Loving the Sound Vol 2, page 1
LOVING THE SOUND: VOLUME 2
KAT OBIE
Copyright © 2022 by Kat Obie
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
CONTENTS
Stepping Up
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Melting Hearts
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
Rebounding Hope
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Bonus Story
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
About the Author
More by Kat Obie
CHAPTER 1
Lager
As he got changed from practice, he received a text from his ex, saying: Going to Toli's game in Seattle. Can't take for Klaus this week but I can do double duty next week.
He cursed hard. He was on the road this week, and Bridge knew that. He couldn't bring Klaus with him again.
It was a mistake to bring Klaus on the road with him. That was an invitation for Bridge to flake out on him with childcare whenever she wanted to see her new lover. It happened more and more often.
He needed a full-time nanny and didn't have time to find one.
Scotty, who was sitting next to him in the locker room, elbowed him. "What's up now?"
"Bridge decided to fly out to see Toli again," he said with a roll of the eyes. Thankfully, Scotty was always there when he needed to vent.
"I'm sure Alice won't care if Klaus sleeps over this trip."
Andreas Lagerfield was one of the top power forwards for the Cleveland Sound. While his first name was Andreas, no one ever called him that. It was always Lags or Lager. He’d gone by it forever. It was easy to shout on the ice and not a weird foreign name. He was having a hard time with the course of his life, though.
While he'd adjusted to balancing life as a single parent and a professional hockey player, he was glad that Klaus had adjusted to the changes too. He never expected his marriage to break up, let alone find his former wife sleeping with a teammate. Well, a former teammate since the Sound traded Toli shortly after he found out about the affair. He was grateful for his friends that had stood by him throughout it all: Petey, Scotty, Corey, and even the last two's spouses.
Lager’s best friend was the most supportive person in his life. Scotty knew where he stood with childcare, and Lager didn't need to ask for help. Instead, Scotty would volunteer if he could.
With a smile and a desire to get a little rise out of Scotty, he asked, "Aren't you worried that my little man will try to make a move on Lexi?"
Scotty had completely freaked out at Christmas when his son asked if he could date Scotty's then-unborn daughter. He was not ready for his daughter to date. It was fun to poke the bear from time to time.
Scotty forced out a smile and said in a voice that was more to assure himself than Lager, "Klaus is a good boy. He won't try anything and I won't have to kill him. Lex is only a baby."
Lager cracked up. It was fun to see Scotty go all protective of his daughter. Good thing their opponents had no idea how easy it was to get under Scotty's skin right now. The chirps on the ice would be brutal if they knew.
He wondered what would happen when Lexi got old enough to date. Instead of prodding him further, Lager asked, "Are you ready for the road so you can sleep through the night again?" He was glad he didn't have a baby anymore. He didn't envy Scotty for having so many sleepless nights ahead. That was rough during the season.
"Yeah. I hate to say that, though. I get to bond with her at night when I try to soothe her. Plus, I catch up on the west coast games and teach her hockey while we’re in the rocking chair together."
Lager shook his head. "You know, she's a little young to learn hockey." The baby could barely see colors and recognize people. There was no way she understood such a quick moving sport.
"Never too young. Besides, she doesn't wake up her maman when it's on. That's the important thing," Scotty said with a wink. His French-Canadian side was coming through when he used the French word for mom.
"You are obsessed, man. I was hoping that when you found the right girl you’d ease up on your hockey obsession. If anything you might be worse." It didn't help that Alice was just as obsessed with hockey as Scotty and they fed off each other. Lager knew he did the same with Klaus.
"Hey. I thought you were my friend," Scotty teased.
"Of course I am."
Petey called out, "Are you two almost done? We should be heading out."
"You know, if you hate waiting, you could always drive yourself like you do when I have the special teams meetings," teased Lager. They’d been roommates for a couple of years. As a result, they had been carpooling to the rink most of the time. But they’d been driving separately more often since he started picking up Klaus at school.
Petey was not as much of a rink rat as Lager and Scotty, so he would be the one to remind them it was time to leave. Lager fist bumped Scotty before looking towards Petey. "I'm coming." He pushed himself to head out of the arena for the afternoon. He and Petey headed towards his SUV.
