I blink, confused by the sudden change in direction. "Yeah. My dad used to flood the backyard every winter. But I don't see how—"
"Who here has a backyard?" Devon cuts me off, addressing the room.
Several hands go up.
"Who has abigbackyard?"
Fewer hands now.
"Who has a big backyardandlives on the north side?"
Only Washington's hand remains up.
Devon grins, feral and determined. "Perfect."
Washington's eyes widen as understanding dawns. "You want to play hockey in my backyard. During a blizzard."
"I want to play hockey in your backyard during a blizzard and livestream the whole thing." Devon's talking faster now, animated. "We'll make it a spectacle. 'Pucks for Paws: The Blizzard Bowl.' We'll get way more attention this way than a regular charity game. It's perfect!"
There's a beat of complete silence.
Then Petrov starts laughing, head thrown back, the sound echoing off the locker room walls. "This is craziest thing I ever heard." We all turn to look at him. He grins. "I love it."
And just like that, the energy in the room flips completely. The despair evaporates, replaced by something electric.
"I can handle the streaming setup," Becker says immediately. "I've got some equipment. Not professional-grade but it'll work."
"We'll need generators," Jinx adds. "In case the power goes out."
"Portable heaters for the adoption station," Groover says. "We can set it up in Washington's garage."
Mama Paws is crying now, but she's smiling too, and she's looking at Devon like he just performed a miracle. "You boys are absolutely insane."
Devon grins. "Thank you. I try."
Coach Martin pulls out his phone. "We need referees. I'll make some calls."
Washington runs both hands through his hair, looking both stressed and excited. "Leila's going to kill me when I tell her we're hosting this." But he's smiling.
Everyone's smiling.
The team mobilizes immediately, energy crackling, everyone talking over each other as they take on assignments and make plans.
I grab Devon's arm, pulling him aside while chaos erupts around us. "You're a genius."
"I know." But his hands are shaking slightly. "This is either going to be the most epic thing we've ever done or a complete disaster."
"Either way," I say, threading my fingers through his, "we're doing it together."
Something soft crosses his face. "When did you get so smooth?"
"I learned from the best." I pause. "By which I mean you, obviously."
He rolls his eyes. “Obviously,” he says, and leans up to kiss me right there in front of everyone.
CHAPTER 30
DEVON
