“Shut up. That is so exciting! Wait. Does she have any idea this is happening? They haven’t been together that long, have they?”
“A year and then some? Maybe? Not too long, but when you know, you know. Right?”
“Don’t ask me.” I laugh. “I don’t know anything about relationships.”
I haven’t dated someone in a couple of years. There was a girlfriend back when I was nineteen that lasted for eight months. The other figure skater I went out with when I was twenty-one who told me he loved me then slept with someone else. A few casual hook ups, but nothing serious. Nothing earth-shattering, and I wonder what it would be like to find someone like that. Someone you want to be around all of the time, who lights upwhen you walk into a room. Who you can’t live without, but I’m not sure it even exists.
“Neither do I.” Grant laughs and pulls into the VIP parking lot adjacent to the arena. We climb out of the car, making our way to the large glass doors. “There’s an entrance over here for us. Security didn’t want us getting mobbed by fans before we get inside.”
“I forget how popular you all are. Women must throw themselves at you.”
“Yeah, but most of us don’t want that kind of attention. Maverick is a dad—you get to meet Murphy tonight, by the way. Liam will deck someone in the face if they look at Piper the wrong way. Riley’s been obsessed with Lexi for years.”
“That leaves you and Ethan,” I point out.
“Easy E might be a lost cause. Don’t let him stand next to you tonight, by the way. He keeps joking that he’s going to get you to fall in love with him, and I donotwant him as my brother-in-law.”
“Is it true his dick is?—”
“Please stop.” Grant groans. “My ears are going to bleed. Pierced? Yes, it’s true. Yes, I’ve seen it. Too many times.”
We scan our tickets and go through a metal detector. When we make our way onto the concourse, we’re bombarded by fans asking for autographs and photos. By the time we make it to our seats, there are only a few minutes before the Comets are supposed to take the ice.
“Hannah!” Lexi gives me a hug and I smile. “It’s so good to see you again!”
“I’m so happy to be here. How are you feeling? Grant told me how much you’ve been working with Riley to get him ready for tonight,” I say.
“I’m terrified.” She laughs and plays with her necklace. “I don’t want him to get hurt, but I know he’s going to be pissed ifanyone takes it easy on him. I just want him to have a good time out there.”
I wave to Piper, Madeline, and Emmy, who puts a pair of headphones over Murphy’s ears. I find a seat near the aisle, draping my coat over the back of my chair, when a shadow falls over me. I tip my head back and find Brody staring down at me.
“Ice Queen.” His eyes flicker with amusement. “Good to see you.”
“Hi, BB.” I don’t bother holding back my smile. “How are you?”
“Running on fumes. Delirious. Happy to be here.” He points to the empty seat next to me, ignoring the woman three rows over who is screaming his name. “Is that seat open?”
“All yours if you want it.”
“That would be nice,” he murmurs.
“Come on down, Coach.”
Brody sits down. The chair can’t be comfortable for him, but he doesn’t complain. He drapes an arm over the back of my seat, fingers brushing against the ends of my ponytail.
“You always wear a ribbon in your hair.” A gentle touch to the light blue bow I tied to match the Comets’ team colors and a low hum. “I don’t know how I feel about them.”
I turn my body his direction, leaning close so I can hear him. “Are they too girlie for the guy who used to get in fights on the ice?”
“No.” His hand falls away. He stares out at the ice with a set jaw. A secret he’s not revealing. “They’re fucking distracting.”
“How so?” I ask.
“When you wear them, I want to?—”
A roar from the crowd interrupts him, cheering as the players skate out of the tunnel. Riley is the last one on the ice and moving more carefully than his teammates. He scans the arena with a grin, taking in the signs and banners welcoming himback. He laughs, accepting a puck from a teammate and lining up to take a practice shot on goal, but then he spots us. He does a double take, dropping his stick. Covering his mouth with his gloved hand, and then, chaos unfolds.
“Look at everyone here for him,” I yell over the noise, clapping with the rest of the crowd.
