Page 35 of On Thin Ice

Ally: Kidding. Good luck. See you tonight.

“That smile.”

I shot Darcy a glare, and she didn’t have the decency to look chagrined at all.

It was going to be fine. I had a plan. We would get through this game, secret intact, and Dom and I would discuss it tonight. And tomorrow, I’d tell Ethan when he didn’t have the chance to punch Dom in the face.

Win-win.

DOM

Apprehension-fueled nerves hit me as I headed down the tunnel to the ice for warm-ups. This wasn’t the first time I was playing in the Strikers’ barn against my old team, but it was stillweird. They were the team I’d started with—the team I’d wanted to end my career with. Not that any player had control of that in this league, what with guys constantly being traded from one team to the next. It was the nature of the sport.

But tonight, there were added nerves because Ally was coming to the game, and all of my old teammates were still in the dark about me being her baby daddy. The decision of when to tell them was hers and while I was tired of it being a secret, I would not out her.

We’d made a lot of progress with our texts and phone calls recently, but I wanted to spend some actual time with her. I still had a tough time believing she’d agreed to a late dinner with me. A few of my old teammates had messaged to meet them at Crash and Byrne, but I wanted to spend time with her.

And that just brought up an entire new crop of issues because we still lived in different states. I had no clue what was going to happen next, aside from the fact that, in a few short months, I was going to be a father.

Fuck.How was that even real?

“You joining us?” Micah asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

Everyone else was on the ice, and I still stood inside the entryway to the ice at the end of the tunnel.

I shook my head again. “Oh, uh, yeah.”

“It’ll be fine. As long as they all don’t bum-rush you when you hit the ice, you can probably assume your impending fatherhood is still a secret,” he said.

I side-eyed him. “Thanks, man. Really reassuring.”

Micah chuckled. “Hopefully, it’ll be fine. Now, get your ass on the ice before Millsy or Sunny hunt you down. And don’t forget your baby mama is watching, so score a goal or two, will ya?”

I barked out a laugh. “Fuck. No pressure or anything.”

“Move your ass,” Micah said before heading past the bench and onto the ice.

As my skates hit the smooth surface, my focus was where it should be—on tonight’s game. And maybe I scanned the glass around the rink to see if I could spot a certain beautiful brunette.

Maybe she was up in one of the suites or something.

“You daydreaming about what it would be like to beat us?” a familiar voice called out. Baz stood in front of me, his elbow resting on the top of his stick as he grinned.

“Oh, fuck off. We’re going to kick your hairy ass,” I fired back.

“You wish. And it’s not hairy. Just ask Gabi. Smooth as a baby’s bottom,” he said—and I almost lost my footing when he said baby.

Fuck. I couldn’t let that word throw me.

“Not the image I needed, but thanks. Surprised she’s still putting up with you.”

Baz laughed. “She loves me, hair and all.” Baz bore a similar resemblance to a certain beloved Wookie, but I guess it worked for him.

“Can we not talk about your hairiness? Hey, Dom, how’s it going in Denver?” Harty asked.

Harty. Ally’s brother.

Be cool.

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