Page 52 of Offside Angel

He skates through the obstacles like they aren’t even there and fires off a vicious shot. Cole has blocked everything that’s come at him for the last half-hour, except for Zane’s shots.

Yet again, the puck rips the back of the net.

“Come on!” Cole complains. “You’re making us look bad out here, man.”

I would have to disagree. Zane looks very, very good.

“Yay, Daddy!” Aiden jumps up and down on the bleachers. Zane tosses him a thumbs up, and Aiden grins.

I love them.

The thought has found its way to the forefront of my mind more and more often lately. It’s turning into a second heartbeat. Something vital to my day-to-day life.

I love them.

Zane has been so sure for weeks now that this thing with us is going to go the distance, but I’m not at all used to getting what I want. It’s taken every second of the last few weeks—every kiss, every tear, every drop of sweat shed during kickboxing—for me to even begin to believe that I might get my happy ending.

I love them more than anything.

And I need to tell Zane.

After a few more drills, the men shove the obstacles to the side of the rink and start goofing off. Half of the team is in the weight room, so the ice is relatively clear when Zane calls up to us. “Want to come down, A?”

I’ve never seen Aiden move so fast in my life. He bounds down the bleachers and Jace is at the boards waiting for him. He lifts Aiden onto the ice and then holds his shoulders as he skates him over to Zane.

There’s a smaller rink on the back of the building where kids can take ice skating lessons, and someone comes from that direction with a pair of rentable skates for Aiden.

As soon as Aiden is skated-up and on his feet, the professional hockey players turn into children. I can see exactly what they must have been like at eight and ten and twelve, playing hockey and learning to love the game. They all take turns helping Aiden with his skating and shooting the puck.

A few of Aiden’s shots go wide, and I can tell he’s getting upset. His little shoulders slouch and he hangs his head.

Zane skates over and kneels in front of him. He pushes the stick back in Aiden’s hand and walks him through a few practice swings before it’s time for Aiden to try again.

“You got this, Aiden!” I cheer from the stands.

My voice echoes more than I thought it would and my face burns. But Aiden stands a little taller, so I don’t care. I'll be that hockey mom if I have to.

Aiden lines up the puck and gives it his best swing.

It almost looks like a slow motion replay. The puck bumps and skitters over the ice so slowly, I’m not sure it’s going to make it. But when it gets close, Cole makes a big show of diving for it a full foot ahead of where it is. The puck comes to a slow stop in the middle of the net… and the rink goes wild.

Evan and I clap and cheer as the men on the rink take turns skating Aiden around on their shoulders, hooting and hollering.

“I did it!” Aiden shouts when he gets close enough for me to hear. “I scored!”

Nathan is taking his lap with Aiden when the doors at the far end of the rink open. I can see the rest of the team waiting just outside in the hall, but it’s Coach Popov who blasts through the doors.

“Whitaker!” he roars. He’s so mad that he almost forgets he isn’t wearing skates and steps onto the ice. He grabs the boards for balance and hooks a finger at Zane. “We need to talk. Now!”

A hush falls over the rink. When Zane makes it to his coach, everyone in the room can hear every word.

“When were you going to tell me the good news?” he growls with vicious sarcasm. “When was I going to get let in on the secret, eh?”

I swear I see a piano-shaped shadow around me.

Zane shakes his head. “I don’t have a secret.”

Coach Popov snorts. “No, I guess it isn’t a secret anymore. Maybe congratulations are in order. Have you already signed the contract?”

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