Page 25 of Falling for the Hockey Superstar

“Hey, Jake, can you come in here for a minute? I’ve got something to show you.” I find the pictures from last year’s event and hand my tablet over to Jake who’s now cross-legged on the kitchen floor.

I glance and see Jake’s eyes widen as he scrolls through the photos from last year’s event.

“Whoa…” Jake’s voice is barely above a whisper as he leans closer, his gaze locked on the images of kids skating alongside Ice Hawks players, the wide grins on their faces mirroring pure joy.

“Pretty cool, huh?” I murmur, flipping through the images slowly to let him take it all in.

Jake’s eyes flick to mine, his excitement barely contained. “Is… is that what we’re doing?”

“Even better,” I grin, crouching down so we’re at eye level. “The VIP Kids’ Day is even bigger this year. We’re turning it into a charity event, so kids who wouldn’t normally get a chance to play hockey can experience it for themselves.”

I swipe to the next screen and let Jake and Abby take in the details.

“The event’s happening at the Ice Hawks’ arena,” I explain, pointing to the calendar on my phone. “It’s an all-day experience, starting with a private tour of the locker room.”

“Whoa…” Jake whispers, his eyes practically glowing.

“Yeah, buddy.” I smile, feeling a tug in my chest at how much this means to him. “You’ll get to check out where we suit up before games. You’ll see all the gear—helmets, sticks, skates—and even some of our lucky charms and personal items.”

Jake’s mouth drops open. “Like your stuff?”

“Yup,” I chuckle. “I’ll show you my stall, where I tape my sticks, and where we go over game plans before we hit the ice.”

Since he is so into what I’m saying, I add more. “After the tour, there’s a meet-and-greet with the team,” I continue, watching Jake’s face light up. “You’ll get to meet the guys, ask questions, and take pictures.”

Jake’s jaw drops. “With all of them?”

“Every single one,” I confirm with a wink. “And they’re great with kids. You’ll get to hang out, talk hockey, and maybe even learn a few new tricks.”

“Will Griffin be there?” Jake asks eagerly, referring to my best friend and teammate, Griffin Shaw.

“Of course,” I grin. “And knowing Griff, he’s probably planning to teach you a few fancy dekes.”

Jake’s eyes practically sparkle. He’s breathless when he asks me with even wider eyes what dekes are. His intensity makes me chuckle when I explain that a deke is a type of feint or fake technique where we try to draw an opposing player out of position so we can skate by the opponent and keep control of the puck. It comes from the word decoy. “Oh, I got it.” he says. “It’s like this” and he jumps up and demonstrates a perfect maneuver.

Oh yeah, this is going to be a blast.

“But that’s not all,” I add, swiping to another photo. “After the meet-and-greet, there’s a station where you get to decorate your own Ice Hawks jersey.”

“Wait, what?” Jake’s eyes widen yet again. I’m afraid they’re going to pop out of their sockets before I’m done.

“Yeah,” I chuckle. “We’ve got white practice jerseys, and the kids get to design them however they want—paint, markers, patches… anything. You’ll even get to add your name and a number.”

Jake’s grin stretches ear to ear. “I can be number nine, like you?”

“Absolutely.” My chest tightens at the excitement in his voice. “You’ll be rocking your own custom jersey by the end of the day.”

“Can you handle any more?” I ask, watching his eyes closely for any hint of unexpected forward movement. At his yes while jumping up and down, I go ahead.

“After that,” I continue, “we hit the ice.”

Jake’s eyes widen again. “We get to skate?”

“Not just skate,” I say with a smile. “There’s an on-ice skills session on our practice rink where some of the Ice Hawks guys will teach you stickhandling, passing, and shooting. You’ll get to practice your wrist shot, just like we talked about. Any kids who don’t have their own skates get some… to keep.”

Jake nods so hard I think his head might pop off.

“And then…” I pause for dramatic effect.

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