Page 43 of Power Play with My Brother's Irish Friends

“Going to be a fun game.” Duncan passed me, the look in his eyes sending warnings to anyone close enough to look.

“Yep. And Austin said Miranda would be here.” I made a show of looking toward the stands. Well, it wasn’t much of a show since I had no idea where she’d be sitting. I needed to know so I could show off, show her what she risked missing out on if she went back to New York. Convincing her to stay became my favorite game. She stood near the penalty box, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She jumped and cheered with the rest of the crowd, then stuck her thumb and forefinger in her mouth and whistled. The sound rose above everything else and drew Austin’s attention.

He skated closer to her and waved. I fought down the urge to run up the steps and kiss her in front of everyone.

The ref waved us in. Time to concentrate. Time to show Miranda I was more than a player. I had grit and determination. I had what it took to stick with something, even in difficult times.

Austin and another man faced off. The puck dropped. Austin smacked it to Charlie, and I heard the announcers shout about the Irish twins as I hurled my body into motion.

The puck skimmed across the ice in front of Charlie. He passed it side to side and carried it toward the goal. A burly man with an evil grin came at him from the side.

“Not today.” I drifted back and to the side, putting myself in position. “On three.” I shouted at Austin, who dipped a nod and passed me, taking a position alongside Charlie. The two of them were so in sync that they were asked a dozen times a year if they were psychic, if they were related, or if they were partners. The answer was none of the above. They’d worked and skated alongside each other for so long they knew the others thoughts with a look.

I hit the guy going after Charlie, knocking him off balance and skating away. The crowd called my name, and I shot Miranda a look full of all the things I hadn’t said. Words like “I love you”. I’d held them back because when I told her the truth, I wanted us both to have time to sit together and figure shit out. I’d slept with her twice and already had a clear view of our future.

If nothing held her in New York, if she moved here, we had the world at our fingertips. Austin would learn how to accept that his sister had fallen for a teammate. He’d have no choice but to accept it, because I was not giving Miranda up.

I caught up with Charlie and Austin as they whipped around the goal. Movement in my peripheral slowed me enough to catch another bastard in the shoulder before he tripped Charlie.

“Set.” Austin threw the word at me and motioned behind him.

I nodded and cut into position. Charlie spun the puck my way, and I raised my stick to waist height.

Duncan protected my back. Time slowed. Deep breath in. Release. Smack. The crack of the hockey stick on the puck jolted through me. I burst into motion when the goalie reached for the puck…and missed.

Miranda’s whistle pierced the air. I didn’t bother looking at the scoreboard. Instead, I found her in the stands and clapped my stick to my chest in a kind of salute. I’d throw her a kiss, but Duncan might lay me out on the ice if he caught me showing off for the woman I was falling for.

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