by Lynn Rush
Jessa clapped her mittened hands and jumped off the wagon as well. She pulled Willow into a big hug, and their laughter made me smile.
Seeing Willow happy was such a relief. She’d been through so much with her injury, Ericka, the whole Matthew thing. She was due for some happiness.
“Wonder what’s going on there?” Preach said as we made our way toward them.
I shoved my hands in my front jeans pockets and relaxed my shoulders, hoping to come off as calm and cool.
I was anything but. My heart hammered, and my hands were clammy. The big smile brightened Willow’s face, making her even more pretty than she normally was.
“Hey guys,” Preach said, coming up to them. “What’s up?”
“Hey.” I nodded to Willow and then Jessa.
“Oh my gosh, Brodie!” Willow held her hand up. “Give me a high-five. Right now.”
I did as asked. “Sure. Why am I high-fiving you?”
“I’m cleared!” she screamed and jumped up and down. “My PT cleared me. Full on cleared me for all the things!”
Willow was cleared? That meant she was even closer to leaving. It felt like someone had just kicked me in the balls.
“What’s going on here, Ice Capades?” Nathaniel asked as he, Teddy, and Eric came up to the group. Amanda and a couple of her friends hovered nearby, and I could tell they were listening but didn’t join the group.
“Willow’s cleared one hundred percent from PT.” Jessa hugged her again. “And she sent off a couple videos I made of her doing a routine to some coaches.”
“Holy shit, Ice Capades. That’s…wait. You’re going to do both, right?” Nathaniel nailed her with a stare. “Hockey and figure skating. Because you can’t leave us hanging.”
“No. Yes. I mean. Yes. For now.” The flames from the fire flickered off her big, blue eyes. Her lips shimmered as if she’d just put on some of that lip gloss she wore, and I couldn’t help but stare. I’d kissed those lips once, and damn, I wanted to again.
My teammates fell silent, and the knot in my stomach twisted even tighter.
“Let her go back to her frilly skirts,” Eric said. “I always knew putting her on the team was a mistake.” Without another word, he stormed away.
“You know what? I’m in such a good mood, I’m not even going to let that asshat get to me.” Willow jumped up and down. She was wearing a Woodhaven stocking cap, but her long black braids bounced against her chest as she moved.
Trevor, Landen, and Josiah came up to the group. “Let’s hit the maze!”
The awkward silence dissipated as Willow grabbed my arm, forcing my hand out of my pocket, and said, “Come on, Wind!”
She tugged me along as we trailed the group. “You’re awfully quiet.”
The news of her getting one step closer to competitive skating again was amazing but also devastating… She made our team better, and damn, the thought of not seeing her every day, hitting the ice together, texting each other constantly, was truly awful.
We entered the maze, and she guided me around the first right turn. The bales were so high, barely any light from the fire bled in. A cool, crisp breeze toiled through, carrying the scent of apple, cinnamon, and burned embers.
I loved the smell of fall.
“I’m happy for you, Willow. So…it’s really happening, isn’t it?” I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice, but I wasn’t sure if I succeeded.
“Yes. Yes. I mean, I hope so.” She glanced at me, and she was still smiling. I hadn’t ever seen her so happy. Well, that wasn’t true. When she blocked my shot that first pick-up game we ever played together, she was pretty happy then.
“What’s all this mean?” My mouth went dry and my hands started shaking, so I pulled my stocking cap down to try and keep them busy.
“I have to get on a team by at least January if I have any chance to take the level tests in time to work my way to worlds and then the Olympics.”
“Why do you need a team?” I asked, then pointed to the left. “Let’s try this way.”
“I think the group stayed straight.”
I shrugged. “I kind of asked Eric for directions.”
“Cheater!” She playfully backhanded my gut, then grinned up at me. “And I need a team behind me to have access to the best coaches, trainers, PTs, and ice time. The two hours extra a day I get here, now, is fine. But I need to be at this for eight hours a day.”
“Hard to do on your own. I get it.” My heart palpitated in my chest. I wanted to be happy for her. I really did. This was her dream, and I wanted her to live it. I would never think of standing in the way of that. But she was talking about leaving…in less than three months. And that hurt like a bitch.
My phone bellowed the Muppets Manamana ringtone, and I pulled it out.
“The Muppets?” Willow asked.
“Pax.”
Willow’s shoulders slouched, and her smile faded slightly. “Kinda hard to match Muppets with Pax.”
“Inside joke.” I tapped the screen to make sure it wasn’t a respond now text, and it wasn’t. Just a gif of something, so I slid the phone back in my pocket.
“I don’t get it, Brodie. Why are you such good friends with him?”
I let out a long, slow breath as I contemplated what to tell her. “He’s had a tough life.”
“And that excuses his asshat-ness?” Her jaw ticked, then clenched.
“Not even. But he…was there for me. You know. Um…when Mom died. Beside Preach, he was…he didn’t leave me when the shit hit the fan.”
