Page 92 of Cross-Check

“That could have been you. Glad you got your shit together, Coop. I like you,” he says as if he read my mind. Beckett pats my shoulder. “Now go win the faceoff. No pressure or anything.”

He has me laughing as I skate up to the circle. Then I wait. One heartbeat. Then another.

The puck drops, and I’m on the move. I pass it easily toward Beckett. He has it, passing it down to Clay.

I skate like my life depends on it, pushing to get down ice.

Clay sees me, passing the puck back my way.

The opening is clear, so I take it. I slap the shot right at the net.

Their goalie tries his best to block it, but it skates by him by less than an inch, flying into the back of the net.

Thirty seconds into the game, and I’ve scored the first goal.

All the guys surround me, congratulating me. I hear my name over the speakers along with Clay’s for the assist.

I turn, pointing at Cora, and mouth,for you.

It’s true.

All of this progress I’ve made has been for her. If you had asked me two months ago if I would be cool with the guys again and playing at the top of my game, I would have called you a liar. I felt so hopeless. Like I was stuck in a rut that I would never get out of.

Until she came along and rescued me.

The rest of the game flies by in a blur. For the first time this season, we win without letting them score a single goal. It’s the best we have ever played. Wyatt protected the net like his life depended on it, and we got a shutout.

Everyone can feel the difference in the air. We aren’t the team struggling to get along or work together anymore.

We found our harmony.

As we celebrate in the locker room, all I can think about is getting out to my girl. I shower quickly, laughing when Clay is racing me out of the locker room.

Right outside, we find them. Grace, Peyton, and Cora are waiting for us as they laugh with one another.

Without hesitation, I drop my bag, walking right up to Cora to cup her cheeks. Then I kiss her like it’s the last thing I will ever do.

When I finally pull back, she smiles up at me. “Good game, hotshot.”

“I love you.” The words fall out of my lips before I kiss her again.

I can’t stop.

This is the woman I will spend the rest of my life with.

twenty-two

Brr.

I can’t help but shiver as I walk across campus to the administration building. While the temperature has been slowly going down each day, this morning it feels more than obvious that Halloween is right around the corner.

My social media has been filled with cute little towns that go all out for the holidays, hanging ghosts from lamp posts while hanging pumpkin lights in trees. I never knew towns like that existed, and now I’m obsessed.

I wonder if there are any close to us. Maybe Kellan and I can go on a little date to one.

Shaking my head, I make my way inside and down the hall to the door I need.

“Hi, how can I help you today?” the woman behind the counter asks.

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