Chapter 28

Brianna and I stepped off the plane in San Jose. We found our driver and headed to the hotel that would be home for the next couple of days. The Ducks were playing the Sharks in the first round of playoffs, and I wasn’t going to miss it for anything. The boys were taking their pre-game naps when we got in, so we both decided to do the same.

“Here yet?” a text on my phone from Corey said a little while later.

“We are. Good luck tonight. I love you,” I responded.

“I left the tickets at the front desk. Love you too.”

I smiled and put my phone away. Brianna and I took showers and began to get ready for the game not long after. Room service brought up dinner in the process and we paused to eat. I took one last look at myself in the full length mirror before we left the hotel room.

“What are you worried about? It’s a hockey game,” Brianna commented from the door.

“I know, I know. I’m coming,” I said as I grabbed my purse and followed her out the door.

We picked up our tickets at the desk and took a car to the rink. Brianna had called ahead of time so we were allowed to go in a door in the back to avoid most of the fans. A few still noticed me, but I didn’t mind stopping to pose for a few pictures and sign a few autographs. We took a service elevator up to the level our seats were on and then made our way to them.

“Hey guys!” Colleen, Drew Miller’s wife called out. I smiled and waved as we made our way down the row and sat down next to her. The rest of the girls were there as well since San Jose wasn’t all that far from Anaheim. We all chatted for a bit until the game started.

The first period was definitely a bit tense. I’d forgotten how intense playoff hockey could be, and my only experience with it was in juniors. This was just a completely different level. The game was tight and looked like it could go either way as the first began to wind down.

“Excuse me, Miss Larson?” I heard a female voice say. I turned to see a woman who looked like she came straight from an office squatting on the stairs at the end of our row. I knew immediately she wasn’t a fan asking for an autograph.

“Yes?” I asked cautiously.

“Hi, my name is Jaymee Sire and I’m a reporter for the Sharks. I was wondering if it would be at all possible to do a short interview with you on the air during the second period,” she explained. I looked over at Brianna who just shrugged.

“What kind of interview?” I questioned.

“Well, we just wanted to ask a few general questions, like how you’re liking the experience of your first playoff game, and if you’re the nervous or carefree kind of girlfriend. Nothing too personal.” I thought about it for a minute and decided that no harm could come from it.

“Sure, not a problem,” I told her with a smile.

“Thank you! We’ll come down at about the 15 minute mark of the second to set up and I’ll give you a heads up on the questions. Then we’ll do the interview at the first TV timeout if that sounds okay.”

“Sounds good,” I told her. She smiled and left. Just as she said, they were back at the 15 minute mark and she told me how everything was going to work. When the timeout started, the interview began.

“Thanks guys. We’re here with Amelia Larson who is here watching boyfriend Corey Perry play in the opening game of the Sharks/Anaheim playoff series. Amelia, how are you enjoying the game so far?” she asked.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking. I haven’t been to a playoff game since Corey was in juniors so this is my first experience with the NHL playoffs. Honestly, it’s been great. The fans here are insane and it’s such a great atmosphere. It’s hard to not enjoy yourself,” I responded.

“How does it feel to watch the game? Do you get nervous at all?”

“I definitely get nervous. I’m a hand grabber, so I feel bad for anyone sitting next to me during a game. I’ve actually had people tell me I make them more nervous during games just because they see how anxious I am,” I told her with a laugh.

“Any predictions on the game or the series?” Jaymee asked.

“Oh, I don’t do predictions. I’m never right. If the series is anything like the way these first two periods have gone, it’d be tough for anyone to predict a winner. All I know is that each game looks like it’ll be intense and exciting.”

“Thanks, Amelia for your time. We’ll let you get back to watching the game. Back to you guys,” Jaymee finished. She turned towards me when the camera went off. “Thanks again for doing that. We really appreciate it.”

“It wasn’t a problem at all. Thanks, Jaymee.” She smiled and the crew made their way out of the section.

