“I love you too,” I say and force the tears away.Then I take another bite of my sandwich.“You’re a great dad.”
“Ah shit,” He sniffs.“Now I’m gonna get harassed by your uncles.I have to meet them at the arena for a pick-up game with some other old timers, and my eyes are gonna be red.They’re gonna know we did this whole bonding thing.”
“Tell them it’s allergies,” I suggest, and swallow another bite of sandwich.
“You must get your smarts from your mother.”He replies.“I gotta go.We’ll be at the first game of the next series.Are you hoping for Toronto, too?”
“A hundred percent.”
“Don’t worry if it’s the Hawks.You’ll win anyway.”
“DAD!You’re gonna jinx us!”
“See you next round, kiddo.”
Playoffs, 3rd Round…
Lola
“This isn’t fair.It can’t end like this.I will not allow it.”I clench my stomach and regret that last pretzel I ate.It’s sitting like a brick in my gut.My eyes look up to the rafters.“Dear Hockey Gods, tell me what I need to do.I’ll do anything.Just name it.”
My dad starts laughing, loudly.I glare at him.“My daughter, the atheist hippie vegetarian who hates hockey, is bartering with the Hockey Gods.Hilarious.”
I remove my eyes from him long enough to glance down at the ice and make sure we’re still on a break in play.We are.“I don’t like hockey, but I love Theo.Also, I’m not an atheist, I’m agnostic.Google it.You got me on the hippie vegetarian thing, but I would eat a steak if it would guarantee a Riptide win.”
Dad wraps an arm around my shoulder and squeezes me to him.I don’t argue because I may be a grown-ass woman, but I’ll always be daddy’s girl.He kisses the top of my head.“I like him, kid.He’s a keeper.”
“He is.”
“But if he ever isn’t, then don’t keep him.”
I smile.“He’s nothing like Ryan, and I’ve learned my worth.”
“Good.”
The game starts up again, and I’m back to wringing my hands and praying to imaginary gods.The Hawks lead the series three games to two.If they win, they advance, and the Riptide’s season is done.It can’t happen.It can’t.Theo deserves this.Callan deserves this.Landon deserves this.Grady deserves this.Coach La?—
The Riptide score.They tie the game with seven minutes left in the third!I scream so much and so loudly that my throat hurts.Randie is woken up by the crowd.She’d been sleeping in her Baby Bjorn on my mom’s chest.She starts to scream, and Rose Richard, who is beside my mom, offers to hold her and try to soothe her.Mom gives her Randie and Rose’s face lights up.I feel a small pang of guilt that this woman wants grandkids, and if I marry her son, we won’t give them to her.But then I catch sight of Coach Larue’s eldest daughter a few rows down in front of us.She’s sitting with her mom, who adopted her with Coach Larue and her adopted sister.Her foster daughter, Violet, is sitting on her lap, eating a snow cone.Maybe we will give them kids one day….
The game goes to overtime, and after more bartering with the hockey gods, the Riptide captain Abbott Barlow scores, and the Riptide live to play again.“Oh my God, this series is going to kill me,” I groan.
I tell Theo the same thing when I meet him an hour later, after he’s all cleaned up and done his press interviews.He looks exhausted, and I want to hug him, but he’s still battling with bruised ribs.So instead, I cup his face, not even able to feel skin with that unruly beard on his face, and kiss him softly.“Good job, Luke_T.”
He grins.“Thank you, Summer_L.Let me say a quick hello to the parents and then let’s get the hell out of here.”
“You’re tired.”
“Yeah.”He pauses, and a smile spreads across his face that feels like something no one should see but me.“But not too tired.”
I grin.Callan walks out of the locker room at that exact moment.He glances between us and mutters, “Gross.”
Later at home, I let him peel me out of my clothes, including my very own jersey with his name and number on it, and I ride him so he doesn’t have to do any work.His mouth, though, whispers and moans the dirtiest things about how hot I look on his cock and how warm my pussy is and how sexy my tits are, and well, it’s enough to bring me over the edge without even touching my clit.He comes hard and fast, too.
I lay beside him and kiss the tattoo on his arm.I still can’t believe he did that.I love it.I love him.
Cup Final…
Lola
