“Thank you, baby.” I press a kiss to the back of her shoulder and nuzzle my nose against the soft fabric of the shirt she’s wearing. It may be one of my shirts, but it smells like her, making me inhale a little longer just to soak it in.
“Tell me all about it.” She yawns. “I heard it was a good game.”
She fights to keep her eyes open, and it’s obvious how tired she is. I know that she had a long practice today and a day full of classes, so I’m sure she’s beat.
“Close those beautiful eyes, Nineteen,” I utter, keeping her body snug against my own. “We can talk in the morning.”
Giving me a sleepy smile, she turns her head frontward again and puts her hands over mine. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” I say back. “Always.”
In no time, she’s asleep again. I can tell by the way her breathing becomes a little deeper, almost making a snoring sound, but I love it.
Douchebags like Nick Pelletier will always be around, but I’ll never let him or anyone else hurt her again.
Protecting number Nineteen will always come first to me.
THIRTY-FIVE
ISLA
FOUR MONTHS LATER
“This is it,ladies. You’re the first women’s NEU hockey team to make it to a Frozen Four,” Coach says with her iPad held tightly against her chest. “We’ve had women playing positions they don’t usually play. We had women here on track scholarships, one who ended up being one of our top-scoring players. We’ve had injuries, and, yeah, no part of this season has been easy. And yet”—she stops, looking around the locker room at all of us—“here we are. At a goddamn Frozen Four. And I’m proud of each and every one of you, but now, it’s time to go out there and do your jobs. Let’s bring this home to NEU. What do you say?”
The room erupts into pure madness, and the energy is absolutely insane, but Coach is right. This season hasn’t been easy, yet here we are.
“Scott,” Coach calls to Summer, “lead us out.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Summer pulls on her helmet, her practically white-blonde ponytail flowing down her back, and one by one, we head out to play the biggest game of our lives.
Every one of us that passes Coach gets some different words of encouragement, and when it’s time for me to pass by, she stops me with an arm out.
“Relax and have fun out there, Hardy. You play best when you’re calm.”
“Yes, Coach.” I bob my head up and down once. “I will.”
“You got this. You’re one of the best female goalies I’ve seen, and that’s saying something.” With a slap on my back, she sends me out of the tunnel and onto the ice.
Immediately, the nerves in my stomach kick into high gear, telling me that this is a huge deal and that a lot is riding on my shoulders. My heart begins to beat faster and faster, and I think I might literally throw up.
And that’s when my eyes find my very own cheering section. Filled with everyone important in my life, ranging from my boyfriend, my parents and brother, to both sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, and some who aren’t actually my aunts and uncles but might as well be, along with all of their kids.
I’m not sure if my dad, Brody, or Cade wave the biggest; it’s probably a tie. Link gives me an awkward, cheesy thumbs-up, and I fight back a laugh. My mom blows me a kiss, but even from here, I can see the nerves written on her face. And then I find Hendrix, and he doesn’t need to do anything because I know everything he’d tell me right now. He’d tell me how proud he is and how well I’m going to do and that, no matter what, I’m great.
Hendrix Hunt has a way of wanting to take care of everyone around him and also make them feel their best.
Some players wouldn’t so much as look at their parents or loved ones just before a game, but for me … they ground me. Ilook at my dad, and I remember why I’m out here in the first place. Because when I was a kid and he taught me how to skate, I fell in love. And what I loved most about it was being on the ice with him. There was no pressure. It was just the two of us, laughing and learning together. I was learning how to skate, and he was learning how to parent.
But the thing is … he didn’t need to learn. That man was a natural.
If the men’s hockey team makes it to the Frozen Four, which I know that they will, I’m going to make sure that I cheer so loud for Hendrix. And I’m going to fill a section with everyone who’s come to love him because that’s what he deserves.
I give them all one last smile before I turn away. It’s game time, and I need to focus. We’re going in for the kill today, and I have to be perfect.
HENDRIX
“Holy shit,” Saint whispers beside me, damn near losing his mind. “They are about to be Women’s Frozen Four champions.”
