practically counting the days until you’re here.”

A pang of regret hit me square in the chest. I had wanted this so badly. The camaraderie, the competition, the sheer joy of watching a team grow and evolve under my supervision —it was a dream I’d had for as long as I could remember.

“Did you need something, Enzo?” Tim asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I opened my mouth to say it, to tell him that my wife was pregnant, that I couldn’t take the job. But the words caught in my throat.

The faces on the screen were so full of hope, of expectation. I couldn’t bring myself to let them down, not when they’d given me something to look forward to as well.

“No… I was just checking in,” I finally managed to say. “I wanted to let everyone know that I’m looking forward to visiting again soon.”

“Good. We can’t wait,” Tim said, and the screen filled with a chorus of cheers and thumbs-up.

“Yeah, me neither,” I echoed, my voice barely above a whisper as I ended the call.

I sighed, placing the phone on the passenger seat.

My eyes drifted to the front windshield, where I saw Nina’s silhouette move gracefully behind the kitchen window. I knew I’d miss her every moment I was away. I knew I’d worry, that I’d wonder if I’d made the right choice.

But as I sat there, watching her as she scurried around the kitchen, I realized that our dreams were not obstacles, but markers on the roadmap of our life together. It was going to be a tough journey, but I knew that it would be worth it in the end.

With a sigh, I finally pulled the keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the truck, my gaze still fixed on my wife.

It was time to talk.

Nina

The kettle whistled shrilly, snapping me out of the reverie I had sunk into. With a sigh, I set my book down and made my way to the kitchen.

It was past midnight, and the house was filled with a disquieting silence that only deepened my worry for Enzo. He’d said he was going out for a drive and would be back soon. Hours had passed, and “soon” felt like an eternity ago.

Pouring hot water into my cup, I added a tea bag, allowing the scent of chamomile to waft up and ease my worries. It was somewhat calming, but I still felt worried. Where was he?

Just as I was contemplating texting him, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway filled the air. My heart soared. Relief washed over me as I set down my cup, hurrying to the front door to peek through the curtain. Sure enough, it was Enzo’s truck.

A few minutes later, he emerged from his truck.

The door opened, and there he was, looking exhausted but relieved to be home. “You’re back,” I said, my voice tinged with relief and a bit of annoyance. “It’s late. What were you doing out there?”

Enzo sighed, setting his keys on the table by the door. “Luke and I were scouting for Edward. Didn’t find him, though.”

“Edward? You should’ve invited me,” I said, arching my eyebrows.

He chuckled, but his eyes were clouded with something I couldn’t quite place. “Sure,” he said, smirking slightly. “Next time I need to hunt down that psycho, I’ll be sure to bring along my pregnant wife.”

Enzo’s words gave me pause. It was still early in the pregnancy, making it easy to momentarily forget that that was the case. “You’re right,” I laughed, instinctively placing my hand over my belly. “I almost forgot.”

Enzo smirked. “That’s what I’m here for.” His words were light, but I could tell that there was something else in his eyes— something was off. He looked like he was on the verge of speaking, but couldn’t bring himself to do it just yet.

“Spit it out,” I said. “You look like you’re about to say something.”

He took a deep breath, taking both my hands in his and leading me to the sofa. We sat, and he looked deeply into my eyes. “I’ve thought about it, and I’ve finally made a decision, Nina. I’m not going to quit the job.”

I felt a wave of happiness flood through me, and without a second thought, I kissed him. “I knew you wouldn’t regret it, Enzo. This job is too important for you to pass up.”

Enzo’s face lit up, a mixture of relief and elation filling his eyes. “You have no idea how close I was to giving it all up, Nina. I talked to Tim just now and even saw the team via FaceTime. Seeing their excitement, their happiness at the idea of me coming back… It was a reality check. This is important to me, too.”

My heart swelled with pride. Enzo had faced his fears, weighed his options, and come to a decision that respected both his dreams and our life together. I couldn’t ask for a more thoughtful partner. “I’m so happy for you,” I said, squeezing his hands.

