Free Trying to Score by Toni Aleo Page A

they would have Aiden, and probably more children. Aiden wasn’t planned, of course, but Lucas wanted kids. Another reason why telling him about Aiden was gonna be bad. He was gonna freak about not being in Aiden’s life for the past six years.
    For the love of God, what the hell had Fallon done?
    ***************************************
    Lucas looked left, then right, before passing to Welch. Welch only had the puck for a split second before he directed it right into the goal. Lucas threw his arms up in the air before the guys all wrapped up in a hug, tapping each other on the head. Thank God, Welch got that in because if he hadn’t the score would be 4-0. At least if the Assassins lost it wouldn’t be a shutout. Even with Lucas playing hard, trying hard to get shots on goal, it wasn’t their game, and they lost 4-1.
    Lucas slowly walked down the hall behind his teammates, his head hung low. It was the first game he had lost as an Assassin, and he would be lying if he said he was okay with it. He didn’t come to the Assassins to be a loser, but to be a winner.
    When he looked up, he saw that the coaches and Eleanor Adler stood lined up by the locker room, nodding and tapping each guy on the head as they walked into the locker room. It was crazy; he had never been on a team that was much more like a family than a team. When Lucas reached Elli, she gave him a small smile.
    “Good game Brooks, great pass.”
    “Thanks, Mrs. Adler,” he said with a nod.
    She smiled sweetly at him, and he smile back. It was the first time he had ever smiled after a lost. Lucas decided then that he was going to love playing for the Assassins. They were a family, and he could always use one.
    Later, Lucas didn’t know why he was thinking of the day he lost Fallon on the bus ride to Columbus, but he was. Maybe it was calling the office that morning, or maybe it was because the Assassins had lost in St Louis. Since he already felt like shit, he figured he might as well think of the worst day of his life.
    All Lucas could remember was not only the cold, dead look in Fallon’s beautiful caramel eyes, but the way she was just plain disgusted with him. He still to that day didn’t remember getting into bed with Allison, and he really didn’t remember having sex with her. He was too drunk and high to remember anything from that night.
    Lucas shook his head as he thought back to that night.
    Lucas just wanted to see Fallon.
    It had been a long week, and he needed his Fallon fix. She was like a drug and he was addicted. The week had been hard, he had gotten hurt during a game against the Devils and when the doctor prescribed him Lortabs, he should have known he was in trouble. He started popping the pain pills every chance he got, mixing them with his favorite drink. Lucas soon found that it took him to cloud nine and he loved the feeling.
    Fallon had called that afternoon saying she was getting in at seven. When Lucas woke up at six, he rushed to get ready and headed towards Palo Alto to be there when she got there. The choices he made that night were plain stupid. Not only did he drink and drive but he was high from the pills too. He could have gotten killed, or worst, killed someone else.
    When he got to the dorm, he opened the door to Allison sitting on her bed in a little tee. She was supposed to be in Houston. What the hell was she doing home?
    “ Oh, hey Lucas,” she purred as she stood up. Lucas should have known right then to leave. Allison was known as a ho in the locker room, she had been with Levi and a couple of the guys from the team. Lucas knew better, he knew better then to mess with anyone but Fallon. But Lucas was so drunk and so high that when Allison tipped toed over to him in that little bitty t-shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck for a ‘hug’, he couldn’t help but to hold her closer than needed.
    When her lips touched his, he didn’t think, he just acted and it was the last thing he remembered.
    Now Lucas was