Page 35 of The Pucks We Freeze
The final buzzer sounded seconds later. They were in. They secured their spot in the playoffs.
I stayed in my seat for a moment, hands still shaking, heart lodged somewhere between my ribs and throat.
Lynnette reached across and squeezed my arm. “He was looking right at you, honey.”
I couldn’t speak. I could only nod because in a crowd of thousands, with the season on the line and chaos around him, Kade Brooks only had eyes for me.
The final buzzer still rang in my ears as I stood frozen, my camera slack around my neck while the Rixton Wolves piled on each other at center ice. Gloves flew, sticks clattered, and players slammed into one another with unfiltered adrenaline and excitement. The roar of the crowd vibrated through my chest.
And still, my gaze never left him.
Kade was somewhere beneath that pile, probably being tackled by Rowdy and Owen, and grinning so hard it hurt. I could practically feel the rush radiating off the ice—like a wildfire, fast and consuming.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
I pulled it out with cold fingers, expecting a celebratory message from Everly, who mentioned she’d be watching the game with Hayes back in Braysen. The two grew up together and were friends, something I hadn’t known until after they started dating. But it wasn’t her at all.
Kade: Meet me outside the locker room. Need to see you.
Just ten words. They punched the breath from my lungs.
I tucked my phone back in my coat, trying to smooth the expression on my face before either Lynnette or Dad noticed. Something in my smile must’ve given me away, though, because when I looked up, my dad was watching me with that gentle, narrowed gaze that always made me feel like a kid caught in a half-truth.
I cleared my throat, slinging my purse and camera bag over my shoulder. “I think I’m gonna find Cass before we head out. She said she was here.”
Dad raised a skeptical brow. “Cass made it?”
I nodded. “She texted me earlier. Wants to say hi before we both head back to school.”
A beat passed before he nodded, clearly not buying it but too tired to push. “Tell her I said hello.”
He stood slowly, rolling his shoulders like the night had settled heavy in his bones. “This game wore me out more than I expected.”
I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for coming with me. I know it meant a lot to Kade, too, to have you here. I’ll see you back at the house.”
His hand squeezed mine for a second. “You getting a ride with Kade?”
I nodded. “If I find him. Otherwise, I’m sure Cass will give me a lift.”
I waited until the crowd swallowed him and Lynnette before I turned and let myself breathe again.
The arena’s energy hadn’t fully died down. It hummed as fans filed out, their voices echoing off the concrete walls. I weaved between clusters of students, sidestepping spilled popcorn and conversations still buzzing about Kade’s game-winning goal.
My focus was on one thing and one thing only. I passed the press booths, down the narrow corridor behind the bleachers, toward the restricted zone.
And there he was.
Kade stood just outside the locker room, still in his Under Armor, damp curls clinging to his forehead. A towel hung loosely around his neck, his gloves tucked beneath one arm. He looked like he’d just walked out of a storm, but when he saw me, something in him eased.
“Hey,” he said, voice low and rough in the best way.
“Hey,” I breathed, stepping closer.
The moment stretched between us, thick with things neither of us had said. My heart stammered as I took him in. Every inch of him tired, wild, alive.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d come,” he said after a beat, his gaze dropping to my camera bag, then lifting again, slower this time.
“You texted,” I replied, voice softer now. “Of course I came.”
