Page 72 of Unmasking Love
"Great! I'll talk to the team today and get you two tickets. You can bring a friend if you want. Or there's a family suite if you want to be in there."
"I'll let you pick the best seats for me."
"Right behind the net then. So you can stare at my ass for the first and third periods."
She laughs and I want to capture the sound in amber and preserve it forever. I don't want anyone else to hear it.
"I'd love to stare at your ass." She says as I get out of the car and round to her side. The D.C. Renegades have a practice facility some other teams in the league would kill to work in. It was an investment they made five years back after the team won the Stanley Cup. Then because of the salary cap they had to make a bunch of trades and the team is still rebuilding. Last season they got close but lost in six games to Dallas in the conference finals.
Our hands stay locked together as we walk into the building. A few guys are in the hallway signing photos and jerseys the team uses for giveaways. I only release her hand when I step up to the team photo and need to sign it.
"Harper? Did you join the team?" Bryson asks as he walks into the hallway half in his gear.
"Ha, no. Aiden invited me along to watch."
"He did?!" Duncan asks as he pokes his head out behind Bryson. He must have been one foot into the locker room and stopped. He's also only half dressed in his skates, shin pads, socks, and shorts. He locks eyes with me and mouths something like "so is she your girlfriend?"
"I am," Harper says and Duncan looks at her with a guilty expression. I shake my head and roll my eyes behind my lids. These guys take goofy beyond loveable to just plain obnoxious sometimes.
"That's great! Congratulations!" Duncan cheers and then he leans his head into the locker room, one skate popping up behind him so he can balance. "Young Gun is dating Harper!"
She looks up at me and smiles with wide open eyes as the room erupts in cheers and claps and "atta boys".
"You better get out of here," I tell her with a quick kiss to her lips. I want to linger but I know I can't. "The Corner is just around that, well, corner." I point down the hall.
"Okay, have a good practice." She says as she tilts up to peck me on the lips again.
And it's on cloud nine that I float into the locker room, accept the congratulatory cheers, and dress for practice.
Chapter 20
Harper
Newest WAG
There'sadoorinfront of me that says "The Corner" with the D.C. Renegades logo on it. I take a bracing breath as I stare into the pink eyes of the wolf with wings and a puck behind him. It’s almost like someone without real design experience created it. The thought distracts me enough to feel a flicker of bravery. I push open the door and start to climb up the set of stairs. I can hear chatter in the distance and it gets a little louder with each step. Once I round the final landing I see a nicely appointed suite with some sofas in the middle, a TV on the wall over a media cabinet and along the back wall is a beverage station lined with baskets of snacks ranging from protein bars to baby rice puffs.
"Who are you?" A little voice asks at my knee. I look down and see a toddler with blonde pigtails and a D.C. Renegades sequined sweatshirt on.
"I'm Harper, who are you?"
"Tilly." She says and then she turns and runs towards the glass overlooking the rink. Tilly clings onto the leg of a woman who looks to be just a few years older than me.
"One second Tilly," the lady says as she talks to the other blonde next to her. I take a quick scan of the six women in the room and see I'm one of two brunettes. It feels very south Florida here. "Yes baby," the lady says as she scoops Tilly up into her arms. They talk and then Tilly points in my direction and the lady's eyes follow. "Oh! Hello!" She says as she starts walking over to me.
"Hi," I say quietly.
"I'm Danielle, Coach Bradford's wife. This is our three year old, Tilly, but she says you've already met."
"Free and a half," Tilly corrects and Danielle nods in her direction.
"My mistake, three and a half." Danielle smiles at me. "Tilly only told me you were her new friend but couldn't remember your name."
"Oh, sorry, yeah, I'm Harper." I say with a laugh and I hold out my hand to shake.
"Hello Harper," Danielle says warmly and holds my hand in hers. "Are you here with someone or are you new on staff? My husband doesn't always remember to update me on new arrivals."
"I'm dating Aiden Youngren." I say with a hint of question in my tone.
