Page 94 of Forever Player

The guy laughs, shaking his head and closing the door.

“That was Matt. He’s a good buddy of mine,” Brett explains. “There’s an elevator to the right when you leave the room. Just take it up to the second floor. You’ll know where you are when you get off the elevator.”

“Sure, have a good game,” I say to him.

“Thanks.” He leans in and kisses me. I cherish the kiss, feeling like it can never be enough. “I’ll try to score a goal for you guys.”

“It isn’t your job to score goals,” I remind since he’s a defensive player and I understand the rules of the game.

“Just keep an eye on me, Honey.” With that he leaves the room.

I finish feeding Maylee, change her diaper, and get her all bundled up again. By the time I’m on the second level the anthem is being sung. I make it back to our seats in time for face-off.

They are playing Toronto and Liam is up for puck drop. The player from Toronto shoots the puck across the ice. It ends up in the offensive zone. Brett sweeps in in front of a player from Toronto and shoots the puck across the ice. All the players skate like crazy to the other side of the ice. Matt shoots to Kaleb.

“Willow,” I hear my name being called and turn around. Patty and Ellie are here. “Hey, guys.” They reach in and hug me.

“We left the kids with Patty’s mom and ran into crazy traffic,” Ellie explains.

Both their husbands play for the team. Connor is the goalie and Evan is a winger.

Ellie hollers when Connor blocks a shot. I introduce my friends to Brett’s family, except for Maddie since they are already friends of hers. They take the seats down the row since we are right next to the plexiglass.

“It feels good to be out,” Patty says, looking at me.

“It does,” I agree.

“Why didn’t you leave the little munchkin with a babysitter?” she asks.

“Brett wanted to show her off to his team. Besides, it’s easy to have her here now because she isn’t crawling and she’s content in our arms.”

“I hear that,” she replies.

We focus on the game.

Liam shoots to Evan and Evan stick handles the puck across the ice. He’s got two players tailing him when Brett sweeps in and blocks their path, paving the way for Evan to make it to the net. Only another player from Toronto moves in so Evan shoots the puck across to Matt, and he scores. The crowd goes wild and we all cheer. Evan skates by and places his hand on the plexiglass and Patty places her hand on his. He blows her a kiss. When Brett comes around, he also places his hand on the plexiglass, so I put my and Maylee’s hand on his. Brett’s mom nudges me and tells me to look up at the Jumbotron. When I do, I see we are on it.

“Holy shit,” I gasp, and I pull our hands away.

Brett laughs and blows us a kiss and then there are hearts bubbling on the Jumbotron, and I am laughing and blushing.

By second period Toronto scores, making the game tied. Maddie is biting her nails and Asher is running up and down our aisle. Things are tense since the guys need to secure a spot in the playoffs. Now Brett is back on the ice. He’s working hard blocking players. He skates between two players to try to clearly stop the one who is trying to get the puck away from Evan, when the player behind him extends his stick. Brett crashes to the ice, sliding into the boards before coming to a stop. My heart stops as the ref blows his whistle and calls a tripping penalty on the other player. When Brett doesn’t immediately get up, my stomach sinks. Finally, he sits up but he is motioning to his leg. One of the team doctors runs onto the ice and then Brett is escorted off the ice. I stand watching him being guided off.

“He’s tough. Brett has sustained his share of injuries over the years. He’ll be fine,” Ms. Noble assures.

“But would they be guiding him off the ice like that? It looked like he couldn’t put pressure on his foot,” I mutter nervously.

“Sit tight, dear. I’m sure he’ll call us when he gets to his phone. The team doctors need to assess him first.”

I begin to chew my lip. The game continues without Brett, but I can’t focus because I am worried about him. My cell finally rings and his name lights my screen.

“Are you okay?” I ask quickly.

I’m met with the sound of his laughter, but it sounds strained. “I’ve been better, Honey. Need to go to the ER to see if it’s a break.”

“I’m coming with you,” I immediately say.

“No, you take care of Maylee, I’ll be fine. I’m in good hands,” he assures. His voice is calm and cool, even though he doesn’t really sound like himself, and I am guessing it’s because he’s in pain.

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