I want to dip her in my arms and lay one on her, but I can’t.
“Got time to say hi to your parents?”
Mom comes over in the tunnel, my dad behind her.
“Hi, Mom.”
“That was a great game, Troy. I was so nervous you wouldn’t pull off the win.”
I give my mom a hug. “Thanks for the confidence.”
“Oh, we knew you’d win.” Dad is laughing as he wraps an arm around Mom. “You wouldn’t want to disappoint Angie here.”
“Dad,” I whisper-hiss at him.
“Sorry, sorry.” He laughs, throwing his hands up. “Uncool of me, I know. But we had a great time.”
“We did,” Angie confirms. “I’m glad I got to know your parents.”
“Yeah?” I look at her to see if she’s serious. The warm smile there tells me she’s not lying. I breathe a sigh of relief.
Maybe if she sees the type of man my dad truly is, it’ll pave the way to making this thing between us more permanent.
“I know you two will want to celebrate, so why don’t you come over for breakfast tomorrow, okay? Bring Angie.” Mom clasps my cheek and drops a kiss there.
A warmth blooms in my chest. This is why I love being so close to home. I love my family as much as Angie loves hers. Sutton is the only mom I’ve ever known. She married my dad when I was five, so I don’t really remember a life without her in it.
She and my dad have done everything in their power to support not only my hockey career, but my sister’s too. All I want to do is make them proud.
“We’ll be there.” I give her an extra tight hug. “Love you, Mom.”
She lets me go and Dad pulls me in close, whispering into my ear. “Love you, son. Don’t let her go.”
“What?” My brows furrow as I look at him. Can he see what I’m feeling for Angie?
She’s hugging my mom goodbye.
“Alright. Time to go.” Mom pulls Dad away before he can get another word in.
“Sooo…” Angie trails off as my parents leave the arena. It’s dark back here in this part of the rink. Just the two of us. “Looks like I met your parents.”
“Are you okay with that? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“They’re great, Troy. Really.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Then do you want to go to breakfast with them tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
“That easy?” I ask, staring down at her.
Angie nods, stepping closer to me. “That easy. Because I want to talk about how well you played tonight.”
She walks her fingers up my chest and grasps my chin in her hands. Her eyes darken with lust.
