Page 66 of Shot Through the Heart

Well, trying to focus on the game is more like it.

Normally, the second I hit the ice, nothing else matters.

Seeing my mom in the same room as Stella and Harper is really fucking with my head, though.

“She shouldn’t even be here,” I grumble under my breath, more to myself than Dom.

“You’re right, but you can’t control the actions of others. Good news is, she’s gone and your girls are okay.”

I nod in response, sliding down the bench to make room for those coming off the ice. There are only a few more minutes before I’ll be back out there, and I need to get my shit together.

Dominik nudges me again, forcing my attention to him. “They’re safe up there. That’s what’s important. You can’t do anything from here but trust that they’re close by. Plus, Ari seems kinda scrappy. I don’t think she’d let anything happen.”

He’s right. I know he is.

But if I’m being honest with myself, it’s not that I’m worried about something happeningtoeither of them. The last time my mom was around Stella, I didn’t see her for nearly five years. Worrying that she could just up and leave with Harper is what has me on edge. Logic has no stake when fear takes hold.

My eyes follow the current play, and I push to my feet to get myself amped up to switch out with Cory. The kid is good on the ice, but my interactions with him are limited to watching him flirt with every woman he lays eyes on and taking over for him at the end of his shift during a game.

Eyes on the puck, I try to push my fears aside, reminding myself that Dominik is right. Stella is fine.

I follow the play into our zone, watching Dominik and Landon adjust to help defend the goal. Hot on the heels of the Nighthawks player who has the puck, I try to snatch it from him, but he passes it to his teammate who’s closer to the goal. We all shift, I watch as Landon skates forward to try to cut off the guy’s shot, only for him to pass it at the last second.

Dean dives forward and covers the puck with his glove, blocking the goal. The whistle blows to stop the play, but the player who shot the puck keeps going. My teeth clench as the idiot who tried to score barrels into Dean. They fall to the ice, and I know I’m not the only one closing in on them. I make it there first and yank the guy off Dean and shove him away while shifting to block my goalie.

The kid manages to stop himself from falling on his ass and whirls around to get in my face. He swears at me, but I stand my ground.

“Back the fuck off,” I yell back and push him away.

The guy swings at me, but I lean back and dodge it. I’m not ever the one who gets into fights. However, I was already on edge before this dipshit decided to knock down Dean.

Everyone knows you don’t touch the goalie.

Someone calls my name, and I turn to see what’s up just as my line of sight is filled with the bright orange of the other team’s jersey. My world tilts, pain reverberating through my skull, followed by the jarring sensation of my head colliding with the ice.

ChapterTwenty-Four

STELLA

My hands shakeas I pace the length of the waiting room. No matter how hard I try to make them stop, the incessant shaking persists.

All I can think about is the sight of Greyson being taken off the ice on a stretcher. Occasionally, the sight of the Nighthawks player slamming into him at full speed and Greyson’s head snapping back take over, but it’s mostly his unmoving form that plays on repeat.

Hockey players take hits. It’s part of the job. Greyson once told me that leaving the game without bruises or blood meant it was a boring game. That’s an easy pill to swallow until it’s the person you love taking the hit that goes too far.

I knew the second he fell to the ice that it was bad. If it weren’t for Lilly wrapping her arms around me, I would have lunged myself over the railing in an attempt to get to him. Luckily, Harper had just convinced Ari to get more French fries, so I didn’t have to worry about my daughter being traumatized on top of it all.

By the time they came back, Dominik and Landon were clearing the players on the ice away to make room for the medics while Dean stayed by Grey’s side. Ari didn’t even have to ask what happened as the replay of the hit was playing on the jumbo screen. The silence in the arena was almost too much as we all waited for some sort of movement.

I’d seen him go down plenty of times in high school, but he always got right back up and gave a thumbs-up. This time, I stared at his arms, waiting for some sort of movement or sign that he was okay, but it never came.

Lilly was on her phone immediately, calling Eva for me and asking her to meet us at the hospital. I vaguely heard a joke about the two of them always ending up there, but Lilly stepped away to finish the call. I assume she filled her in because by the time we made it to the hospital, Eva was pulling up and offering to take Harper while Lilly and Ari hung back with me.

I scrub a hand over my face at the fact that I didn’t even think about that. There’s no telling how long it will be before we get an update and a hospital waiting room is not a fun place for a toddler to hang out.

“Any update?” Ari asks when she comes back into the room with a tray of coffee. She hands me the first one and I take it, grateful for something to do with my trembling hands.

“Not yet,” I say before blowing tentatively and taking a sip from my cup.

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