Page 54 of Power Play

“Four. I grew up in Chicago. My dad signed me up for a Blackhawks kids’ camp one summer, and I never looked back.”

“You were always destined for greatness. Meanwhile I’m over here looking like an idiot and being shown up by kids twenty years younger than me.”

“You don’t look like an idiot. You’re learning. There’s a difference.” Liam lifts under my arms when I start to lose my footing again. I squeak as we make a sharp turn and almost run into the boards. “We all suck at something the first time.”

“It would be a lot better if my first experience on the ice was like this. It would’ve made me want to take some lessons, not hide from the rink.”

A muscle in his jaw ticks. “Bad teacher?”

“Bad everything. Thank you for being patient with me.”

“You don’t need to thank someone for doing the right thing.”

“Old habits, I guess.” He starts to pull away, and I panic. “Whoa. Stop. Come back. Where are you going?”

“I want you to try on your own. I’m going to skate ahead and you’re going to aim for me.”

“Did you not miss the part wherechildrenare lapping me? What if I fall?”

“Who cares if you do?” Liam stops sixty feet ahead. “You can do it, Piper.”

There’s magic in his gentle encouragement. Affirmations I’ve never heard before, and, for half a second in a world of pretend and make believe, in a reality where I’m lifted up instead of brought down, I know Icando it.

So, I move.

I shuffle forward, each stride becoming more confident the longer I stay on my feet. Maverick and Emmy skate by, grinning and cheering me on. Grant pulls out his phone and starts recording me, chanting my name and lifting his fist in the air in celebration.

Even Liam has a grin on his face.

The faintest hint of one tugs on his mouth, and he’s never been more beautiful than right now with his quiet joy. The subtle way he inches backward so I have to skate farther and farther, proving to myself I’m capable and strong.

“How do I stop?” I ask, barreling toward him.

“Bend your knees and turn your skates sideways,” he says.

I try to listen to his instructions, but I lose my center of gravity instead. I careen forward, seconds away from falling, and I swear to god I see my life flash before my eyes.

Before I can do anything remotely close to stopping, I run straight into Liam’s chest, sending him flying onto the ice and me going down with him.

“Shit. Fuck. Oh no.” My legs buckle out from under me and I land on his stomach. “Are you okay? Are you alive? AmIalive? Is my hand going to get sliced off?”

“You’re okay,” Liam says, and I open my eyes. He’s spread out on the ice like a starfish, arms out straight and legs wide. “My ass, on the other hand, isn’t.”

“Will it make you feel better if I pretend like the crash is payback for making fun of my blazer, not because the definition ofsidewaysflew out of my head when you yelled it at me?”

“It’s deserved then. I wasn’t prepared for you to actually go Hulk on me, Mitchell.” He groans and pushes up on his elbows. “You might have a future in the NHL with defensive moves like that.”

“Did you hit your head? Why aren’t you you wearing a helmet? This is a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

“I’m fine. No damage besides my left ass cheek. Good thing I’m going to be on my knees during the game tomorrow, not my butt.”

I can’t help it.

I burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all.

Our positions.

The way he lifts his hips and touches his backside, like he’s checking to make sure it’s intact.

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