“Oh,” she said, barely above a whisper.
“His life is beyond messed up right now…so I can’t leave him. I won’t.”
“You’re a really good friend, Brodie. And I totally respect you for how loyal you are.”
We took a right turn and ran smack into a skeleton, dripping with fake blood. “Whoa!” I spun away from it, taking Willow with me.
“Oh my gosh!” Willow grabbed onto me. “What the hell?”
“Come on!” I grabbed her hand and ran past the thing and deeper into darkness. “Eric’s family really went all out this year.”
My heart was still racing as we came to a stop. Willow rested against a tall bale of hay, her chest heaving. My heart was thumping wildly, but it wasn’t because I was scared; it was because I was here with Willow. Alone. Just me and her. Like when we were at the park…
Willow grabbed my hand and, with a solid tug, pulled me to her. It was pretty dark here, with only the moon above us to light it up, but I saw her eyes. They scanned my face so slowly, it felt like a warm caress against my skin.
“Willow, are you sure we—”
She pushed up and swallowed my words with a kiss. Strong arms curled around my neck as her body pressed against mine. Even though she wore a thick hoodie, her heat seeped through, into my chest, triggering a spark of need that nearly knocked me over.
I put my foot out to steady myself, then I wove my arms around her waist and hoisted her against me. Nipping at her bottom lip, I smiled against her mouth as she then opened for me and tilted her head. It gave me full access to her, and I dove in.
She tasted like apple cider.
“Mmm,” I hummed as I chased down every last trace of that sugary drink. Her fingers worked their way into my hair, pushing my stocking cap off. She tilted her head and stepped into me more.
I eased back, praying to God no one came by even while I knew I just didn’t care, as the heat stormed through my body, tightening my spine. Tracing my hand down her spine, I followed her curves over her tight ass and pulled her to me.
She drew in a sharp breath but didn’t back away. She felt absolutely perfect against me. She—
Something soft bumped my shoulder. Shuffling sounded above me, and I broke our connection.
A hay bale toppled just a
s I looked up, and it nailed me in the shoulder. Another tumbled, and I spun us out of its path just as one more landed on my back.
“Ah,” Willow gasped.
We stumbled forward, but we both adjusted, somehow staying upright. “You okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine.” She nodded and pointed to the hay bales around us. “But I think the Fates have spoken, huh?”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
Willow
“Falcons! Falcons! Falcons!” everyone cheered on the bus.
Brodie stood and leaned against the back of one of the brown bus seats. “Listen, guys,” he said, then paused. “I mean, listen, guys and girl.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
“This is our last league game. Our record is seven and zero. If we win, we’ll have another perfect season under our belts, and we’ll be Fall League champs.”
“When we win,” Teddy shouted.
“League champions!” Nathaniel yelled. He punched his fist into the air, bumping me in the process. “Seven years in a row!”
My teammates joined in, chanting, “League champs! League champs!”
Brodie raised his hands, and we quieted down. “Coach told me there’s a scout for LSU here for the game.”
My stomach tightened, and a flash of heat shot through my body. A scout?
“Yeah, baby!” Nathaniel yelled. “Coach Johns is mine. You all, just back away. I want LSU!”
Pax flicked his ear. “Like he’d come to see your sorry ass flop all over the ice like a little Mini Mite.”
Everyone started laughing, but my stomach hardened that much more. A scout. Watching… No pressure or anything. I knew the game was important to the guys, but this just kicked it up about one hundred notches.
The bus bumped along the side road that was taking us to the Pine Valley Ice Arena. I hadn’t been to this rink yet, but according to the guys, it wasn’t anywhere as nice as ours.
Nathaniel bumped me with his shoulder. “We’re going to kick Pine Valley’s ass today!”
“Yeah, we are!” I grinned.
I hadn’t sat by Brodie on the bus. We’d kissed twice in the past couple of weeks, and honestly, neither one of us was handling it well. We’d had countless conversations that always ended up with us agreeing we had to stay just friends.
If we decided to be anything more, we’d have to hide it from everyone. Jessa, Preach, our families. That would suck, and if one person in Woodhaven found out, there was a good chance everyone would know by the morning. Small-town life at its finest.
Part of me wondered if I should just quit the team. Brodie and I could be together, officially, out in the open, and I could focus solely on figure skating. But, deep down, I didn’t want to. I’d been cleared and working hard, but that didn’t mean that I was going to get on a team tomorrow. I still had so much to do, and the extra ice time and team workouts were helping me get stronger.
I needed this team as much as they needed me.
Brodie’s dimples floated through my mind. And his lips, those full lips and how they felt on my neck…
I wanted to keep kissing him, and I was pretty sure he felt the same way. But we had a major issue. We could not let our teammates find out, especially if I tried out for the Woodhaven High team. The no fraternization rule would probably be set in stone for both teams. Not to mention, how could our teammates take either one of us seriously if we were sneaking around? It was totally backward, but if I was being honest: Brodie would probably be given a pass and I’d catch all the blame, no matter how my stat sheets proved I belonged in the goal.
