A broad grin pulls across Jordan’s face, and everything in my chest expands.
“Looks like we found our new third-line centerman,” I tell her.
CHAPTER 74
JORDAN
Later that week,I wait in Tate’s car outside Bea’s school.
It’s early April and spring has arrived in Vancouver. The cherry blossoms bloom, the sun shines, and everything has that hopeful sheen to it.
With only a few days until the first round of playoffs, and Darcy and Hayden’s wedding tomorrow, the team has been working hard. Some of the farm team guys we’ve called up needed extra development this afternoon, and I volunteered to pick Bea up so Tate could work with them for an hour longer.
And he trusted me enough to say yes.
The bell rings, the doors open, and kids spill out of the school. The joyful, rambunctious noise of children floats in through the open windows of the car.
I see her before she sees me, carrying her guitar case and looking for Tate’s car. She looks so cute, the guitar case almost the same size as her.
My stomach drops. She’s crying.
In an instant, I’m out of the car, hurrying to her.
I drop to my knees in front of her, searching her tear-streaked face. My heart’s in my throat, and I will do anything,anything,to fix this. “What’s wrong? What’s going on, sweetheart?”
Whoever did this, I’ll kill them.
She takes a shaky breath. “Nothing.”
“Bee.” I take her hands. “Please talk to me.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to go home.”
What would Tate do? He wouldn’t push her, I don’t think. “Okay. Let’s go home.”
I’m going to give this kid so much ice cream tonight. Anything she wants, anything to make her feel better.
She lets me take her guitar case but it’s light—too light.
“Where’s your guitar?”
Her face crumples again and she looks across the playground. A group of bigger kids plays on the swings. One of them has a skateboard.
My entire body freezes as I spot Bea’s guitar on the ground, the strings broken.
Rage throttles through me, hot, sharp, and furious.
“They took it,” she mumbles, and I could power the entire world with how angry and protective I feel right now.
I close my eyes and take one deep, calming breath so I don’t do something very stupid.
Nope. I’m going to do it anyway.
“Wait here for a second, okay?” I give her a pleasant, neutral smile. “I’ll just be a moment.”
She sniffles and gives me a confused look. “Where are you going?”
“It’s okay.” Concern flashes through her eyes at whatever my smile looks like. “Everything is going to be okay.”
