Page 19 of Slapped Into Love

ChapterTen

Tamara

Although I’d trainedplenty of players, I’d never been one to watch hockey games. Not unless I was pulling tapes to analyze how the players skated so I could use the information during power skating drills. It had always been too difficult for me to turn off that part of my brain and just enjoy the game for whatitwas.

Having my boyfriend on the ice had changed that for me, though. Especially during the last month of playoff games, when I was too nervous to do anything but sit in the edge of my seat and pray that they pulled off another win so they didn’t get knocked out of the running for thechampionship.

“C’mon, get the puck out of there, Ryan. C’mon,” Ichanted.

The opposing team was cycling the puck in our defensive end, and I had a bad feeling it wasn’t going to go well for us. The longer the puck stayed on our end of the ice, the more likely it was that they’d be able to score a goalagainstus.

“Shit.” I winced when Ryan slammed a player into the boards. I thought for sure that the ref was going to call him for a penalty, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn’t hear a whistle. But that feeling was short-lived when the other team got a shot off and the puck went flying past the goalie and intothenet.

“Dammit,” Igroaned.

Cee-Cee reached out and grabbed my hand, both of us looking up at the score board. With that goal, the Cavaliers were down by two with only three minutes left on the clock. Ryan and Jason skated back to the bench, while Alec and his line mate took their place in the defensive positions for thepuckdrop.

“Jason’s going to be so pissed at himself for not clearing the zone on that one,” Cee-Ceegrumbled.

“Ryan isn’t going to be anyhappier.”

Cee-Cee and I had gotten to know each other well over the past couple of months, both professionally and personally. Some of the press she’d gotten for the team had bled over to me, and she’d also managed to snag me a sponsor for the Olympics next year. Between the money they’d committed to, what I’d earned with my win at the World Single Distance Championships, and the money I was earning from the Cavaliers, I was in a position where I didn’t have to worry about earning enough to make it to South Korea inFebruary.

“I should have grabbed an extra beer when I had the chance,” I groaned. “I swear the game clock is running in slowmotion.”

Cee-Cee’s hand clenched mine harder. “You don’t have room to complain too much. At least you had a few, right? This was not the night to stick to ginger ale. Alcohol would have helped with thestress.”

I gulped down the last of my beer. “It hasn’t done memuchgood.”

She released my hand to rub her belly. “I feel like I’m going tothrowup.”

I tore my gaze away from the ice to look at her. “Wait a second. Why aren’t youdrinking?”

“Umm,” shestuttered.

“They’ve been in close games before, and you’ve never mentioned anything about feeling sick to yourstomach.”

“Well,” she drawled, her gaze sliding to the ice and back to me. “Can we pretend like you didn’tnotice?”

“Pretend? Ohhhh,” I breathed as realization dawned. “Yes, that’stotallyfine.”

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, letting her know I got what she was saying and I was excited for her even though she hadn’t confirmed mysuspicion.

“Win or lose, I can’t wait any longer,” she mumbled. “I put it off as long as I could because I didn’t want to do anything to mess with Jason’s head when it needs to be in the game. But I really want it to be something for just the two of us to share for a littlewhile.”

I nodded. “I think you made the right call. If you’re talking about what I think you’re talking about”—I tilted my head in her direction and offered her a gentle smile—“then it will be wonderful news to help ease the sting of what’s almost definitely going to bealoss.”

“I’m not confirming or denying anything, but I hope so,” shewhispered.

“I know so,” I assured her. “It’s obvious to anyone who sees the two of you together for even a minute; that manlovesyou.”

Her lips tilted up in a dreamy smile, and she twisted her engagement ring around her finger. “I lovehim,too.”

“Trust me, your love for him is alsoobvious.”

“And I’m totally fine with that.” She grinned at me, shaking her head. “Because only love has the power to keep me in a relationship with a professional athlete. It’s so damn difficult sometimes, between the grueling schedule, road trips, and puckbunnies.”

“Tell me about it,” I snorted. “Just imagine how much harder it is when you’re both athletes with conflictingschedules.”

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