Page 99 of The Christmas You Crash

The woman studies me and smiles. “Lucky girl.”

I really am.

Soon, the announcer is naming the players for the Chicago Blizzard, and when he calls out Chase Bowen’s name—the asshole who hurt Ryder—Rachel and I both stand up and boo loudly. She unfurls her poster, waves it above her head and shouts, “You suck, micro-dick!” She’s emblazoned the poster with the wordsChase Bowen’s dick is so small, he wears unicorn panties so at least he can makesomethinghorny.Then she drew a horrible picture of a unicorn with a limp horn and a frown on its face.

A frown that is mirrored by Chase Bowen himself when he notices the sign.

Rachel grins gleefully at his look of displeasure and flips him off.

We’re both giggling uncontrollably by the time she sits back down. “Oh god, that was good. Did you see his face?”

“I’m going to have so much fun torturing him today,” Rach answers. “I think I’ll drag Adam to some games with me when he gets back, so we can both troll that asshole for what he did to Ryder.”

I love that I have friends who will give a random jerk a hard time just because he hurt my boyfriend. They’re supportive and always have my back. If only we lived closer.

The game is intense.

The Chicago Blizzard play with just as much determination and intensity as the Rogues do, and it’s a constant battle for dominance. The Rogues will score one, then the Blizzard answer with a score of their own. We’re tied 4-4 in the middle of the third period, and my nerves are fried.

Stupid Chase Bowen won’t leave Ryder alone. He chirps at my boyfriend every chance he gets and never misses an opportunity to slam him into the boards. Ryder looks pissed, but he doesn’t instigate any of it. The other guys on the Rogues have responded in kind, though. And it’s not just Chase they check whenever they can.

“Holy crap.” Rachel winces as one of the Blizzard’s defensemen gets smashed into the glass in front of us. “This is freaking awesome.”

I can’t help but laugh. I knew Rach would love this game. She’s fiery and fierce and, man, does my bestie love to shit talk. She’s busted Chase’s balls every chance she gets. It’s wearing on him too. Every time she shouts his name and hurls another insult, the guy’s steely gray eyes narrow as he glares at her.

She’s throwing off his game, and the Rogues have noticed. Griffin laughs every time he sees her poster. Even the normally stoic Maddox grins when he notices the effect Rach and her sign have on Chase.

And when Chase and Ryder are battling it out for control of the puck right in front of us and Rachel shouts, “Hey, Chase! Did you decide to play hockey so you could cold handle a stick more than an inch long?” he falters just long enough for Ryder to get the puck, head toward the net, deke, and slap a shot in between the goalie’s knees. Ryder does a funny little celly dance before winking at me and Rachel. Chase, though? Chase skates past us and glares hard at my bestie. Good thing the man doesn’t have laser eyes, or she’d be toast.

With only thirty seconds left, the Blizzard can’t manage to tie the score, and the crowd around us boos when the Rogues win it 5-4. My bestie and I get more than a few dirty looks as people file out of their seats.

“Come on.” Grabbing Rachel’s hand, I drag her out with the masses. I don’t want to be left standing here without the buffer of other people. It would be too easy for my dad to spot us.

“That was so fun,” Rachel squeals. “I’m totally a hockey girly now.”

“Knew you would be. Now, let’s go meet the guys. They’re going to want to buy you drinks after the way you got in Chase’s head.”

One side of Rachel’s lips tilt in a sinister grin. “I’m already planning what to put on my sign next time.”

God help Chase Bowen. He’s made an enemy of Rachel Keller. And she’s one of the most determined people I know.

forty-six

LEXI

The guysall cheer when Rachel and I meet up with them a few blocks away from the arena.

“Dude.” Griffin approaches Rachel with his palm up for a high five. “The guys and I are buying you drinks tonight. The way you got in that asshole’s head was epic.”

Rachel’s face splits with a huge smile and, after returning Griffin’s high five, she curtsies. “Thank you. Happy to help anytime you guys play here.”

“Hell, yeah,” Griffin says.

After giving Ryder a kiss hello, I make introductions, then we walk to the bar. We get some looks because it’s rare to see so many big guys together like this, and while I personally think Ryder is the hottest guy among them, I can admit that they’re all good-looking. But here, they can be relatively anonymous. A few people seem to recognize them, but they’re obviously fans leaving the game. And since we’re the visiting team, no one says anything or bothers any of the guys. It’s nice. Though I am looking out for my dad. My head is on a swivel.

“He’s not here, baby,” Ryder murmurs in my ear. He’s got his arm slung around my shoulder, and he pulls me close so he can kiss the top of my head. “You can relax.”

I blow out a deep breath. “I know. I’m being ridiculous. Sorry.”

---