As they got into the car, Petey immediately asked, "So, what were you and Scotty talking about this time?"
"Bridge isn't going to take Klaus tomorrow night. I needed to figure out what to do with him. Thankfully, Scotty is going to ask Alice."
"What is going on with Bridge?" asked Petey. He'd seen everything unfold in real time, more so than anyone on the team. Petey was at the house when Lager discovered the affair and heard all the fights between Lager and Bridge.
"I have no clue. Apparently, she loves that stupid tool. Enough to neglect Klaus, who I thought was the most important man in her life," he said with some disappointment.
He hated seeing his ex-wife withdraw from Klaus's life. Bridge's boyfriend was now across the country and they’d gotten serious, but their son should come first.
They pulled into the school parking lot. He saw he’d gotten a message from Scotty saying that Klaus was good to stay at his place during the road trip.
Klaus immediately came out to the car and got buckled up. Lager didn’t even need to go in and do the full sign-out procedure which seemed to happen whenever the one teacher assistant was on duty.
As they pulled out of the parking lot, he asked his son, "So, what do you think about staying with Alice and Lex while I'm on the road?"
"I get to hang out with Lexi?" Klaus asked.
"Yeah."
Petey smirked in the passenger seat. Lager wasn't sure if his mini-me actually wanted to date Lexi or was just interested in babies since Lex was the first one he’d been around.
"That would be so cool!" Klaus said with utter excitement. His son didn't make the connection that his mom wouldn’t be coming to visit. "When?"
"Tomorrow night."
"Okay, Papa. Do you think that Lexi will remember me?"
"I'm sure she will," he said with an amused look on his face. He wasn't sure if the baby would. She probably only recognized the sounds of her parents' voices at this stage, but he couldn't tell his son that. Instead, he told him what he wanted to hear. "Do you have any homework today?"
"Just a worksheet."
"I can help him out with that if you want to take over with dinner," Petey said.
He knew Petey’s game. By offering to help with Klaus, he wouldn't have to make dinner. They’d been trying to take turns cooking. It would be a basic meal: some chicken tenders, salad, and rice for Klaus, and he’d grill up some chicken breasts for himself and Petey. There was less risk of him burning down the house than Petey.
When they got home, it was straight into parent mode. He
Thankfully, Klaus had been bilingual since birth. Lager and Bridge had always spoken both English and German in the house.
Leah
It'd been a busy day. They’d had a few deliveries but nothing was super stressful—healthy babies and proud parents who all seemed excited. She was happy for them, but she was more excited about doing the road trip with her favorite team.
She went on a few trips a year to watch the Sound. For lack of a better term, she was a puck bunny. She thought the hockey players were hotter than hot and wouldn't have minded getting with one of them. It was always harder than you would think. It was more than being hot and at the games. She was one of the few puck bunnies with a professional career, and she wasn't known around the local rink because she mostly attended away games.
A trip to New York City was in order. Even if for some crazy reason the Sound didn't play well, she would be in NYC. She could eat great food, shop, and even see a show.
There was one Sound player that she couldn't keep her mind off: Andreas Lagerfield aka Lager. Up until this year, he had been one of the untouchable ones in her book. She would never knowingly screw up a relationship, no matter how hot the guy was. She wasn’t going to be a homewrecker.
The current list of untouchables were: Scotty Wheiland, Corey Curso (CC), Crestor, and Dima. Lager had been on that list for years, but his marriage had blown up the previous season and now, as far as she knew, he was single. The only issue with Lager was he had a son and no one seemed to know if he was actually interested in a new relationship.
If she had a chance, she would talk to him again. The highlight of her Christmas season had been talking to Lager. Best of all, he had no clue she was a bit of a bunny. He’d seen her at work while she helped to deliver their mutual friend's baby. That was actually better since she stood a chance at a longer relationship, rather than a one night stand. Maybe . . . She could dream but she knew that she wasn’t really built for relationships but it was a fantasty.
CHAPTER 2
Lager
From the moment he picked up Klaus from school, his son was super excited. Klaus couldn’t wait to go to Alice's place while his dad was on the road trip. His son never realized or didn't care that he wouldn't see his mom.
