“I’ll go so you can feed him.”
She made a face. “I’d tell you to stay but it’s still easiest for me to do this topless.”
“Ugh, you’re going to make me miss a free boob flash?”
She chortled. “Anytime for you. They are pretty fantastic right now.” I laughed as she turned to the side, showing me her full D cups.
“Jealous.” I leaned over and gave her a hug, careful not to squish Carter, or her boobs, between us.
She pulled back. “See you tomorrow?”
“You know it.”
_____
The Outlaws played at home the next night and Chase was with the Hitmen, so Maddie and I finally had a date. It was a packed crowd and the air buzzed with the kind of electricity that only university hockey could generate. Shar arrived ten minutes after puck drop, and Carter was wrapped in so many layers he looked like a marshmallow with eyes. Every female in the bleachers struggled to watch the actual game, they were so distracted by his cuteness.
Really, who could blame them? The chances of seeing a baby on campus were lower than spotting a moose.
Shar soaked in every compliment while Maddie and I helped her juggle the diaper bag, the baby, the blanket, and the bottle. It was Carter’s first real outing, and we came prepared to help our girl.
But once Carter was settled in for a nap and we were midway through the first period, it felt exactly like before. Back when it was just us. I let that wash over me like a warm hug.
Of course, I thought of Logan. Remembering how he used to play—how he still played. I’d been watching his games, and he was getting an impressive number of shifts as a rookie. He still had that same explosive energy, those smooth transitions. I could spot when he got the puck before I even saw the number on his jersey.
“I don’t understand how Rob is playing better,” Maddie called out after he sprawled on the ice to tap a pass to Axel for our first goal. “His reaction time should be terrible with the late nights he’s pulling.”
Shar leaned her head on my shoulder. “He’s exhausted, but he’s the happiest he’s ever been. His words, not mine.”
Ugh. The cuteness was going to kill me.
We watched the game in a blur of snacks, baby passing, and cheers, especially when Rory scored a shorthanded beauty and Rob got a breakaway for a goal in the third. By the end of thegame, an Outlaws win, the three of us were borderline feral with nostalgia.
“Ranchman’s?” Maddie raised a brow.
“Like you even have to ask.”
_____
Ranchman’s was already humming when Maddie and I walked in. We’d stayed longer at the Douglas Dome to help Sharla get Carter in his carseat. She opted to get him home for the night, and I said a silent prayer that Carter, after all the excitement, would sack out for at least four hours in a stretch this time.
I didn’t know I’d missed the smell of wings, spilled beer, and shower gel but I was breathing it in like I was at a rose garden. We pushed through the crowd to see our table at the back was already half-filled.
Axel stood when he saw us. “LADIES!” he boomed, arms wide like we were returning soldiers.
Rory gestured at the empty stools. “Spill the tea, MacMillan.”
I laughed. “What tea? I have no tea!”
Axel shoved a plate of nachos toward me. I spotted Jake a few seats down. “We need insider information!”
“Are we insiders?” Maddie snorted as she slid onto a stool.
“Crystal is,” Rory said. “Kemp’s been on every news outlet in this city over the past week. Did you see his goal against the Canucks?”
Oh, I’d seen it. Jenna may have recorded the game on our VCR, and I’d rewatched that particular section enough times to see scratches on the tape.
I groaned internally. “Sounds like you know as much as I do!” I shouted over the music.
