She gives a little fist pump and it hits me, just like it has more and more lately, that my little girl is growing up and becoming her own person right in front of my eyes. Hockey is her obsession this month, but it might be something totally different next month, and that’s okay. I’ll support her one hundred percent in everything she does, because that’s what I do. For my daughter. For my sister. For the women at the shelter. For everyone in my life who needs a piece of me, no matter how little that leaves at the end of the day for myself.
“There’s Aunt Margo!” April points across the crowd as we enter the lounge outside the locker room.
My sister, no doubt hearing her name shouted by her excited niece, turns and waves us over to the door where the players will start filtering through.
“Hey, Apes,” she opens her arms wide and nearly loses her balance when April launches herself into a big hug. “Did you see that last goal? We were number one trending in North America within thirty seconds. Pretty great stuff.”
“And Parker…” April heaves a dramatic sigh. “That save was, like, so good.”
“He saved our butts out there more than once tonight. I’m sure Noah will say the same thing when he gets out here.”
Noah appears behind her in the locker room doorway as if she summoned him by saying his name. He hugs my sister from behind, resting one hand on the rounded bump of her belly as he leans in for a quick kiss, then turns his attention to April and me. “Noah will say what, now?”
“How great Parker was tonight,” April answers before Margo or I can get a word in. “Do you think he’ll come out here and talk to the press tonight? I want to get his signature on my jersey.”
Noah winces and looks back over his shoulder into the locker room. “He might come out in a little while, but it’s hard to say for sure. Grant has a reputation for, uh?—”
“For being a bit prickly with the press,” Margo finishes for him with an eyeroll. “Even getting him to pose for a picture is like pulling teeth.”
Noah grins and shakes his head. “Don’t be so hard on him, Sunflower. He might not like getting his picture taken, but he’s damn—er,darngood on the ice. He always seems to know where the puck is going to be. Always. It’s like his superpower.”
April nods enthusiastically. “I hope he comes out here tonight, at least. I’ve got most of the other guys’ autographs, and it would be nice to have the full set by the time we officially move here, you know?”
“Well, I’ve signed that jersey at least twice,” Noah says. “I can probably come close to Grant’s signature in a pinch.”
April gasps, scandalized at the thought, and Margo elbows her husband. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I won’t let him scribble nonsense on your jersey.”
Noah tosses his wife and April one more grin, then pokes his head back into the locker room for a second. This time when he comes back out, the subject of our conversation, the superstar goalie himself, comes out right behind him.
“You said everyone was clearing out, Blake,” he bites out through gritted teeth. Standing a full head and shoulders over almost everyone else in the room, he immediately draws attention. “And you said there was food here. I don’t see any food.”
“Did I say that?” Noah cocks his head to the side like he’s trying to remember, then shrugs. “I guess I was wrong. But look—here’s my wife and her sister, along with one of your biggest fans.”
“That’s me!” April waves both hands at him like she’s trying to get the attention of a giant. Or maybe a passing plane.
Which is appropriate, because holy shit, I forgot how tall he is. Like, ridiculously tall. At least six-foot-seven. He’s taller than all of his teammates, none of whom are small men, so he absolutely towers over the rest of us.
The other thing about him that’s not readily apparent from the stands when he’s wearing a helmet and all those pads? His eyes.
I haven’t forgotten them from the last time we spoke, but they still take me by surprise with their intensity. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a shade of blue that’s quite so piercing, and they look even brighter set against his dark hair and stubbled jaw. He’s definitely hot, and would probably be drop dead gorgeous if he smiled, but there seems to be little chance of that at the moment.
He looks down at April and his face softens a little. Just a little. But still no smile. “My biggest fan, huh?” He crouches down so they’re theoretically closer to eye-level even though he still towers over her. “You don’t look that big to me. You have good taste in jerseys though.”
He eyes the oversized jersey while April does an obligatory spin to show off the autographs she’s collected.
“I was hoping you’d sign it tonight, too,” she says, giving him her best puppy dog eyes. It’s the same look that’s made me crumble a million times, and it seems to work on gigantic, chiseled, perpetually grumpy hockey players just as effectively.
Now that’s a superpower.
“Does anyone have a marker?” He holds out his hand and doesn’t even have time to look around before someone presses ablack permanent marker into his palm. “Here you go, kid. Stay in school and tell all your friends to… eat healthy.”
“Eat healthy?” Noah laughs. “Did you really just say that?” He turns to Margo. “And this is why he doesn’t have endorsement deals lined up out the door.”
Grant’s resting grimace deepens into an actual frown. “Hey, I’ve had plenty of endorsement offers. I just don’t believe in shilling energy drinks and protein bars that aren’t ever going to be a part of my daily regimen.”
“Okay, okay, big guy.” Noah puts his hands up in a mock surrender. “I didn’t mean to question the sanctity of the daily regimen.” He says it all without letting his own cocky grin slip. Just as smoothly, he directs the conversation—and Grant’s attention—back to safer territory. “Anyway, you already know Margo, of course, and now April. But I can’t remember if you’ve met Margo’s sister, Heather?”
We’ve only actually spoken to each other a handful of times, and only when he’s around his teammates, so I’m curious to see if he even pretends to remember me.