"I can't wait to see Lex. Do you think they will let me hold her again?" Klaus asked. Good thing Klaus was only interested in seeing and holding Lex. He didn’t want to kiss or marry her yet.
"Probably, but listen to Alice and be super careful. Lex is little right now."
"I know, Papa. I promise to be super good with her." His son started to play with one of the balls and mini sticks that had taken up residence in their living room. Which meant picking up his stuff wouldn’t be super quick.
Lager grabbed everything that Klaus would need. If he relied on the six-year-old to remember all his stuff, they would be in trouble.
It was easy to pack a little suitcase for him. He hoped he had put everything that was needed into the school bag. Thankfully, Klaus wanted to do well in school and was normally pretty good about bringing home his schoolwork.
Once everything was packed, Lager asked, "Are you ready to go to Scotty's place?"
"Lexi will be there, right?" asked Klaus. Lager shook his head as he chuckled. It was too damn cute.
"Yes. Lexi, Alice, Backup, and Chloe will all be there. Only Uncle Scotty is coming with me. We have to go to New York, New Jersey, and Columbus."
"I know, Papa," he said with a sigh. It was so dramatic and cute. But he could only get away with it because he was so young. "You guys are playing hockey. Will I be allowed to watch you play?"
Lager looked at his son. "It depends. If you listen to Alice, you can. But if you’re bad, you won't be allowed to watch the game. Alice knows it’s okay for you to watch the games if you’re being good. Will you be good for me?"
"I will, Papa. Can we go now?"
Lager shook his head as his son bolted for the door. Lager shouted upstairs to Petey, "I'm taking Klaus to Scotty's place." Then he followed his son who ran down the street to his best friend's place.
Scotty was out in the front yard with their two dogs. One dog was a gray Pitbull and the other dog was a brown mixture of a Pitbull and a Great Dane. It was surprising that Klaus didn't greet the dogs first. When he was younger, he’d loved Scotty’s dogs, especially when Backup was a puppy.
Instead, Klaus approached Scotty and asked, "Where's Lexi?" Thankfully, Scotty didn't freak out at all.
"She's taking a nap. So you’re going to want to be quiet when you go inside. Okay, buddy?"
Klaus put a finger to his lip and shook his head to show he understood. He started to pet the dogs.
Lager whispered to his linemate, "You have no idea how excited he is to see her again. I'm glad that he took to her napping so well."
"Yeah. Let's get him settled inside." Scotty signaled to the dogs that it was time to go inside and they headed towards the door. Scotty opened it for the dogs who padded into the kitchen and they followed.
When Lager walked in, Alice was in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. She looked tired. He felt bad. He had added so much to her plate by having her care for his son while also caring for a two-month-old baby. "Thanks for taking Klaus this week. Are you sure it's okay?"
"It's fine. I'm happy to help. Isn't he still playing hockey?"
He made a face. "Shoot. I forgot that stuff. I'm sorry. I can run over and get it."
Scotty came up behind his wife and gave her a hug. "Don't worry about it. I can give her my key and she can grab it on Thursday."
"Yeah dad, I'm not missing practice. I want to be good like you. Are you still coming to my game on Saturday?"
"I’ll do my best. We’re traveling that day, but I plan to be there. You know I love watching you play. I’ll grab the hockey gear that way you don’t need to worry about it."
"That's cause I'm awesome," Klaus said with no modesty whatsoever.
Lager was proud of his mini-me. Klaus had picked up the sport so quickly. He took after his old man and was just as flashy out on the ice.
Klaus paused for a moment. "Does that mean Lexi will get to see me play?"
That got all three adults trying to stifle a laugh. Even Scotty was amused by the question. Alice said, "Yup."
Klaus let out a loud "Yay!" Then he remembered that the baby was sleeping and clapped his hands over his mouth. Unfortunately, a soft cry came from upstairs. Klaus looked panicked. In a quiet but sincere voice, he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake her."
Alice smiled. "It's okay. She's probably hungry anyway." Scotty was already going upstairs to fetch his daughter.
It didn't take long before Scotty came back down, trying to soothe a little baby with matching red hair, and sat down on the couch.
It was weird to see Scotty going into dad mode. Not that Scotty wasn't amazing at it. It was more that Lager had known Scotty for about seven years and it was a new role for him.
