Page 31 of Icy Pucking Play

"Saturday!" She bounces on her skates. "Are you coming? Daddy said you might come! You can film me there! I'm playing goalie like him!"

I feel Evan's eyes on me as I answer. "Wouldn't miss it."

"Yes!" More bouncing. "Can we get ice cream after like last time?"

"Only if you go home right now and go straight to bed," Evan says, skating over. "Deal?"

"Deal!" She launches herself at him for a hug, nearly knocking him over despite his size. "Love you, Daddy. Love you, Uncle Ry!"

"Love you too, squirt," they chorus, and oh look, more ice dust in my eyes.

Julia manages to herd Natalia off the ice and toward the locker room, leaving me alone with the Daniels men.

"Sorry about that," Evan says, though he doesn't look sorry at all. "She's...enthusiastic."

"Wonder where she gets that from," Ryland mutters, earning himself a face wash from his uncle.

I watch them roughhouse on the ice, these two grown men who just spent twenty minutes making a little girl's whole week. Who somehow manage to be both tough hockey players and the softest family men I've ever met.

"Sophie?" Evan's voice breaks through my thoughts. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I blink quickly, hoping he can't see how moved I am by all this. "Just...thinking about the feature."

"Right." Is it my imagination, or does he sound disappointed? "The feature."

"Speaking of," Ryland says with extremely suspicious timing, "I should go call my agent. You know, about...agent things."

"It's after ten," Evan points out.

"Time zones! She's in...somewhere. With a different time." He starts skating backward toward the exit. "You two crazy kids have fun!"

And then it’s just the two of us.

"So," I say, trying to sound like an expert and probably failing miserably. "That move Natalia did..."

"Sophie." Evan skates closer, stopping right in front of where I'm standing at the boards. "You don't have to pretend everything is for the feature."

"I don't?" My voice comes out embarrassingly breathless.

"No." He reaches out, tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "You don't."

The moment stretches between us, full of possibility. His hand lingers near my face, and I find myself leaning into his touch...

"Daddy! I forgot my lucky socks!"

We jump apart as Natalia's voice echoes from the hallway.

"Coming!" Evan calls back, then looks at me apologetically. "I should..."

"Go," I say softly. "It's fine. I need to pack up anyway."

He nods and skates away, leaving me to press my suddenly burning face against the cool glass of the boards.

Well. That was...

That was definitely something.

My phone buzzes with a text.

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