Page 103 of The Fake Out

VERONICA: Your sister told me to tell you that you need to stay on your skates? I don’t know what that means. But also good luck.

ME: I have so many questions.

VERONICA: Later, baby, okay? Win me a hockey game first.

ME: Yes, Ma’am!

I saw TJ and Noah grinning at me. I glared at them. “What do you two assholes know?”

They gave me, ‘Who me?’ looks and shrugged. Logan, who sat next to Noah, had a bemused look on his face. He ran a hand through his red hair but smiled. “I don’t know anything, man, but if that lady makes you play better, I’m all for it.”

I pointed accusing fingers at all of them. “All of you are dicks. All of you.”

TJ and Noah smiled at me, and Riley gave me a shove to the shoulder. “Come on, big guy, let’s go win this thing.”

I amped myself up, and we all went down the tunnel again. I didn’t know why Veronica was here at my game wearing my jersey, but it made me want to win the game even more. For her. And then I could tell her all the things I left unsaid. All the things I wanted to tell her the night of the wedding.

I was on the starting line-up tonight, and I grinned as the PA called out our names. I shuffled on my skates at center ice during the national anthem. But once the puck dropped, we were on it, with Noah getting possession of the puck right away. He brought it past the neutral zone into the Saints’ offensive zone, and he fought with my older brother for the puck. Noah batted it over to Benny, who wristed the shot, but it went wide. We scrambled for the puck, but I was more interested in my brother’s fancy footwork.

Eli got possession of the puck, but I checked him into the boards, trying to knock it out of his way. Our sticks smashed together, and we fought for dominance, but he beat me and got the puck back into neutral. My eyes cut across the ice, and I thanked the hockey gods Riley was a good defensive partner because he was already chasing after Eli while I hung back. I hustled down the ice, trying to get back into position and prevent the Saints from scoring. Eli sure did try, but while I was neck-and-neck with my oldest brother, Riley was protecting the slot in front of Metzy.

Eli passed to his teammate, who deked and then passed back to Eli, who slapped it towards the net. Metzy did some aerobics to keep the puck out.

We lined up for the face-off. “Do better than that, old man!” I chirped at my brother, who was currently facing off with TJ.

Eli’s eyes narrowed at me, but he didn’t let it rattle him. I faced the Saints d-man Samuelson. He was a big guy clocking in at six-foot-six and a lot of muscles. He had that whole enforcer thing going on, even though that shit had been going out of the game lately. He was also an instigator.

“You got a problem, Baby Holmstrom?” he snarled.

“Baby Holmstrom?” I laughed. “Is that the best you could do, bud?”

“Yeah, you’re just coasting on your brother’s talent.”

I gritted my teeth against my mouthguard. He was trying to rile me up, and it was working. I was gonna prove to this city that it was Blaise Holmstrom they were cheering for, not Hal Holmstrom’s kid or Eli Holmstrom’s baby brother. Me. Samuelson was just trying to get under my skin.

“Is that why you can’t block a shot to save your life? Surprised you’re not riding the pine all season long,” I chirped back.

He didn’t have an answer because TJ knocked the puck back out of our zone and headed down the other end of the ice. I laughed in Samuelson’s face and skated up the ice with my teammates. TJ batted the puck on his stick in the Saints’ zone, trying to set up the play. Benny was getting hassled by Samuelson, and Noah was getting screened by another Saints player. TJ had to play selfish hockey here if we wanted to be the first to draw blood.

But he didn’t because I was open.

I was wide open, and the Saints didn’t notice because I wasn’t an offensive-defenseman. I didn’t take offensive opportunities all that often, but this one was golden.

It all happened in a millisecond. TJ passed it to me, and I slapped the puck. It wasn’t a pretty goal. It hit the crossbar, but then the Saints goalie didn’t know where it went until it was behind the redline and in his net. The siren went off, the lamp lit up red, and the arena full of Philadelphia Bulldogs fans were cheering my name. My name, not my dad’s.

I skated over to TJ where we exchanged big hugs. I sped past the glass where the girls all sat and smacked the glass with my stick. Veronica beamed at me, and I tapped my fingers against my heart and pointed at her. Her lips turned up into a big smile and she repeated the action back at me.

I skated back to the bench with a grin that cracked my face. Seeing her here cheering me on and wearing my jersey made me come alive again. Like all these months without her, I had been dead inside. I had so many things I wanted to say to her, but I had to get my head in the game first.

I felt Coach tap my shoulder, his way of telling me I had done good. I chewed on my mouthguard as I watched my teammates set up the next play.

“Nice goal,” Riley said with a smile.

“Did you know she was coming?” I asked.

He shook his head and nodded at TJ and Noah sitting next to him. “That was all these two.”

“I don’t know why she’s here.”