Page 101 of Absolutely Pucked
The whole family. And that meant me too.
“Love that.”
He shot me finger guns, then turned and headed forthe front door. I didn’t follow him. I just waited, listening for the sound of him leaving. Then there were headlights, which probably meant Deo had been waiting for him this entire time.
I couldn’t wait to be part of that.
Or, no. That was wrong. I could wait, because the payoff at the end would be so damn worth it.
EPILOGUE
FORD
“Left! Go, take the fucking shot!”
The ice beneath my sled was covered in thick piles of snow. We were playing a rough, intense game. I didn’t know what had gotten into everyone, but it was almost like someone was pumping adrenaline into the air.
Or maybe it was just me. Killian was meant to be home tonight. His flight out of SFO was delayed by fog, so he didn’t make it in time for the game, but that was fine. The point was, he was on his way.
And he was a free man.
For now.
I was eventually going to make him mine in every sense of the word, but we had time, and I wanted to save for a ring he deserved.
The game was also an important one. It was Tucker and Boden’s last hurrah. It was the last time I’d see them with their Wolves sweaters on. It was the last time their sleds would touch this ice. The last shot on goalTucker would take. The last penalty for fighting Boden would get in our sin bin.
I was thrilled for them, but my mourning period would be long and intense.
I couldn’t think about that now though. Boden shot the puck under Dennis’s sled, and it hit my stick. I turned, seeing Tucker check Brady, who had been coming right for me, and then I saw it. I had a single shot on goal.
And I took it.
There was just enough time to hear the clink of the puck bounce off the poles, past Georgie’s glove, and hit the back of the net before the buzzer sounded. Then I was met with a face full of ice as both Boden and Tucker’s intense celly brought me to the ground.
The ice tasted amazing.
And so did the victory. I couldn’t hear over the team’s screaming, but I knew the meager crowd our little community team brought in was enjoying it just as much as we were. This night was…well, it was a lot.
It was the last night for so many things, but it was also going to be a first. I had a key in my bag and a mostly unpacked, brand-new apartment that Killian would be walking into for the first time.
Getting myself upright, I swiped powdered, shredded ice off my face and looked at both Tucker and Boden, who were openly crying. Now that they’d started, I couldn’t hold back. There would be no big ceremony. No lifting jerseys to the rafters. No red carpet and big speeches. No presser.
They’d move on as though it was like nothing, only for us, it would never be nothing.
How could it be? This team had created the family that we were, and while nothing could break it now, we were losing something.
“You all need to get me out of here before I totally lose it,” Tucker said with a sniff.
We quickly gave our victory head-bops to Mikey, then exchanged a good game with the other guys before pushing ourselves off the ice. There were crutches and wheelchairs waiting everywhere as the guys slid out of their sleds, and it wasn’t long before we were in the locker room.
The mood was subdued for the victory that it was. It wasn’t a playoff game. It wasn’t a trophy game.
It was…just a game. A last game.
I sat under the spray in my little shower stall on the bench for a little too long. Boden was muttering in angry French as he fought with his legs, which always spasmed after a night like this. I could hear Tucker laughing at him, making fun of his toes, and the other guys slowly making their way out after getting dressed.
“Dude, you grow a fucking mermaid tail or what?” Tucker finally asked.