The second period ended just like the first had, with no goals. We all had been sipping on wine throughout the game and I couldn’t yet decide if that was adding to or taking away from the nerves we were feeling. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait long into the third to feel a little relief. Scott Niedermayer scored on the power play putting the Ducks up 1-0.

I shook my head a few minutes later when Corey took a dumb slashing penalty. We all held our breaths through the penalty kill, only releasing them when the Ducks successfully killed it off. Brianna jumped up with a yell when Ryan scored with less than three minutes left in the game. We all cheered the rest of the game when the Sharks took a penalty just after giving the Ducks the power play for the rest of the game.

After waiting for the crowd to clear out a bit we got together in a group and headed downstairs to the designated area to wait for the guys. We talked excitedly about the game, even though we all knew it was only game one of a best of seven series. It was a good start, and that was all we cared about. We shared hugs with the guys as they started to file out of the locker room. Ryan and Corey walked out together and Brianna and I jumped into their arms in unison.










“Hey, Babe,” Corey whispered into Amelia’s ear when she threw her arms around him after the game.

“Nice game,” she told him after a quick kiss.

“It would have been better without the penalty,” he said irritably. She just smiled up at him and nuzzled into his neck before pulling away.

“It would only matter if they scored because of it,” she said. He smiled down at her as he grabbed for her hand. The four of them walked to the bus where they had to separate for the time.

“I’ll see you at the hotel,” he told her.

“Sounds good.” She stretched up to give him another kiss before following Brianna away from the bus. They waited for the rest of the guys to get on board before heading back. He knew that Amelia had definitely beaten him there and planned on going to his room first to change and then heading to the room she and Brianna were sharing.

“Corey! Can I get a quick picture?” someone called to him as he walked into the hotel.

He turned, expecting to see a superfan in a Ducks jersey standing there. Instead he saw a guy with an expensive looking camera. He recognized what he was immediately. What the fuck did the paparazzi want with him? Amelia wasn’t anywhere in sight. He chose to ignore the guy and continue to make his way to the elevators.

“It’s team policy that you room only with teammates while on the road, right? Since Amelia’s here will you be trying to break the rule and stay with her?” another voice asked.

He spun around in annoyance to see another guy holding up a camera. He hadn’t noticed the small group of them when he’d first glanced over. Now he could see half a dozen pointing and clicking away in his direction. He was already angry at himself over the penalty in the third that he shouldn’t have taken, and dealing with this was only aggravating him more.

“Will she be around for game 2?” a third asked. He opened his mouth to tell the guys off when Getzy cut in.

“Perrs, the elevators here!” he called. Corey shot one more look at the men before turning to head upstairs.

“I fucking hate dealing with them!” he spat out once the doors closed.

“You can’t worry about it. Just ignore them,” Getzy told him.

“I’m not seeing what the problem is,” Bobby tossed out.

“Right, because invasion of privacy is so much fun,” Corey argued. Bobby just shrugged.

“Want me to kick their asses?” Parros asked. Corey smiled.

“Someday I might take you up on that,” Corey said.

They got off the elevator at their floor and Corey walked into the room, changing out of his suit immediately. He let Amelia know that he was on his way before he and Ryan headed to her room together. When they walked in they saw room service food.

“Dig in,” Brianna said with a mouthful of pizza. Corey grabbed a piece from Amelia.

“Hey! Eat the pizza with that cheese shit on it. This one’s special!” she protested. He just smiled and took a large bite of the piece he picked up. She rolled her eyes but let him go.

They finished eating and then settled in to hang out for a bit and watch TV. Corey didn’t tell Amelia about the incident downstairs. He figured they were only here to get shots of her and had just seen him walking through the doors before they left. It didn’t make him any less pissed off, but there was no reason to get into it with Amelia.

A little bit later he kissed Amelia goodnight as he and Ryan headed out. He was tired from the game and they had practice in the morning. As he got into bed he thought again about earlier. It wasn’t just annoying, it was rude. He wasn’t sure that he could continue to handle things like that during playoffs.