Page 86 of Lace 'em Up

“One more, yeah?” I say as we skate toward the bench.

Cam nods, mouth curved up into a grin. “About that,” he says as we sit down. “I’ve got an idea.”

One I have no doubt will work…

And it does.

The very next shift we have, we execute Cam’s tic-tac-toe of a play, sending the crowd roaring again, the buzzer going, the goal song blaring through the arena’s speakers.

Nothing beats this high, especially when I manage to sneak a glance up at the owner’s box and see Rory and Chrissy jumping around like adorable lunatics. They’re smiling, but I can’t see much more of their faces other than the white of their teeth.

It’s enough though.

That flash of white on Rory’s face, the evidence of her pride and happiness.

Stupid, huh?

That I don’t feel whole until I see a woman amongst twenty-two thousand people smiling down at me.

But it’s true.

The whistle goes and I tear my gaze away in time to see my teammates lining up for the face-off. Less than two minutes left in the game now. We just need to keep our shit together for a little while longer, hold on to the lead, and we’ll get those two points.

The puck drops, but my eyes drift to the man next to me.

The one who’s staring at me.

Rome.

Who leans close and mutters, “You gave me a talking to not all that long ago.”

I grind my teeth together, threatening to cut through my mouth guard, but I don’t take the bait he’s just laid out. Instead, I focus on the game.

I’m one of six siblings. I know all the tricks to get me to spill my guts.

In fact, I’d used them on Rome just weeks before.

“And in that talk”—he pauses, and I feel him looking at me, but I don’t tear my stare away from the action on the ice—“you said you’re not interested in settling down.”

“I’m not.”

A beat. “Then what the fuck are you doing?”

I don’t even know how to begin to answer that.

Because I don’t know the answer to it.

Rome waits a long moment, but I keep my eyes on the ice as we scoot down the bench, moving toward the door leading onto the offensive side of the rink. Then he sighs quietly. “Just don’t hurt her, yeah?”

I open my mouth?—

Freeze.

Because I don’t know if I can keep that promise.

Twenty-Six

Rory

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