Page 2 of Breaking the Pucking Rules
He’s too focused on his job, on his team, and on me.
Don’t get me wrong, when I was a teenager, I loved that I didn’t have to share him with anything but hockey. But now that I’m older, I do wish he could find someone to enjoy life with.
I lift the bible from the counter and tuck it under my armbefore heading back to my car, placing it safely on the passenger’s seat.
Walking through the arena is almost as familiar as walking into Dad’s house.
It’s my second home.
Some of my earliest memories are from here, watching Dad utterly destroying his opponents on the ice.
I loved it just as much then as I do now. Hockey isn’t just a game. It’s a lifestyle. One I can’t imagine not living.
Sucking in a deep breath, I walk toward the rink where I have no doubt I’ll find the man I’m looking for.
The scraping of skates on ice and men shouting get steadily louder, and my speed increases.
If I could, I’d spend all my days sitting in the stands watching them train. Watching Dad boss them around.
The second I turn the corner, my eyes fall on the rink, and without meaning to, they search out number fifty-five. It’s been the same since he was traded here last season.
Kodie Rivers is a hockey god.
Always has been and always will be.
I’m honored to get the chance to watch him in action.
The truth is, I’ve been watching him for years. Since he first took to the ice in college.
Even in high school, he was the best, and that allowed him to have his pick of colleges. And things have only gotten better since.
Especially for me.
When it was announced that he was coming to LA, I thought all my Christmases had come at once.
There’s just one tiny issue…
I’m the coach’s daughter.
It doesn’t matter how much I might obsess over a player; it’s never going to happen.
They wouldn’t risk losing the respect of my father. A night with me isn’t worth it.
I get it. I do. And before Kodie joined the Vipers, it never really bothered me.
I saw them all as adopted uncles, big brothers, and friends.
But now…
I used to have photos of him stuck inside my high school textbooks. I’d have had them on my bedroom wall if I didn’t think my dad would lose his shit over it.
I’ve followed Kodie’s career, his life, ever since he first stole my attention all those years ago.
And now that he’s here, I’m no less intrigued by him. If anything, I’d say my slight obsession is worse.
Managing to rip my eyes away from his form speeding across the ice, I spot Dad.
Determined to look like a woman in control of her life, I hold my head high, clutch his bible tighter to my chest and keep walking.
