Page 120 of Pucking Strong

“No!” She covers her mouth with both hands, nearly toppling off the ledge.

“Wow,” says Teddy in English, keeping her upright. “Great uncle-ing there, Morbror. Lindy, put your guard back in before you’re eating steak through a straw.”

With a chuckle, Lindberg pops his guard in and skates off, patting my shoulder as he goes.

A whistle blows, and I know I’m out of time. “I have to go,” I say in English.

“We’re gonna watch you play,” says Karro in Swedish.

I switch back too. “I’m so happy you’re both here, mitt lilla lamm.”

“Hey, Ted!”

Teddy glances over his shoulder.

A handsome Black man in a Jags NFL jersey waits by the stairs, holding a beer. “I’m gonna head up to the seats,” he calls with a wave.

“K.” Teddy waves back at him. “We’ll be right there!”

I watch as the man scales the steps, disappearing into the stands. “Who was that?”

“What?” Teddy glances over his shoulder. “Oh, that was Colin. I thought you met Colin before.”

My shoulders tense as my smile falls. “No.”

He gives me a puzzled look. “I was sure you had. I think he came to a beach thing once or twice during my intern year.”

“Why is he here?” I say, trying to keep my tone light. I must be failing, judging by Teddy’s expression.

He arches a confused brow. “To watch the game. I invited him. Wait, is that a problem?”

“Of course not.” What else am I supposed to say?

“I mean, the WAGs gave us more tickets than I could ever use,” he goes on. “And Colin was finally free tonight. Besides, I wanted backup in case this one became a sugar-crazed terror,” he adds, kissing Karro’s glittery cheek.

She smiles. “Can I have my cotton candy now?”

“Not until we get to the seats. Ask again, and I’m gonna give your cotton candy to Pelly the Pelican.”

“No,” she whines.

Another whistle blows, and I push back from the glass. “I have to go.”

“Skate well,” Teddy calls with a wave. “Say bye to Morbror, honey bunny.”

“Bye, Morbror!”

“Kick Dallas’s ass!” he adds.

I skate backwards, leaving Karro and Teddy at the glass.

This doesn’t make any sense. I thought Teddy and I were making progress. I told him what I wanted before I left for Columbus. I couldn’t have been clearer. I told him I was ready to try. He agreed to let me.

So why did my husband bring a date to my game?

Not gonna lie, the Rays are a mess tonight. The score is still 0-0, but they’re losing pucks and missing shots. Henrik is definitely part of the problem. He, Lindy, and Langley just aren’t skating as a line tonight. The only reason the Stars haven’t scored is that DeGraw is having a great game. Actually, he’s having a great season. He’s already made two truly incredible saves, and we’re only halfway through the first period.

“Where did y’all find this guy?” Colin says in my ear, cheering with the rest of the fans as DeGraw drops a caught puck to the ice. He was already in a full butterfly when he did this twisty, ballerina backbend, snatching the puck out of the corner of the net with his glove.

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