“One more round,” Landon says.
We set up for another game, but it’s clear that we are getting tired. I miss a pass that I would normally nail with my eyes closed. Then Tate gets tangled up in his own feet trying to chase down the puck, which gives me all the ammunition I need.
“So much for muscle memory,” I call out.
“Shut up,” Tate grumbles.
“This is it.” I glide to a stop in the middle of the ice. “I’m calling it, we’re done. Before someone actually takes a spill and we have to explain to Abby why one of her boyfriends is concussed.”
“Yeah, all right, we should head in,” Landon says. “It’s getting dark.”
We get back to the bench and start unlacing our skates. I can barely feel my toes, and I’m pretty sure my nose is bright red, but I don’t care.
“That was amazing,” Tate says, pulling off his skates and rubbing his feet to get the circulation going again. “I forgot how much I missed it.”
“We should do this more often,” I say.
“Definitely,” Landon agrees. “I forgot how much I missed playing for the sake of playing, you know? And just having fun.”
Tate laughs. “Even though you both spent the entire time giving me shit?”
“That’s what makes it fun,” I say.
“For you, maybe,” Tate mutters, but he is smiling like an idiot.
“Oh, come on,” I say, reaching over and bumping his shoulder. “You know you loved it. You were smiling the whole time.”
“I was suffering,” Tate replies, but we both know he’s lying.
We gather up the equipment and make our way toward the cabin. The sun has fully set and I’m sure Abby is starving. Landon and Tate agreed to make dinner tonight.
“This was a good idea,” I say to Landon as we walk. “Coming out here.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “I think we all needed it.”
As we reach the cabin door, I can’t help but smile to myself. This is what our future should be like, just the four of us having fun and enjoying life.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Abby
The guys went to skate on the lake, but being out in the freezing cold doesn’t appeal to me at all, and exercise even less. Instead, I sit by the fire and call Leila. It feels like I haven’t spoken to her in forever, and the second she answers the phone, she drills me for details.
She also informs me she will be coming with her husbands and the twins for Christmas this year, and I’m so excited to spend the holidays with my family. We chat for almost two hours, and by the time we end the call, the sun is setting. The guys should be back soon—surely they won’t stay out there and play in the dark.
I add another log to the fire and curl my feet beneath me on the couch. The cabin feels empty without them, but I didn’t realize how much I miss the sound of their voices until the door finally opens.
“Jesus, it’s freezing,” Levi complains, stomping snow from his boots.
“You’re dramatic,” Landon says, tugging his jacket off.
Tate comes in last, shutting the door behind them, his eyes finding mine. “You stayed warm?” Tate asks me, crossing the room.
I stand, needing to touch one of them. “I tried,” I say, smiling. “You’re all crazy for going out there.”
Landon grins. “You should’ve seen it. We wiped Levi out.”
“Nearly,” Levi corrects. His gaze flicks to me, and the corner of his mouth lifts, like he knows what that look does to me.
