Page 93 of One Night Only
I assume that’s not normal for Happy, so I cheer along with everyone else in the arena, clapping and jumping up and down, shouting and screaming for Happy to go.
With eight seconds left on the clock, Happy powers through the defense, narrowly avoiding a hulking Halifax player, and slaps the puck toward the goal. Seconds before the final buzzer sounds to close out the game, the puck hits the back of net, andthe roof on Madison Square Garden is almost blown clean off by the roar of the crowd.
Fran wraps me in a hug, still jumping up and down, and I watch on as all the Thunder players skate toward Happy, piling on top of him in celebration.
Dallas skates past the Halifax goalie, bumping gloves with his opponent in a show of sportsmanship before hurtling toward his teammates and throwing himself on top of the mountain of bodies, and I can’t wipe the grin from my face because I am so fucking in love with that man.
I follow Fran as she leads me through a checkpoint guarded by security, down a winding corridor and into a tunnel that’s bustling with people all standing outside what looks to be the locker room. Official looking men wait with excited kids dressed head to toe in fan gear, and clusters of people who look like family wait impatiently for the players to exit.
“Hey, ladies!” Fran beams, hurrying up to a small group of women dressed to the nines, one of whom I recognize as Hannah from the dinner at Fran and Robbie’s apartment.
“Hey!” Hannah greets me with a happy smile, rubbing a hand up and down my arm.
“Nice to see you again.” I squeeze her hand in return.
“Oh, hey, girl.” A beautiful brunette wraps her arms around Fran in greeting, pulling back to get a look at me. “Who do we have here?”
Fran turns, yanking me toward them. “This is Emily. Emily is—” She glances at me, hesitating briefly before flashing the women a smile. “Emily works at HMC with me.”
“Oh, hi!” The brunette hugs me unexpectedly. “I’m Cassidy, Alex’s wife.”
I smile awkwardly because I have no idea who Alex is.
“Hey, newbie, I’m Jackie.” A blonde woman smiles, shaking my hand. “Rusty’s wife.”
Fran laughs, pointing to both ladies and explaining, “Rusty is team captain, and Alex is alternate captain.”
“Oh,” I reply with a nod, smiling. “It’s good to meet you both.”
“Are you guys coming tonight?” Hannah asks, looking between Fran and me.
“Where?” I ask, confused.
“Rusty organized a VIP for the whole team at Starlight,” Jackie says with a smug smile.
“Oh, my God,” Fran gasps. “I heard that place has, like, a three-month waitlist for a VIP.”
“He pulled some strings.” The blonde touches her nose with a conspiratorial wink.
Fran turns to me, lowering her voice. “You’re coming, right?” She makes a hopeful face, and before I can respond she continues, “Please say yes!”
Starlight is an exclusive rooftop bar that sits forty-five stories high above Midtown. It’s a renowned hotspot frequented by celebrities and all sorts of high-profile people. If I tell Tess I’m going there, she’ll die. Not even she’s been to Starlight yet, and that’s saying something.
I glance down at myself, taking in my outfit. A pair of ankle boots, black tights, and an oversized denim shirt worn as a dress under my coat. When I left home, Tess assured me I looked casually cool and effortlessly chic; perfect for a hockey game. Now, however, I cast Fran a skeptical look. “I don’t think I’m quite dressed forStarlight.”
“Um, hello!” She guffaws, opening her coat for me to see the Thunder jersey she’s wearing over her jeans. “At least you don’t look like Adam Sandler.”
“You both look fine,” Jackie says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Besides, you’re withme.”
I almost laugh out loud, but when I realize she’s serious, Ipress my lips together and bite them between my teeth, spearing Fran with anis-she-seriouslook. Fran just nods, concealing her own smirk as best as she can and linking her arm through mine.
“Let’s go. The car’s waiting in the garage,” Cassidy says, waving us with them. “Alex just texted and said the guys’ll meet us there.”
As I walk back through the tunnels, following Jackie, I feel my phone vibrate from inside my purse resting at my hip and, pulling it out, when I see Dallas’s name on the screen, I can’t help but smile.
D: Seeing you in the stands tonight made me the happiest man in the whole goddamn world. Thank you, baby.
Oh, my heart.
