Page 88 of Heartless As Puck

Alec passed, skirted around the defenseman, received the puck back, and shot it over the goalie’s shoulder and into the net. I whooped, ignoring the side-eyes from the people around me.

There were no more goals in the first period.

In the second, the Chaos came out hard, charging past the Dragon’s defense. Austin circled behind the goal and passed back to Nick, who got it over the line.

The Chaos’s fans erupted. I got to my feet and clapped. Maribel’s youngest jumped up and down in her seat and screamed. Luis grinned shyly and, when I offered him a hand, he high-fived me before ducking his head again.

It took a while for the frenetic mood to calm enough for me to get my heart rate back under control.

As with the first period, no further goals were scored. It was one-all going into the third period. The Dragons were dominant, clearly operating more effectively together as a team. I could see which plays they’d drilled together because of how seamlessly they played out, but the Chaos were holding on by the skin of their teeth.

It was the most exciting game I’d been at in ages.

With five minutes left on the clock, Jesse took the puck from the Dragons’ center, dodged around their left defenseman, and approached their goalie head-on. Austin and Nick went with him, Nick sticking close while Austin hovered near the goal, ready to deflect the puck the second Jesse passed to him.

The other defenseman came at Jesse. Jesse passed to Nick, Nick passed to Jesse, and Jesse sent the puck to Austin, who slipped it neatly past the goalie’s boot and into the corner.

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

That was my man.

Austin’s teammates bombarded him with claps on the back and one-armed hugs. The guys on the bench stamped their skates, creating a thunderous sound that echoed through the stadium.

Unfortunately for them, the game wasn’t over yet.

It took everything the Chaos had to hold onto the win, but they did. When the final buzzer went off, they were up two-one.

The players on the ice whooped and hugged.

Mom let out a sharp exhale. “Well, that got my blood pumping.”

Dad chuckled. “I’m not sure I like having another NHL player in the family. Reminds me of the days when Wayne and I played on separate teams. Mom and Dad never knew who to cheer for, and I don’t think I was sympathetic enough until now.”

“Sorry, but you’re stuck with him,” I said, hoping I was correct. Austin and I still hadn’t properly defined things, but after what he’d said and done, I was going to assume we were together.

Mom smiled at me fondly. “I know, sweetheart. You never brought boys home at school, so as soon as we heard about you and Austin, we knew it must be serious. You’re not the type to do things on a whim.”

I felt a pang of guilt. If only she knew the truth. She’d be horrified.

I swallowed. “Um, yeah.”

At least it was serious now. Or at least, I hoped it was.

We waited until most of the audience had dissipated before making our way down to the changing rooms. Alec came out before Austin did. I hugged him, then squealed in protest and pulled away when he tried to ruffle my hair.

“Better luck next time,” I said, torn as to whether I actually meant it. “Nice goal, though.”

“Thanks.” One side of his mouth hitched up. “Your boyfriend got a good goal too, and that assist.”

“It’s not a competition.”

The way his eyes narrowed made me think he definitely saw it that way.

“So are you coming back to Austin’s place?” Mom asked him, shuffling me aside to give him a hug.

“Not yet. The team is going out for dinner, so I’ll go too, then stay at Austin’s place and fly out with them in the morning.” His serious gaze landed on me. “Will you be okay, Jane?”

I nodded. Perhaps I still didn’t want to leave the house more than necessary, and I rarely went more than a couple of hours before thinking of that damn image and sinking into a cycle of self-flagellation, but eventually, I’d get over it and having my overprotective brother around wouldn’t speed up my recovery.