Page 41 of ICED
“Show off.”
I laugh, shake my head, and skate off before Coach can bark at me to focus.
But I do focus.
Harder than I have in months.
Because every time I pass that side of the rink, I see them. Every turn, every check, every shift. I’ve got something to skate for now.
And it’s not just a win.
It’s them.
The game is brutal. Fast. Full of elbows and shouts and sticks hitting ice.
But I’m sharper than I’ve been in weeks. I hit hard, skate fast, keep our blue line clean. I even catch a few chirps from the other team’s winger, but I barely bite. Barely.
Mostly because I know exactly who’s watching from the front row.
Second period, I block a shot and hear the crack echo through the boards. I wince. It stung like hell, but when I glance toward the plexi and see Maya’s eyes wide and Lilacupping her hands over her mouth in awe, I push through it. Can’t let them see me wince.
Between shifts, I sneak a glance at them. Lila’s waving with both hands. Maya points to the scoreboard, mouthsYou’re winninglike she’s surprised.
I grin through my visor and mouth back,Obviously.
We take the win 4-2. Clean, strong, hard-fought. The locker room erupts in shouts and towel-whipping chaos.
Murphy hands me a bottle of water. “You played like someone was watching, Romeo.”
“Someone was,” I mutter, but I can’t hide the grin stretching my face.
Dylan tosses me a fresh shirt. “You gonna see her after?”
“Hope so.”
I duck out of the changing room as the noise fades, still slightly damp, hair mussed, and walk toward the family and friends’ entrance. There’s a small crowd, but I spot them immediately.
Lila’s waving the puck at anyone who’ll listen. Maya’s laughing, shoulders loose, cheeks flushed from the cold.
When she sees me, her mouth twitches into a smile that hits me square in the chest.
“You survived,” she says.
“Barely. Took a puck to the ribs for dramatic effect.”
She arches a brow. “Trying to impress me with blunt-force trauma?”
“Is it working?”
She tilts her head like she’s pretending to think about it. “Lila says yes. I’m undecided.”
Lila barrels into me before I can reply, wrapping her arms around my legs. “Mr Bear, we saw you! You skated so fast and threw me a puck and hit a man with your butt!”
I blink. “That’s… exactly the summary I would’ve written, kiddo.”
She beams. “Mummy said you were showing off.”
Maya huffs, eyes sparkling. “I said he wasobviouslyshowing off. There’s a difference.”
