Page 60 of Second Chance with the Single Dad Goalie
I nod, even though my feet feel rooted in place.
She turns, heading for the hallway - but just before disappearing into her room, she stops.
Without looking back, she mutters, “I wonder whose fault that was.”
Then she’s gone.
I exhale, running a hand down my face.
I know exactly whose fault it was.
Mine.
And as much as I regret the way things ended, I can’t bring myself to regret the two little miracles that came out of it.
I exhale, picking up the card again, running my fingers over their messy handwriting andherneat script, before finally calling it a night.
****
The referee drops the puck, and the battle begins. The arena erupts, the energy electric, the roar of the Columbus and Avalanche fans deafening.
Inhale. Exhale. Focus.
Here we go.
The Columbus Steelhawks come out aggressively. They win the faceoff, pushing straight into our zone, passing fast, crisp, clean. I track the puck, shifting low, my knees bent, my glove hand steady.
Johansson, their captain, takes possession. He cuts left, then right, faking a shot before flicking the puck back to their winger. A slapshot flies toward me - hard, fast, deadly.
I react. Drop low. Pads together.
Thud. The puck smacks into my left pad, bouncing loose.
The rebound is dangerous. Steelhawks center, Eriksson, charges in, his stick swinging. He tries to bury it, but I kick out my leg - a desperate stretch.
I get a pad on it - save!
The Steelhawks crowd groans.
Tomas scoops up the puck and starts the breakout, skating up the ice. Logan picks it up near the center, tapping it back toTomas. He weaves past a Steelhawks player before passing to Adam on the wing. Adam takes off, fast and aggressive, dodging a hit before dumping the puck into the corner.
Liam is already there, battling for possession along the boards. A Steelhawks defender slams into him, pinning him, but Liam digs the puck out and flicks it back to Paul at the blue line.
Paul winds up. Shoots.
The Columbus goalie reacts fast, blocking it with his pad. The puck rebounds, bouncing right in front of the net.
James sees it first. He lunges forward and - whap! - Slaps it in!
Goal!
The Avalanche bench erupts, and the scoreboard lights up.
1–0.
The Steelhawks don’t take it lightly. They come back hard, pressing into our zone with everything they’ve got. I stay low, tracking the puck, watching their forwards shift and position.
Then it happens.
