“It’s not pretty, trust me.” Ezra, her teenage stepson, randomly dips his head into the conversation, tossing a red jelly bean into the air and catching it in his mouth.
Turning one-eighty in her seat, Collins reaches up and ruffles a hand through Ezra’s messy brown hair. “Are you planning to share those, or have I lost my in-game candy stash forever?”
He just smirks, tossing a couple more beans in the air.
Collins intercepts one. “Snooze, you lose, my friend.”
“Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope!” Will declares, motioning toward the rink. “Their forward just put a hit on Emmett.”
He winces as I leap to my feet and stand next to him, and the both of us watch as Emmett heads off the ice, stick tucked under one arm, a hand covering his brow.
“We can’t afford to lose Richards this deep into the second period,” he groans.
“You think that he’s out for the rest of the game?” I ask.
This kid acts like he’s already in his mid-thirties as he pulls an uncertain expression. “Depends. It’s all about concussions these days and whether he passes the trainer’s checks.”
“You’re big into hockey like your dad then?”
Will thumbs over his shoulder, grinning. “Like my dad and my sister. Although I kick my sister’s ass on the regular.”
June’s foot flies out, catching Will’s leg.
He reaches down, rubbing at the back of his calf. “Ow! That really freakin’ hurt. Now I’ll have a bruise there for Saturday’s game.”
When I glance at June, she wears a victorious smile that reminds me of her mother. “Then don’t tell lies, and you won’t get bruises.”
Chewingon what’s left of the French manicure I had done last week, I will away the final three minutes of the game.
“I swear to God, if they throw away the Cup tonight, I’m going to lose my ever-loving mind.” Jenna drops her head into her hands as all the girls stand alongside each other on the balcony. “Or go into early labor.”
“Yeah, no, we don’t want that at this stage in the pregnancy,” I say, gently rubbing her back to try and ease the nerves for us both.
Although at least Emmett was cleared to rejoin play by the trainer, a few strips above his left brow doing the job.
“Hehasto win tonight,” I murmur to myself.
Jenna lifts her face from her hands so she can look at me. “Why do you say that?”
With ninety seconds left on the clock and only one goal separating the teams, I grip the railing in front of us. So much more is riding on this for Emmett than a lot of the other guys on the team. Even if my boyfriend won’t talk about it much, I know his knee is way worse than he would ever admit. Even to himself.
“I assume you know all about Emmett’s knee injury?”
Jenna nods once. “I do.”
“Let’s just say that Emmett’s talents don’t just stop at hockey, but in his ability to hide pain too.”
The New York Storm goalie blows out a long breath, and the countdown enters the final thirty seconds, Blades fans starting to sing out each second.
Jenna slides her hand along the railing and rests it on top of mine. “That may be true, Billie. But something tells me that what Emmett’s gained in the past few months more than makes up for all the struggles he’s faced throughout his life so far, both on and off the ice.”
When Emmett clears the puck toward Jack for a breakaway, there’s only ten seconds left on the timer.
They’re certain to win now.
“Come on, come on, come on …” I chant under my breath, one eye on the clock, the other on Jack as he takes it into the corner to run down the dying seconds.
I don’t hear the buzzer because the entire arena erupts like a freaking volcano. Kate and Felicity are already on their way out of the family box with Kendra, Jenna, and Collins hot on their heels.
