Page 346 of Breaking the Pucking Rules
My haven.
I felt a little better from the moment I stepped into the building. The cold air filled my nose as I sucked in a deep, calming breath.
The entire place was deserted. Hell, it still is.
Tilting my head to the Jumbotron above me, I close my eyes and just breathe.
The grief, although painful, is more manageable than it once was.
Most days, I don’t recognize it. But this time of year…today.
Fuck, it hurts.
I give myself a few minutes before I grip my stick tighter and take off again after the puck I sent shooting across the ice not so long ago.
When I was a kid, I used to do this for hours. Mom would sit front row and watch me as I took shot after shot into an open goal.
On really good days, Dad would join me and make it a little more challenging.
She never complained. Not once.
She just watched.
A smile pulls at my lips as I think about Sutton. I bet Kodie would do that for her. He must hate that he’s not around enough during the season to do it more.
I’m going to, though. If he allows me.
I’m going to bring her here and just watch her.
Hell, I’ll do one better than that. I’ll get out here with her. For as long as she wants.
Mom hated skating. She hated the feeling of losing control.
I understood, but it was never something that bothered me. I always felt more at home on ice than I did on firm ground.
I keep tight control of the puck as I move toward the open goal, my eyes locked on my target.
I’m vaguely aware of a bang somewhere around the rink, but seeing as no one is booked on here yet, I don’t bother looking over.
When I’m confident I can make the shot, I line up, pull my stick back, and watch it hit the back of the net.
Despite it not meaning anything, adrenaline still races through me. I’m pretty sure it always will when it comes to hockey.
Skating forward, I collect the puck and circle the goal before heading for the other end of the ice.
A shiver runs down my spine as if I’m being watched, but I don’t let it distract me. Instead, I focus on shooting again.
“Yesss,” I whisper-hiss to myself, feeling like a child again as I spin around, only this time, I look up.
I gasp as my eyes collide with a pair I wasn’t expecting to see for hours.
“Oh my god,” I breathe, my stick hitting the ice with a clatter as I stare at the beautiful man standing at the entrance to the ice. “Kodie, what?—”
He moves, and it’s not until he glides toward me that I realize he’s also wearing his skates.
How long has he been watching me?
He doesn’t say a word as he skates closer, and his eyes don’t waver from mine.
