Page 82 of Pucking Amazing

I let their words wash over me like a soothing balm. Emma and Selena always know exactly what to say.

I may be a mess, but at least I have my sister and my best friend to pick me back up.

“You’re right,” I say finally, squaring my shoulders and taking a deep breath. “I’m done letting Mikey walk all over me. First thing Monday, I’m going to Coach Daniels and making a plan for an official intervention. We need to set some firm guidelines and warn Mikey about consequences. This kind of behavior is unacceptable.”

“That’s our girl,” Emma grins, and walks to the fridge to grab a bottle of white from the door. “And speaking of interventions…I think this calls for a glass of wine.”

I hiss at her bad joke and move to jokingly swat her but she dances out of my reach.

Thank god for the girls. As Emma pours wine and Selena launches into a hilarious story about her latest Tinder disaster, the knot in my chest starts to loosen.

CHAPTER 28

TYLER

The arena lights glare down on the ice as I take my position between the pipes, my skates digging in and head bowed for a moment of focus before the puck drops. The din of the opposing team’s crowd washes over me in waves, adding to the weight of expectation hanging heavy in the air.

This is it—the final key game before playoffs.

The Blizzards need this win to progress or our whole season goes down the drain.

I block out the noise and zero in on the ice as the ref blows the starting whistle. The puck skitters back and forth, blades flashing. Axel snags it, weaving between defenders with that unreal agility of his. He passes to Griff, who winds up for a slapshot. I hold my breath but the goalie snags it from the air.

Close one.

The puck bounces back into play and the battle continues.

Minutes tick by and the score stays stubbornly tied. My nerves crank tighter with each rush at the goal. I lunge left and right, batting away shots, but one almost sneaks by, pinging off the goalpost.

Too close. Can’t let them score.

The pressure mounts and doubt creeps in, the tension coiling in my gut. I can practically hear my brother Steven’s voice in my head, mocking me, telling me I’m going to choke like always.

DJ shouts encouragement from down the ice as if he can hear my thoughts. “Keep it up, Ty! We’ve got this!”

I meet his eyes briefly, drawing strength from his unflinching confidence in me and the team. I shake off the negative thoughts, my grip tightening on my stick. We’ve worked too damn hard to let it all slip away now.

But I can feel the doubts edging their way back in as the puck comes down the ice towards me.

I grit my teeth and brace myself as the puck hurtles towards me, my glove hand shooting out to snatch it from the air. Not this time.

The rubber disc slams into my palm with a satisfying thwack.

“Nice save, Ty!” DJ shouts, flashing me a grin. I nod back, trying to stay focused. Can’t let my mind wander, not even for a second.

The first intermission can’t come soon enough.

The locker room is all nervous energy, guys pacing and muttering as Coach lays into us about playing tighter defense. I sit in my stall, head hanging, replaying that close call over and over.

DJ plops down next to me, our shoulders brushing. His warmth seeps through my pads.

“You’re killing it out there, Ty,” he murmurs, bumping his knee against mine. “Don’t let the pressure mess with your head. Trust your instincts.”

I blow out a breath, trying to absorb his easy confidence. “Easier said than done. If I mess this up...”

He grabs my shoulder, forcing me to meet his gaze, his brown eyes unusually warm. “You won’t.”

His faith wraps around me like armor and I sit up straighter, some of the tension draining away. “Thanks, man. I needed that.”

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