The skin on the back of my neck prickles, and I don’t like the sound of that. It’s too intimate—a lot like the way he’s looking at me right now.
“Well, consider us all amended.” I pat his shoulder, giving him a parting smile. “Take care, Bax, and I hope you continue to improve.”
His brown eyes are warm, but I’m done here. I turn, and when I see the man standing at the entrance to the hall, dressed in full Champions hockey gear, helmet off, brow lowered in anger, my heart drops all the way to my feet.
“Owen… What are you doing here?” My voice is a shaky gasp.
Without a word, he turns and walks straight out of the hall.
22
OWEN
Mav and Gav are on edge tonight. Even if we’re playing on our home turf, we’re facing off against the Atlanta Frost, their old team. Atlanta knows our dynamic duo better than any of our competitors, and it’s clear from the drop, they’re itching for an upset.
Guess what? Atlanta doesn’t know me.
I’m having a killer night. After starting off right, blowing kisses to my girls, seeing Gina up there in my jersey… Hell, it was better than I even expected it to be.
We were all out on the ice, warming up, talking about what was coming, but my spidey senses were on full alert when the five of them took their places in the stands.
Haddy was there with Gav’s baby girl. Heather was there with my little girl. Gina was the only wildcard.
Sure, I’d texted her. I had the selfie of her in the mirror on my phone, but it wasn’t until she took off her jacket that I saw the big 13 on her back. She swept her hair up in aponytail, revealing the nameStoneacross her shoulders, and I broke out into a laugh.
Hell, yeah. My girl is here with my name across her back. Now I’ve got two good luck charms.
The Jumbotron went off, sirens called, and it was time to play some hockey.
These guys are tough. I skate forward, doing my best to find an open space and anticipate plays. I know all our signature layups from Maverick, but so do the Atlanta guys.
They scrimmaged with Mav & Gav before any of us did, and they’re putting the pressure on hard.
Maverick passes the puck to me, and I go around, looking for an opening to pass it back. Seeing none, I decide to do my own signature play. It’s something from the minor leagues, where I look like I’m taking the puck back to center ice.
Then at the last second, I switch back, go down on one knee, and give it a slap shot. The puck flies so fast, right over the goalie’s shoulder, for the score.
The stadium erupts in cheers and air horns. A group of spectators begins shoutingSly! Sly! Sly!and I glide around, feeling pretty good about myself. Looking up in the stands, I see the girls jumping up and down, holding hands and smiling so big it’s contagious.
I grin, circling back around to take my place on the ice. Maverick is the lead center, and he makes the signal for ourT3Gplay, as Gavin has started calling it.
It’s a variation of their old play, but we’ve been using it a lot. We’re counting on these guys having not done their research, which I know is a big risk at this level.
Still, we run it like we’ve practiced. Mav brings the puck down center ice, passing it over to Hancock midway. Here’swhere the switch-up occurs. Hancock sends it to me on the other side of the rink instead of to Gavin.
I take it around, seeing Gav clear the net, and passing it fast to him. He slaps it over to Mav, and faster than the eye can register, it’s through the goalie’s knees for the point.
Again, the stadium erupts. We all skate together, patting each other on the back, and celebrating. It was a great play, but the game isn’t over.
The Frost are mad now, and they manage to sneak a puck past Akers. Mav skates right up to the defenseman, and whatever he says results in a body check. The big guy is on Mav, and just like that, we’re all in it.
I’m across the ice, slamming my fist down on the shoulder pads of Frost’s 72. He’s been pissing me off all night, keeping me from the net, bodychecking me into the boards. We all take a minute to punch it out and blow off some steam before the linemen come in and break us all up.
Gliding back to my spot, I look up to see our girls in the stands still holding hands. Their faces are so serious, and even my little Maddie is watching us with so much intensity. I shake my head, looking down. You can’t buy that amount of dopamine.
The puck is moving, and we’re chasing it down the ice so fast. If I make one more goal, I’ll score a hat trick. It’ll be my first in the big leagues, and I expect it’ll put me right up there with “the dynamic duo” Gav and Mav on the lips of all our adoring fans.
The puck comes down to our side, and we’re all following it. I feel Mav moving back, almost like he knows what’s on the line for me, and he’s giving me space to take it. He’s the best guy like that, not trying to steal the spotlight, willing to let us all shine.
