Page 145 of Runaway Bride and Prejudice

“We’re Appies,” Alec continues. “Off the ice. On the ice. Together. Family. We play for more than wins, more than trophies. We play forfamily. Not just the people in the stands supporting us. For each other. Every man in this room is your family. And what does that make this place?”

“Home.” I stand, emotion swelling in my chest.

I’m still worried about my sisters. Disappointed Amelia’s not here. Bothered by Coach’s blatant disapproval. Embarrassed that I put my heart on the line for Amelia only to get no response in return. Frustrated by how I’ve been playing—not just tonight, but honestly, for months.

The tangle of negative emotions is still there, but something greater is shoving them all down. A sense of urgency. The connection between us all. The knowledge that this is bigger than all of us individually.

It’s time to stop wallowing in it. Feeling sorry for myself. Feeling like a mistake, a disappointment. I’m part of a team. A family. We’re the Appies. And we aren’t going to go down like this in our own house.

“That’s more like it.” Alec nods and shows off what we all call his Disney prince smile. Blinding. White. Perfect.

I’m pretty sure they’re veneers.

Anyway.

“So, I ask you—are we going to let another team come in and take this game from us?” Alec asks, arching a brow. “Or are we going to show them what a real family looks like?”

The roar in the room is deafening, and as we head out and back through the tunnel onto the ice, I force myself not to look up in the stands.

Whether my sisters are there, whether Amelia comes with them—it can matter to me later. But right now, my focus needs to be right here—withthisfamily.

Alec’s team reset pays off.

We’re monsters the next period. From the puck drop, it’s like we sent out a different team.

Or, maybe, we’re finally just skating like the team weare. Not the ones we played like the first two thirds of the game.

Nathan and Alec are absolutely brutal on defense, and the Badgers can do little more than dump and chase, getting repeated icing calls and getting nowhere near Felix. He’s practically taking a nap.

Eli, who I’m pretty sure hasn’t stopped smiling this entire period, scores twice in the first four minutes. I slot the puck to Logan not a minute later, who ties it up with a third. Dominik pushes us into the lead on a beautiful breakaway during his next shift.

The kid came into this period like a whole different person—and I don’t just mean his playing. It’s the first time his skills have been on par with his normally cocky attitude. But the attitude is gone, and he’s actually playingwithus—a first. Hopefully a permanent shift.

We play hard but clean. The Badgers are gassed, getting sloppy and dirty as we near the end of the period and end of the game.

When one of their D-men takes a swing at Wyatt, I think we’re about to see things get ugly. Wyatt isn’t the kind of guy you mess with. The blow glances off his cheek, and Wyatt barely flinches. He also doesn’t remove his gloves, which results in another power play for us and a score from Camden to leave us up by two.

The crowd is absolutely losing its mind, but I still refuse to look. I don’t look during my shifts. Not while I’m on the bench.

I’m afraid if I see empty seats again, I’ll lose momentum.

But after a line change, Logan nudges me on the bench. His glove is off and he’s wiping the inside of his visor, which is fogging up. “Look,” he says, tilting his chin toward the stands.

I don’t want to. I’ve been so good. So focused. Even if curiosity is a hot burn in my chest.

Shaking my head, I take a drink, keeping my eyes on the ice. “That’s okay. I’m good.”

“No,” Logan insists, nudging me a little harder. “Look.”

I do, my eyes immediately going to the seats that remained empty through the first two periods.

They’re no longer empty.

I’m grinning like a fool as my gaze bounces from one sister to the next to the next. It’s hard to tell the three of them apart when their faces are fully covered in paint and?—

Wait.

Not three. There arefourfaces painted in turquoise and white. Four practically feral women decked out in Appies gear just behind the glass.

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