“We’re here for you, Ellie. Always,” Madeline says.
Maya and Bella stand up to head to the concession stand for snacks.
“Anyone want anything?” Bella asks.
Dakota and I ask for a giant bucket of popcorn to share, then hand Bella some cash.
“You want a whiskey and Coke, Madeline?” Bella asks.
She says no thanks, right as Abby joins us. She greets us with a bright smile and hugs us all.
She holds on to my shoulders and looks at me, her expression a mix of warmth and concern. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
She gives my shoulders a soft squeeze and sits down. While we wait for Maya and Bella to bring back snacks, we watch the guys warm up.
I spot Camden sprawled out on the ice, stretching. When I catch eyes with him, he winks at me and flashes that handsome smile.
My tummy dips as his eyes glide down to my torso. He stands up and skates over to where we’re sitting, behind the Bashers’ net.
He gestures with his gloved hand for me to stand up. I bite back a smile as I stand and spin around so he can see the back of his jersey. His name and his number on my body.
I look over my shoulder to see his reaction. He runs his tongue along his bottom lip, his eyes focused and fiery.
His gaze lifts to my face, and he mouths, “so fucking sexy.”
Tingles fly across my body, and my knees go weak. Camden is devouring me with that hungry stare.
Next to me, Abby chuckles softly. “Your husband really, really likes you in his jersey.”
Camden continues stretching, his eyes on me the whole time, that playful smiling lingering. My face ignites, and I can’t shake that giddy grin from my face, no matter how hard I try, not even when I sit back down and start eating the popcorn Maya and Bella bring me.
“Yo, Connors! I got something to show you!”
I look down and see some random guy pressed up against the glass. He holds up his phone. A second later, the song “Golddigger” blasts from the speaker.
The guy looks over at me, then back at Camden, a taunting smile on his face.
“It’s the perfect song for you and your girl,” the guy hollers before laughing again.
I freeze, embarrassed and angry all at once. What a jerk. I figured most of the people attending tonight’s game would have heard the rumors about our marriage, but I was hoping they wouldn’t make a big deal out of it.
I noticed a handful of people giving me lingering looks and whispering, which kind of sucks. It never feels good to know that people are gossiping about you. But I’d rather have that than some emboldened jerk who thinks it’s funny to publicly taunt us.
Abby grabs my hand. I give her hand a squeeze, thankful for the support in this moment.
“Sit down, jackass,” Bella hollers at him.
Camden glares at the guy before glancing over at me, his expression softening. I try to smile and shrug it off.
A second later, I notice movement out of the corner of my eye. I look over and see Ryker flying across the ice toward us. He launches his massive body in the air and crashes against the boards, right where the jerk is standing. The impact hits the jerk in the face, and he falls back, landing on the ground with a groan. His phone goes flying, and the song cuts off.
Abby and I gasp. Bella chuckles and flashes a thumbs-up at Ryker. Madeline winks at her husband, and his mouth slants up in a smile. A bunch of the Denver fans around us clap and cheer.
Ryker turns to Camden, whose eyes are wide as he looks at his teammate. Camden cracks a smile and smacks Ryker on the shoulder.
“Thanks, man,” he says. Ryker nods once and skates off.
