Page 162 of Suck My Puck

She holds up her phone and I see Lucas sitting up in bed, wearing my Bashers jersey and flashing me a double thumbs up. The stick I gifted him for Christmas is propped up next to him.

Kick ass tonight, #3!

I grin. “That’s exactly what I needed. Thank you.”

I rest my gloved hand on her waist and pull her close. She’s wearing my jersey like she always does when she watches me play. I’ll never, ever get sick of seeing her wear my name and my number.

“Can I get a good luck kiss too?”

She flashes that stunning smile, flanked by those gorgeous dimples I’m obsessed with. She tip-toes up and presses her mouth against mine.

I can feel the entire arena’s eyes on us, so I keep things PG. I’d love to get a little filthy with my girl, but people are probably filming us with their phones. The sports reporters and media people are probably filming us too.

When we break apart, the fans around us whistle and holler. We both laugh.

Bella gazes at the crowd, her eyes wide and bright. She beams at me. “Look at how happy everyone is that you’re back.

I shake my head. “I can’t believe it.”

“I can. You’re a great goalie and an even better person. Of course they’re crazy about you.”

“Almost as crazy as I am for you, pretty girl.”

She bites back her smile and rolls her eyes.

“I’m serious. I wouldn’t be here without you, Bella. Before I met you, the only thing that mattered to me washockey.” I glance around the arena. “And yeah, it’s still a big part of who I am. It always will be. But you helped me see that I’m worth more than how many pucks I can keep out of the net. And that…it means everything.”

She beams, her eyes misty. “Amazing goalie. Amazing boyfriend. Amazing dog daddy and son and friend.”

“And the luckiest bastard in the universe to have you.”

Her cheeks flush.

“I mean it. I still can’t believe you’re mine, Bella.” I kiss her again, my heart swelling in my chest. “I love you. So much.”

“I love you too,” she murmurs against my mouth.

“Thanks for breaking all your rules and giving me a chance, pretty girl.”

She leans back, quirking her eyebrow, her smile teasing. “Hooking up with you was supposed to be a one-time thing. Just once to get it out of our systems. I really screwed that up,” she jokes.

“Pretty girl, I am so happy to be your screw-up.”

She laughs. I kiss her again and one more time after that before pulling away and heading to the net.

As I run through my warmup routine, my energy spikes and my focus sharpens. My muscles are warm and loose.

The music in the stadium cuts. My teammates head to center ice for the puck drop.

I settle in front of the net, my entire body buzzing for whatever the other team is about to throw at me.

I twist around and lock eyes with Bella, who’s sitting in her usual spot: in the first row, behind the net.

She beams at me. Underneath all that adrenaline, my chest swells. She’s got my whole heart.

I smile at her, then turn back to the game, ready for anything.

Epilogue

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