Page 52 of Shot Through the Heart

This kid is constantly rendering me speechless. I glance at Stella, hoping she sees the uncertainty in my expression.

“Sure can, baby girl.” Stella beams up at me. “However, if we don’t let him leave now, he’s gonna miss his flight and not be able to play tonight.”

Turning away from them and opening her front door is almost impossible.

Just as I’m closing the door behind me, Harper yells after me, “I hope you win!”

Dropping onto the bench in the visitor locker room, I begin stretching my legs before we hit the ice. One of the hardest parts when playing an away game is the fact that, most of the time, none of us can get time on the ice beforehand. The anticipation and need to get moving is evident in most of us. Dean paces in front of me, although with the energy that he always seems to have, it sometimes seems more like he’s bouncing.

Landon, Carter, and Reid are to my left, silently stretching on the bench just like me. Dominik is to my right, rolling his neck from side to side.

We feed off each other’s vibes, hyping each other up and building the tension so that by the time we hit the ice, all we can focus on is the puck.

The ding chimes from behind me and I frown, glancing over my shoulder at my duffle bag. Normally, I wouldn’t give the notification on my phone a second thought since the only ones who text me are either the guys, who are all beside me, or my mother.

Now, there’s a new hope that simmers in my gut.

It could be Stella.

If it ends up being my mom, I’ll just silence my phone and move on with my night. Turning quickly, I snatch my bag up.

And thank heavens I do.

Stella: She’s ready to watch her first hockey game!

Attached is a picture of Harper grinning from ear to ear, holding up Marshmallow, the unicorn, in one hand and giving the camera a thumbs-up with the other.

I heart the picture and save it to my phone before responding.

Me: I’ll make sure to wave at the camera for her.

Stella: I will make sure to prepare my eardrums for her excitement.

“Holy shit.” Dean gasps and stops directly in front of me. “Your face is broken.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Pretty sure my face is perfectly fine.”

“Can’t be.” He shakes his head. “It’s never done…whatever that is before.”

He gestures vaguely at my face before reaching out to poke my cheek. I swat his hand away and scowl up at him.

“Pretty sure that’s called a smile, Squirrel,” Dom tells him.

“Exactly!” Dean throws his hands up as if that only proves his point.

“What are you yelling about now?” Landon asks, sitting on the bench beside me.

“Grey’s been abducted and replaced with an alien clone!” Dean says and I roll my eyes.

I busy myself with putting my phone away, hoping to hide the flinch at his words.

He’s teasing, and there’s no doubt that he would beat himself up if he knew, but the reminder of how closed off I’ve kept myself from them hurts. It’s my own fault. Years of just getting by as best I could.

However, now that I’m remembering what it feels like to live in the moment, I can’t help feeling dejected at everything I’ve missed out on.

“So?” Dean asks when I turn back around. The expression on his face tells me that I missed the original question.

“So…” I parrot back, messing with the laces on my skates even though there’s nothing wrong with them.

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