Page 67 of Ice Me Baby

Moving onto Tuck, I decide to use Bobby instead. I grin as I pick out the letters and different shades of yellow. I even pick a sun to put in the spot of the ‘O’ instead of the letter.

For Merc’s bracelet, I decide to make it in tribute to his twins. I do blue on one side with ‘Seb’ for Sebastian. Then separate it with a black heart with ‘Sav’ for Savannah. I add a few pink beads to finish up the bracelet.

Vicy and Taz’s bracelets are easy. Vicy’s is orange with the letters spelling ‘Lil bro’ and an orange heart separating the two words. Taz’s is green with the same words but with a green heart.

Ozzy’s bracelet is dark blue with the words ‘Oz Man’. And I grin when I find a little hockey puck bead to separate ‘Oz’ and ‘Man’.

Gilly and Fenni did a gender reveal a few days ago, and their wives talked about the babies’ names. Fenni and Sam are having a boy named Declan, so I make a purple bracelet with a purple heart on either side of the name ‘Declan’. Gilly and Dannielle are also having a boy, who they named Rook. I remember Gilly having mentioned her favorite color once and hunt for the sage-green colored beads. Using the green beads for most of the bracelet, I put silver hearts on either side of ‘Rook’.

Finished with the others, I move on to Dean and Mac’s. I work on Dean’s first, using black and blue beads. There’s a little ghost bead, so I grab two and spell out his nickname, a little ghost on either side.

Switching to Mac’s, I grab two little bear beads. I pull up the word I want on my phone to make sure I spell it right. I want to use a personal nickname for him like I did with Dean’s. I’m not sure what to use for his bracelet until I find the French word for teddy bear. Mac always calls me Chérie, which makes me want to make his with a French name. I put together his bracelet with the word ‘nounours’.

Once done, I look up to find the guys watching me, and I feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. “What?”

Vicy snorts as he stands and makes his way over to me. He hands me three bracelets as he holds out his other hand. “You want me to hand them out?”

I grab the bracelets from him before handing over the ten I made. Before I look at the ones they made me, I watch the others as they receive their’s.

Perri grins down at his wrist, then looks up to me with a smirk and a wink. “Thanks.”

Tuck laughs when he sees I choose to put Bobby instead of Tuck. He points to the sun as he looks up at me. “I’ve got a sunshine personality, right?”

I laugh and throw a loose bead at him. He dodges it with a smirk. Merc is smiling down at his bracelet. When he glances up at me, he has a wide grin. “Thanks, Liz.”

Ozzy snorts out a laugh, and I turn to see him showing off his bracelet. “Oz Man?”

I shrug. “It’s a great nickname.” My eyes jerk to Taz and Vicy who are pumping their fists in the air, chanting, “Lil bros for life!”

Gilly and Fenni are both caressing their bracelets with their sons’ names. They look up at me with appreciation and say in unison, “Thanks Lizzy.”

I chance a look to Dean and Mac and find them grinning wide. They point to the bracelets in my lap, encouraging me to check out what they made. I look down to find a baby-blue one with the words ‘Ice Princess’, a silver bracelet with ‘Chérie’, and the last one a rainbow of colors with ‘Roe Roe’. I smile as I roll them onto my wrist.

“So, how's your birthday?” Perri asks with a hint of amusement.

“The best I’ve had in a while,” I say with a smile.

Vicy claps his hands. “Movie night!”

Taz jumps up from the floor. “I’ll get the cake and ice cream!”

I shake my head and lean against the couch. Dean and Mac come to sit beside me. They both bump into my shoulder before pressing a kiss to my cheeks at the same time. My face is squished, but I can’t help but laugh.

“Happy Birthday!”

Our first away game of the season has me a bit rattled. I could have sworn I packed everything but, of course, I always forget something. Thankfully the home team’s complex is accommodating, and they let me take what I need.

I clap my hands to get everyone's attention. This may not be our complex, but that doesn’t stop us from our pre-game ritual.“Alright! It’s our first away game of the season, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people in those stands rooting for us. For you.”

The guys howl in confirmation, getting hyped to hit the ice. I point to easch of them. “We have a plan, so let's stick to it.” I point to Perri who will be playing tonight. “We've been working on that calf for the last few days, and you’ve looked great during practice. Don’t—”

“—do anything stupid. I know, boss,” Perri finishes for me.

I point to Dean next. “Let’s not bloody the ice this time.”

He gives me a cheeky grin, holding up his hands in surrender. “No promises, boss.”

I roll my eyes but can’t keep the smile off my face as I stare down at my boys from the bench. “Let’s play our hearts out and take home another win. Now, get your asses into that locker room!”

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