Page 99 of Power Play

“She wants to play in the NHL one day like Emerson Hartwell,” her mom explains, speaking and signing at the same time.

“Emmy is one of my best friends. That’s a very good dream to have. Here.” I reach down and rifle through the jerseys, finding the one I’m looking for. “That belongs to Maverick Miller. He and Emmy are close, and he’d want you to have it.”

Lucy clutches the jersey to her chest and smiles.

“When did you learn ASL? Not many people know it,” the woman says.

“My cousin is Deaf. I grew up signing.”

“Thank you so much for stopping and giving us some of your time. You made her whole year.”

“Of course.” I grin at Lucy. “If you’re ever in DC, you have to come to a game, okay? I can see if Emmy can be there too.”

“Okay.” Lucy grins back. “Thank you.”

“I’m Madeline,” the woman says.

“Piper. It’s nice to meet you.”

“We’d love to visit, but I’m not sure we’ll ever make it to DC. I’m a chef at a restaurant here in Vegas, and being a single parent doesn’t give us a lot of time to travel. Thank you for the invitation, though.”

“It doesn’t have an expiration date. You’re welcome anytime.” I smile and press one of my last business cards into her palm. “Bye, Lucy. It was nice to meet you.”

I distribute the rest of the players’ gear to the waiting fans, and when I make it back to the tunnel, I’m exhausted.

“I need a shower,” Lexi says. “I smell like sweaty boys.”

“It’s disgusting.” I stick my hands under an sanitizer dispenser and rub them together, trying to get some of the stench off me. “You’re going out tonight, right?”

“Hell yeah, I’m going out tonight. I brought the cutest outfit. What are you going to wear?”

“I put a few dresses and skirts in my bag. Nothing that’s appropriate for a wedding, but I’ll see if I can pull something together.”

“That’s the point of a Vegas wedding. You don’t have to be pulled together.” Lexi laughs. “Oh, hey, Liam. Nice game tonight. You were incredible.”

He nods at her and a bead of water rolls down his forehead from his post-shower hair. “Thanks.”

Lexi looks between us and gives me a sly grin. “I’ll give you two a minute.”

When she disappears, I smile at Liam. “What’s up?”

“You’re good with kids.”

“I am?”

“Yeah. I was watching you hand out gear. Your signing…” He tips his head to the side. “It’s beautiful.”

“Oh. Thank you. I’m rusty these days, but I try to watch YouTube videos so I can stay somewhat fresh. You never know when you’ll need it, like you just saw with Lucy over there.” I shrug. “If that makes someone feel included and comfortable, I want to offer that to them.”

“Do you want to have kids?”

I roll my lips and hum. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I like kids, but I’m undecided on if I want my own. I’m still learning to trust people, and that would require a lot of trust.”

“That’s fair.”

“Doyouwant kids?”

“Yeah. I think so. I could see myself being a dad.” He shoves his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “But that’s a ways off.”

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