Page 121 of Rinkmates

“Enough,” I grit out through clenched teeth. “You don’t deserve him. None of you do, except for his grandmother—sorry, Lilli.”

Granny raises her hands in surrender, a wide grin on her face. “No offense taken, honey.”

I pull Riley up by his arm and turn to face his parents again, my voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “We’re leaving, but first I need to make something clear. Riley is the best player in his league, he has the most scores, and one day he will beat Gretzky’s records. And do you know what will happen when he does?” I point accusingly at all of them. “None of you will be invited, except for Lilli.”

I hear a hoarse cheer from Granny.

“You don’t know anything about your own son. Riley is the kindest person I’ve ever met—always giving back to the community with free skate courses and camps for kids whose parents can’t afford them, even during his own season. And yet you sit here and claim he doesn’t have control over his career, his scores, or his own records? That’s complete nonsense.”

I lock eyes with his father then, my tone dripping with venom. “And as for you. You never made it far in hockey because you weren’t good enough. All the hate you feel toward your own son should be aimed at yourself. Go get some help with those wires in your brain that are clearly malfunctioning, because you are missing out on an amazing son.” I almost shout the last part because, fuck it, it’s true. “Maybe one day you’ll come crawling back and give this man the love he deserves, but until then, let me fill you in on some vital things about him that you missed out on. His favorite color is blue, he loves thrillers, hates caviar, and oh, he’s allergic to celery, so why the heck is it on the menu? And most importantly, he loves—”

“You,” Riley says, causing me to freeze mid-rant.

Suddenly, all the thousands of words I was ready to unleash dissipate into thin air.

What? He said what?

I turn to look at him with surprise and my heart swells as he pulls me into a kiss. “What did you say?” I whisper.

“I love you,” Riley says and pulls me in for another kiss. “You crazy little bulldog of mine. I love you.” He kisses me again, and I hear clapping and cheering from the tables around us, including from his granny, who is whistling and coughing with mirth in between.

“Come on,” he whispers and tugs on my hand. “Let’s go.”

We say goodbye to Lilli and basically run out of the door.

Everyone quickly goes back to their conversations, as if nothing had happened. I’m not delusional enough to think my little speech will change their behavior. Honestly, these people are so stuck up, they probably wouldn’t even notice if the sky turned purple.

But I had to take a stand.

As we make our way through the crowded room, ignoring the curious stares and whispered speculations, Riley lets out a relieved sigh next to me. It feels like he just shed all the unwanted thoughts he ever had.

“Fuck. You’re. Fuck,” he says, smiling from ear to ear. “You’re incredible.”

I can’t help but grin at his flustered words, feeling my cheeks heat up as well. “I just couldn’t sit there; I hate your parents. I’m sorry.”

“Praise the universe. I hate them too,” he mutters.

I want to grab his face again and pull him down for another round of kisses, but then suddenly a familiar figure steps into our path and my heart stops.

No, this can’t be.

It’s Sandford, looking just as handsome as I remember, but with a few more lines on his face. His blue eyes widen as they land on me, and I can’t help but feel a flutter of nervous excitement in my stomach.

It’s been years since our explosive fight in Beijing.

I could still feel the sting in my heart, but here he is, standing in front of me. His hair is still a mane of wavy blond, his square jaw cleanly shaven.

“Hey,” he says, his voice oozing with false sincerity.

Riley’s grip tightens around my waist as we turn to face him. Sandford’s eyes rake over me, lingering on the hand that Riley has placed possessively on my waist.

“What do you want?” I snap.

He leans forward, a move that used to make my heart flutter but now only sends chills creeping down my spine.

Riley is quick to react, pushing Sandford away before he can get too close. “Don’t even think about it,” Riley growls, his protective instincts kicking into high gear.

Sandford laughs, brushing off Riley’s warning like it’s nothing.

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