Page 90 of The Game

“No. I had a little help.” She curls her fingers in a come here gesture and guys start emerging from every crack and cranny in the diner.

Beau and Dev come over first, and I swear there’s almost a smile on Dev’s face. I haven’t seen him around as much as usual. No idea what he’s up to, but maybe I’ll be able to catch up with him if things ease up. Grant and JJ, of course, are smiling like fools. Even Hail is here. He showed up for me. After I jumped all over him the other day, he still came out to help. I feel like shit for jumping straight to accusations. And even Kenneth.

“Kenneth?” I ask. The stringy math whiz from Walk Safe doesn’t exactly fit in with the rest of the guys, but here is.

“Yeah. Jazz told me what was going on during our shift the other night. She explained everything, so when she asked me to come out and be an unbiased observer, I was all in. You’re a good guy, Cole. I never doubted that, but I had some reservations until I heard Jazz’s side. That guy was a real piece of work. The things he said.”

“Kenneth,” Jazz hisses at him and my eyes narrow to slits. It’s probably better if I don’t know what her ex said to her. I’d probably get myself right back into the boiling pot if I did.

“Tell me everything. How did it go down?” I turn back to Jazz.

She explains the story to me with an occasional interjection from one of the guys. I love everything about how she took him down. My only regret is that I wasn’t there to see it, but even I know why that would have been a terrible idea.

“You should have seen her. She was incredible. Hopefully, he learns his lesson, but I have my doubts,” Beau says. “Listen, we’re going to leave you two alone to catch up. I’ll grab a ride with Grant. You can borrow my car.”

I snag the keys he tosses at me. I’ve never driven his car before. He claps me on the back, and then I get a fist bump from all of them. It’s incredible. I feel like I’m in a dream. Not quite believing that they stepped up for me after my rough start with the team last year, but it feels really good. Like I’ve got a new family for the year. And probably for the rest of my life. We may end up on opposing teams, but I have a feeling we’ll still stay in touch. You can’t go through shit like this and not stay tight. But it’s good to see the backs of their heads. Now I have Jazz all to myself.

“Where were we?” I ask my girl.

“Right here,” she says, leaning in for a kiss.

Chapter 33

Hat Trick

Jazz

I’ve got a deathgrip on Jordan’s arm. I squealed and dropped my phone when I found out she was going to make it out. It’s an important one, and I needed the moral support of a fellow hockey girlfriend. Some of the other Lakeview girlfriends are nice, but Jordan is my OG bestie.

I don’t even know why I’m so tense. The Lightning are shooting ahead with a three to one lead. Two of those goals scored by my love, no less. But I know how much it would mean to him to get a hat trick tonight. He wants to prove once and for all that any pro team would be lucky to have him on their roster. And he’s not wrong.

The action on the ice is intense. Back and forth. The puck flying faster than I can track it. Cole swoops in, snags it from their center and makes a hard drive down the ice. He’s so fast. I know Jackson was always considered the fastest player,but I don’t think I’m being biased when I say Cole has gotten even faster. His legs are almost a blur as his he zigzags around the opposing team.

I think he’s got it this time, and I’m halfway to my feet when I gasp rips from my chest as one of their D-men swoops in from behind him. These are the hard parts to watch. I’m wincing in sympathy as he slams into the boards with a rattling crash that I can feel all the way to my skull. I can only imagine what it feels like for him.

I’m so focused on my man that I miss him flipping the puck to Hail, who slams it under the goalie’s glove. Cole shakes himself off, skating over to congratulate his teammate with a glove bump. His line gets sent off for a break, and the game can’t hold my attention anymore. My eyes are on him. He ripped his helmet off as soon as he hit the bench, and now he’s sitting there, knee bouncing incessantly, eyes glued to the play. I know he’s just waiting for his turn to get back out there.

Jordan’s eyes are focused on the game. Her man may have moved on, but she’s still friends with a lot of guys on the Lightning, and she’s been a hockey fan since she was a kid.

“This never gets any easier?”

She turns to me with a smile, running a hand through her fiery curls. “Nope. Sorry to disappoint.”

Cole flies onto the ice as soon as his line is called and he’s back out there, searching for his opening. The other team is getting dirtier the farther behind they get, and he’s on constant alert to avoid another hit.

Beau and Dev are defending their goal when Grant and Hail start tossing the puck back and forth, weaving around the opposing team with a grace and agility I’ll never possess. But even though I’m invested in the game, I can’t help my eyes from tracking back to number thirty-two. He’s well positioned near Penns net, leaving himself open as his teammates fight their way closer.

The strategy pays off when Hail returns the earlier favor, sending the puck his way. The D-man that slammed him into the boards gets up in his face again and he loses his open shot, but Hail nods at him and he goes for it, anyway. He sends it high and to the left. Cole is never predictable. He practices shots from every angle, every spot. His accuracy is unmatched. The goalie is a fraction of a second behind the puck, but it’s enough to light up the lamps and send the crowd to their feet.

I was hovering over my seat, too excited to stay sitting, before he even made the shot, and now I’m screaming so hard I’m sure my voice will be hoarse later. I smirk. Cole won’t mind. He likes it when my voice is all husky from cheering him on. I can only imagine the things he’s going to do to me when we get home.

He skates right up to the glass below our seats, banging and pointing his stick at me.

It was for me. He says it’s always for me. Every goal now is for us. For our future together. A future I’m still worried about.

I can hardly sit still for the rest of the game. They finish it seven nil, but after Cole’s hat trick, I know they’re going to drag him off to do some media.

It’s fine. I can wait. I’ve waited long enough to find him. My perfect man.

---