Page 67 of From Ice to Home
Staring at the screen, and the kiss he sent me, my fingers move to my lips, thinking about the way he kissed me last night, and how we get to do this forever. This morning I took the time to look for a Bible verse, wrote it on a piece of paper and slipped it into his bag.
When he played in high school, he’d tape the verse to his stick to remember who he played for—for God, His Glory, and the love of the game.
Knowing he found it, and that he remembered about our little tradition, sends warmth through my chest.
I take a deep breath, tuck my phone in my bag and step into the luxury suite. The sight of the plush black leather seats, sushi bar, and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the rink bathed in blue and red lights has me frozen in place. This is a far cry from the Palmetto rink just outside Georgetown, or even the slightly bigger rink in Charleston.
This is Madison Square Garden. The heart of hockey.
There are a few women sitting around the bar area, wearing matching jackets. They’re chatting and getting drinks, clearly all friends. My chest tightens thinking of goingup to them and introducing myself. Taking a deep breath I weigh my options…either go over there and get to know them, or carefully slip past them and find a seat near the glass.
Just as I’m about to pick option number two, there’s a touch on my shoulder. I spin around, finding a woman with piercing blue eyes and ash blonde hair in an intricate viking style braid.
“Hi,” she says, her smile genuine. “You must be the newest member of the club. Hannah right?” Her gaze is soft and inviting, reminding me a little of someone.
“I’m Avah,” she says. “EJ’s sister. He told me to look out for you.”
“I thought there was something familiar about you,” I say, immediately relieved that I won’t have to sit completely alone for the entire game. There’s a quiet warmth to her that reminds me of EJ, and I can already tell that I’m going to like her. “Thanks for doing this, by the way. I used to tell my siblings to include the new kids too. First time it’s happening to me, though.”
Avah smiles at that before motioning for us to take a seat close to the glass.
“I know what it feels like to be the new one to the group,” she says, steering us past the rest of the group. As she walks in front of me, I catch the number 86 and the name ‘Johannson’ stitched across the back of her jacket. I can’t help but notice it matches the jackets worn by the other women.
“I guess I’m still kind of new. Moved to New York a year ago, and still there are times I feel like I know no-one here. Well, except my brother.”
We take our seats right against the glass. The energy in the arena is infectious. The fans are buzzing, the music pulsing beneath my feet, the lights moving across the smooth surface of the ice. For the first time tonight, I start to relax, comfortable with Avah next to me.
Her expression shifts, curiosity flickering in her blue eyes as she leans in slightly, her voice a low whisper. “So, is it true?”
I blink. “Is what true?”
“You and Lucas got married in Vegas?” she asks, though there’s no malice in her voice. “I don’t want to intrude or anything, it’s just…the rumors are already floating around and since you’re here...” She shrugs. “Well, who better to hear the truth from, right?”
“I guess I can appreciate that.” I sigh, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Yes, it’s true, we got married in Vegas. It all happened so fast, but it wasn’t a Vegas wedding in a sense—”
“You don’t have to explain,” she says, waving it off. “I’ve seen relationships start off perfectly, textbook, and they end up in flames. I’ve come to learn it doesn’t matter how you start, as long as you give it to God and head in the right direction from there.”
Her words settle over me. The way she speaks, like her faith is a part of her that simply is, feels familiar. Comforting, even. I didn’t think I’d meet someone who’s so openly honest about their faith, especially in New York. But now that I have, it’s like a little wink from God that I am in the right place once again.
“I guess I haven’t thought about it like that,” I say with an easy smile. “Lucas and I dated for just over two years back home, so when we ran into each other after all this time, it was like no time had passed.”
Her expression softens and shifts into understanding. “Ah, so making up for lost time, right?” Avah says, with a smile.
“Something like that.“ I let out a small laugh. “Although I don’t really get how we’re the first ones to get married. This morning Lucas mentioned I’m the first wife.”
“Well,” Avah says, looking over her shoulder to where the other women are settling in. “You’re the firstofficialwife. There’s a fiancee, and two steady girls who have been withtheir guys forever, but the rest move in and out. I think Nikolai, the goalie, used to be married at some point, but I’m not really sure what happened there. That was before he was traded to the Rangers.”
I make a mental note to talk to Lucas about his teammates. Perhaps we can have a few of them over and we could really get to know each other. If they’re important to Lucas, I want him to know that they’re important to me too.
“Let’s see, who else,” Avah says, twisting in her seat. “The woman with the amazingly dark hair is the fiancee—Charlotte. She’s been with Mitch for almost seven years. He’s the captain. Then you have Lexi and Amber.” Avah’s friendly demeanour shifts. “Then there’s Megan.”
A red-headed woman walks toward us. She’s wearing the number 23 on her jacket, custom made to match the rest of the group’s. But instead of pairing it with jeans like the rest, she paired it with high heels and a mini-skirt. As she draws closer, Avah clears her throat.
“Like I said, this is Michelle,” Avah says, with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes as she gestures toward the woman taking a seat next to me.
I blink.Michelle?I glance at Avah, raising an eyebrow. She’s clearly pretending not to know her name, but I have no idea why she would do that.
Megan sighs and twists in her seat, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “It’sMegan. And I’m Declan’s girl.”
