Stanley, you’re the one we want
The second time he sings the chorus, we join in, singing along with him, and by the time he’s finished, we’re all pumped up and ready to take on New York.
God, I love being a Bolt. And I really love being a Langfield.
JJ and I are the last to take the ice. Even though he’s not set to play tonight, there’s always a chance he’ll have to sub in, so the warm-up is important. Loud music pumps through the speakers as we enter. The arena is dark save the blue lights dancing around the ice. The energy is high, but it rachets up a level when we come out.
With a nudge, JJ points to a group of girls holding up signs that readI want to be Addie Langfield when I grow up!and#13 is my SHE-ro.
I bark out a laugh. “I’m definitely no one’s hero.”
He shakes his head. “You still don’t get it, Angles. To all these girls, you’re a fucking inspiration. You made it to the NHL. You’re a legend.”
I shake it off. While I appreciate the sentiment, I’ve yet to earn recognition for tonight. I’ve got to block pucks to do that. Being a woman doesn’t make me a legend. Winning games will, though.
Even so, all the pink jerseys with my name on them do something to me. After pictures of my aunts and Avery wearing them trended online, our social media accounts were flooded with so many requests that Aunt Sara had a giant rush order put in. They sold out in hours.
I swear every person who bought one is here tonight. The whole arena is pink. I’m partial to Bolts blue, but it makes Avery happy.
After warm-ups, I skate over to the girls who are waving to me from behind the glass and smile for a picture for them. Then I head to the net. Time to focus and earn that title everyone keeps throwing around.
FIFTY-ONE
JJ
For most of my life,I believed there was no greater feeling than the one that took over when I was on the ice. In the crease. Crouched down, blocking, in the zone.
I was wrong. Turns out nothing compares to watching Adeline do that.
As the clock runs down and she’s thirty seconds from a shutout, my body buzzes with an electric energy that only hits me when she’s the one in the net.
That feeling only solidifies my decision. Retiring at the end of the season is the right thing to do. The thrill of watching her is more than enough for me. Especially when I turn around and catch Avery’s smiling face as she screams Adeline’s name from her spot on Vivi’s lap.
Adeline’s aunts and my mother are at tonight’s game. Even Chloe, who’s in Boston for the holiday, showed up.
Bray nudges me. “I still can’t believe you’re giving this all up, but fuck are you leaving us in good hands.” He just came off the line, and with a score of 3-0, it’s probably safe for him to relax. He scored two of the goals and assisted Bobby with the third. Not quite a hat trick, but the light in his eyes tells me he’s feeling good. He’s been on fire lately. We all have been. And I’m enjoying the hell out of my last season.
“The best hands,” I say as Addie blocks one more shot and thebuzzer sounds, announcing the end of the game. “A fucking shutout.” I hop the boards and skate across the ice to celebrate. I pull my helmet off and toss it to Bobby, who’s already had his chance to hug Adeline and congratulate her.
“Stupid boys. You should know now to protect your helmets,” she mutters. With a smirk, she takes her own mask off and hands it to Bray. “Can you hold this for me?” Then she skates closer to me, mischief in her eyes.
“What are you doing?”I ask as she gets close.
She bites her lip, but there’s no stopping the smile that blooms on her lips. “Didn’t you hear? I just played another shutout. I think I deserve a kiss from my fiancé.”
My heart flips, but I try not to get ahead of myself. Did she really just say what I think she did? “Your fiancé?”
She nods, her eyes bright under the stadium lights. “Yeah.”
“You know I’m broke, right? Lost all my money in my divorce settlement.”
She grins. “Yup.”
“I don’t even own a house. I live with a bunch of wild family members. It’s a bit chaotic.”
Her smile grows wider. “That’s okay, I kind of love that chaotic family.”
“Me too,” I rasp, heart hammering in my chest. “After the season ends, I won’t even have a job, though.”
