However, by the time I find him down on the other end, he’s surrounded. He sends the puck my way, and I look for an opening between their players, but there isn’t one.
I send the puck back to him. He sends it to Brooks, who mimics my previous movements but doesn’t find an opening either. He sends the puck back my way. I skate backward just a little bit, trying to buy some time, which according to the clock, we’re running out of.
Right now, it’s just a game of back and forth as we try and find the perfect place to—
Zeke shoots the puck, but his shot’s a little too wide.
They steal the puck, skating back toward our goal at full speed.
I’m exhausted. I think we all are. But we’ve worked too hard to give up now. I chase them down the ice, keeping my eye on the puck, tracking their movements, trying to get inside their brain.
As number twenty-three sends the puck to seventy-two, I take the opportunity to intervene, but they’re hot on my tail as I close in on their goal.
I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. Their goalie. My team. Their team. The stadium.
Seventy-two closes in on me, blocking me from the shot I was about to take and sending me wide. I skate behind the net, trying to figure out the best way to shoot the puck.
I come around the corner, but two of their players are prepared and already in front of me. It’s now or never. It’s like a sense of déjà vu, the clock running down, the chance to win the game, their players on top of me. But this time, I get to shoot the puck. This time when I hear the buzzer signaling the end of overtime, I’m on my feet.
I don’t need to turn around to see it go in. I hear it. The stadium doesn’t even have time to figure out what’s happening before the rest of our team jumps onto the ice. We’re now one game away from winning a championship. One game away from our dream coming true.
And we did it together. From little kids playing on a pond near my house to adults heading toward the NHL, if we’re lucky. I couldn’t have done this without them… and I’m happy I didn’t have to.
forty-six
Ember
Idon’t even know what I’m gonna say to him. Will he be mad at me? Does he have a right to be mad at me? I’m not sure anymore. All I know is I love him, and I trust him, and I should’ve heard him out. I should’ve learned the whole truth before walking away.
Even though he was an idiot for not coming clean sooner… I don’t want to lose him. Even if that means just being friends because I like having him in my life.
Brinley and Tate drag me through the crowd, and you’d think, with the excitement of the team and the crowd, that we’d already won the championship. Tate jumps into Fletcher’s arms, and he swings her around as Brinley pulls Declan in for a hug. His eyes catch mine over her shoulder, and I’m sure my heart stops. But as arms wrap around me from behind, I’m suddenly back in reality.
“I’m glad you came.” Cam squeezes me tight. “I don’t think we could’ve won without you.”
“You guys have always had it in you.”
He lifts a hand and uses it to mess up my hair. “I should go find Mom and Dad. You know how she gets when I don’t come to see her as soon as a game is over.”
He squeezes my shoulder and gives a warm smile to someone over my shoulder, raising his hand in a comforting greeting. I turn around, and my heart erupts with butterflies.
“Hi.” I’ve missed his voice. I’ve missed everything about him.
“Hi,” I respond. “Great game. Even though you missed the game-winning goal and caused this overtime.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll ask the other team next time to avoid knocking the wind out of me as I’m trying to score the game-winning goal.”
“That’s a good plan.”
He smiles, and it practically rips my heart out of my chest.
“How are you?” he wonders, and I roll my bottom lip into my mouth.
“I’m alright.”
“I saw you and Cam hug, so I guess things are good there?”
“I think so. He’ll have a lot of groveling to do this summer. Like doing our dishes and laundry for the next few months, but I think we’ll be okay.”
