Page 1 of Falling for You

Prologue

Taylor – Twenty-Eight Years Old

I breathe heavily as I bend forward, holding my stick before me, trying to ignore the sweat dripping down my face and back. I keep my eyes on the center opposite me as the ref stands between us with the puck in hand, ready to drop.

I drown out everything—the cheers, the screams—my sole focus is on what is happening before me. Knowing Anders here has a weak left due to an injury at the beginning of the season, I need to act fast.

If I can get the puck to the left of him, shoot it to Levi, my right winger, and then get to the goal with the help of my right defender, Leo, I should be able to get the goal we need to win. But again, I need to move quick, especially considering my left defender and best friend, Ezra, is currently sitting in the sin bin with their right after a fight broke out.

The fucker goaded him after admitting he fucked his girl last night, which wasn’t a lie. She came onto him, so he took her to the staircase and bent her over. The fucking screams of ecstasy echoed in the bar– I’m surprised their right didn’t even hear it– though in his defense, he had no idea she had a man.

I try and steady my breathing while eyeing the ref, waiting for him to drop the puck, keeping my legs strong.

I’ve been skating since I could fucking walk. My mom used to joke that I was born with a hockey stick in my hand. Growing up, I was thrust into this world. Every camp and game was centered around my life.

My brother, who is two years older than me, couldn’t stand the ice and preferred football, becoming the Hawks quarterback. Ice was my beckoning, as was for my little sister Hannah, who’s twenty-five.

She lived and breathed figure skating until she fell pregnant with my niece Kaylah at nineteen.

It was her first college party and her first one-night stand. The fucker she slept with refused paternity, and last I heard, he dropped out of college while my sister had to change her passion with the help of our parents, our brother, and me; she went into fashion, gaining her a career with a top fashion magazine, Shines.

The fucker before me curls his scarred lip to try and intimidate me, but I don’t react and stay calm. I am not willing to lose this for my team.

The Vancouver Rebels are undefeated, just like we are. There are fifteen seconds left on the clock, and we’re currently tied 4-4.

We need this win to get to the next round of the finals, and fuck me, do I have a lot of pressure on my shoulders to get us there.

It’s been three years since the New York Red Lions have been in the finals, three long fucking years and we nearly got there lastyear, but three of our guys ended up in the sin bin for starting fights on the ice,fuckour left defender, Jack accidentally hit the fucking ref when he was in a rage.

We need this win, add to the fact my whole fucking family is here cheering me on, I need this win.

I blow out a breath as the ref blows his whistle and drops the puck, and without thinking, instead using my instincts, I fucking move, and I move quick before the fucker can even react.

I grab the puck with my stick and go left, causing him to tumble a little, not expecting it, and as the home crowd cheers, I let my stakes glide me across the ice.

I notice their players coming toward me as I look up, and I react, smacking the puck to Levi, the large fucker getting it instantly, and I move straight, heading to the goal. Leo smacks into one of their guys, heading toward me while I spin, using the figure skating moves my sister taught me to dodge their defenders on the other side and get into place just as Levi makes it near their goal and shoots the puck my way.

I feel it hit my stick for a split second before I smack it towards their goal, and hold my breath for what feels like minutes when it was only half a second before the horn sounds to end the game as the light shines above the net and my team bashes into me.

Fuck we won….

“Uncle Tay-Tay,” I hear a squeal as I leave the changing room. Flashes nearly blind me from the press as I catch my little niece.

“Hey squirt,” I gasp with how hard she smacks into me.

She grins as she wraps her arms around my neck, her green eyes sparkling with happiness. I can’t help the grin when I notice she’s wearing a black, red, and green headband, the Red Lions colors in her red curly hair.

If you put her and my sister together, you wouldn’t think they were mother and daughter, especially with my sister’s black hair,taking after our father and light brown eyes, like our mother. Kaylah is a double of her father but still beautiful.

She cups my cheeks and demands, “Did you win for me?!”

I chuckle and mumble, “Of course.”

She grins wide, then kisses my cheek hard, making me chuckle again as I look at my family.

Hannah is pushing her black hair out of her face grinning while my parents look fucking giddy, but my brother, he looks fucking sour, and I’m guessing it’s because of the look on his wife’s face.

Dylan married his wife Xanthe two years ago after ‘dating’ her for six months.

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