“But,” he continued, his tone shifting slightly, “I do have my own stipulations about this decision.” My brows furrowed as I looked into Enzo’s eyes, the curiosity almost unbearable. “Stipulations?

What kind of stipulations?”

He inhaled deeply, as if gathering the courage to speak. “I want you to consider going to therapy, Nina. Your nightmares have been getting worse, even though you like to pretend that they’re not.

And I’m worried how they’ll affect you and the baby during the pregnancy.”

The room seemed to close in on me at his words. ”

Therapy?” I muttered.

Enzo nodded, but said nothing. My heart felt as though it was sinking; all this time, I had tried to hide my episodes, tried not to worry him. And yet Enzo, perceptive as ever, had seen right through it as usual.

But still, the idea of going to therapy made me feel almost sick. After what had happened with Edward, my last therapist?

My heartbeat quickened as my father’s mansion stood up ahead. It had felt like ages since I had last been here. In fact, it had been ages. I hadn’t visited since my wedding around the New Year.

“Looks like they changed up the scenery a little,” Enzo said, glancing around. The land surrounding the mansion, once empty and flat, now was laden with sprawling gardens and hedges.

The remnants of the battlefield that this place once was —both metaphorically and literally —were now nowhere to be found. Instead, it was a perfect sanctuary of vibrant colors and sweet smells. It had my mother’s touch all over it, I was sure of it.

As we walked closer, the door burst open, revealing my mother. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she dashed toward us.

“Nina, welcome!” She enveloped me in a hug that felt like home, then turned her gaze towards Enzo. ”

And Enzo! I’ve missed you both so much.”

Enzo extended his hand, but my mother bypassed it entirely, pulling him into a warm embrace. “You would think he would know by now that we’re not a handshaking sort of family,” she teased, winking at me.

We laughed, the sound filling the air like a familiar melody. “Where’s dad?” I asked, scanning the room behind her.

“He’s in the study, buried in his books as usual,” Mom answered, her eyes twinkling. “But he’ll want to see you, Nina. We all do.”

I could feel Enzo’s eyes on me, and it warmed me from the inside out. We were here, together, and it felt right. My mom led us into the house, the aroma of mahogany wood and incense filling the air. A scent that, although I hadn’t lived here growing up, felt oddly nostalgic. Sometimes, I almost wondered if a little piece of my sister still lived within me, yearning for home.

As we settled into the living room, my father appeared in the doorway. “So, my little girl has come to visit,” he said, his voice tinged with unmistakable joy.

“Dad!” I rushed to him, feeling the strength of his arms as he hugged me tightly. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Missed you too, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of my head before clapping Enzo firmly on his shoulder. “Enzo, my boy. Did you put on even more muscle, somehow?”

“Muscle? More like fat from eating your daughter’s food,” Enzo grinned, and something unspoken passed between the two men— a quiet, mutual understanding.

It was strange to me, to call this man ‘dad’ after never even knowing he existed for most of my life.

But there was a connection between us, one that couldn’t be ignored.

And as I glanced back and forth between him and my mom, I knew that there was a connection between them, too. They were pretending that there wasn’t, but I could tell. It was funny, really, to think about how my mom had gone from a distant, adoptive mother to being involved with my biological father, but I was happy for them.

Then, I heard the creak of a door opening upstairs.

My heart skipped a beat. It had to be Tyler. Sure enough, a moment later, he appeared at the top of the stairs, his eyes widening when he saw me.

“Hey, sis!” Tyler practically vaulted down the stairs with a speed I had never seen before, and before I knew it, I was wrapped in a hug so tight it lifted me off my feet.

“Holy shit, Tyler, you’re crushing me!” I gasped, although the truth was I was more elated at his newfound strength rather than bothered by it.

“Sorry,” he said, setting me down but keeping an arm around me. “I just missed you a ton.”

I grinned, giving his arm a squeeze through his shirt. “Talk about muscle,” I said, my eyes darting to my father, who looked proud. “Tyler, since when are you not a twig?”

Tyler smirked, flexing his biceps triumphantly. “It must be something in the water here,” he said.