“Did you hear Josiah hit the ice last week and started practicing?” Trevor said from the seat behind me. “Yeah, he just got cleared.”
That pulled me out of my head.
I’d heard that he’d rocked physical therapy, but I didn’t know he had gotten back on the ice already.
Would he be trying out for the Varsity team?
My thoughts drifted to Ericka. Surgery had been rough. Her femur was now held together with pins and screws. But, like me, she was a fighter. As long as her rehab went according to plan, she’d get back on the ice and hopefully be racing again.
Tryouts for the high school hockey team were next week. When I’d moved back here, I figured I’d be healthy enough to return to Colorado by the end of October, but I just wasn’t there yet. Luckily, I had until January. That was plenty of time.
Single axels, toe loops, and salchows were mostly under control, but I really needed to nail at least a double for all of those jumps and not just once, repeatedly.
Jessa had been filming me at the rink a few times. The footage shocked me. I was so used to seeing myself fly through the air, making it appear effortless. Now, I looked like a clumsy new skater who was still getting her footing. There were positives, though. I’d gotten stronger and faster playing hockey in a few months than in nearly a year of physical therapy. I found myself feeling incredibly thankful that Brodie hit that wild shot over the boards back in August.
“So, you going out for the high school team?” Nathaniel asked me.
“I’m not sure yet.” I did want to, but Josiah was back, so maybe he should take his place, and I could focus only on figure skating. That way, I wouldn’t be leaving the guys high and dry when I got recruited or accepted into a new skating program.
“Why not?” His knees bumped into the seat in front of us.
“I don’t even know if it’s allowed.” I’d miss the guys, except Pax and Eric, if I wasn’t on the team. It kind of surprised me how much I liked these guys. Liked the team aspect of competition.
Nathaniel scrunched up his nose. “We don’t have a girls’ team. There are laws and stuff about that, right? They can’t discriminate against you just because you’re a girl.”
“I think I’d have to get approval from the athletic director.” I’d already started the process of being a girl on a guy’s team with Fall League, so the athletic director probably wouldn’t fight anything.
Nathaniel poked me in the leg. “You better get on that, Ice Capades.”
Laughter erupted from the back of the bus, but when I turned around, all I saw were Brodie’s dark brown eyes staring back at me.
Did he hear everything I said to Nathaniel?
Most of the guys had been cool with me joining the Fall League, mainly because Josiah was out and Izan wasn’t ready to be starting goalie, but would that change now that their goalie for the last three years was all set to make a comeback? How rusty would he be? Had he been training at home or with another teammate, like Brodie and I worked together?
I raised my hand to the back of my neck and rubbed it on either side of my spine. My shoulders had hiked up to my ears, and I was starting to get a headache.
“Worried about the game?” Nathaniel asked.
“Nah.” I focused in on a knot near the base of my neck.
“You lie.” He scooted over until his back was against the side of the bus. “Spill it.”
“Josiah.”
Nathaniel nodded. “No use worrying about what you can’t control.”
I stopped rubbing my neck and brought my hands to my lap. As I cracked each of my knuckles, a sickening realization hit me. Josiah could beat me and take back the starting position as goalie. Then what? If I was backup, I wouldn’t get nearly as much time on the ice.
As Nathaniel’s attention shifted toward the guys in the back of the bus, I pulled out my phone.
ME: We need to up our practice sessions.
BRODIE: We can hit the rink before school every day from now until tryouts.
ME: I’ll bring the coffee.
…
The buzzer sounded, and the fans in the arena erupted into cheers.
A few teddy bears flew onto the ice as well as the fans jumped up and down in the
stands.
“Yes!” I left my goal and joined my team in the center of the ice.
Eric skated by me and growled, “You got lucky, Sequins.”
“Epic job, Willow!” Preach high-fived me.
Teddy slapped me on the back and nearly sent me flying. “You did good!”
“She did great,” Brodie shouted. He picked up my gloved hand and raised it in the air.
Adrenaline pumped through my body. I’d blocked nine attempts and kept my first clean sheet.
Coach Kurt joined us on the ice. “Excellent job, Falcons!”
We made a circle around him.
“It’s a privilege to coach you kids. You all came together this season and ended up champions for the seventh year in a row!”
Everyone tapped their sticks against the ice.
“Our last game puck of the season goes to Willow Covington!” Coach handed it to me and smiled.
I held the cool rubber disc in my hands, and a rush of heat radiated through my chest. My chest swelled with pride, and a smile filled my face to the point my cheeks ached.
Figure skater and goalie. I never would have guessed, but now that I was here, holding the game puck, I knew I could do both, at least until I made a figure skating team. I could really help the guys. Help Brodie get to State and win it.
“Go take a celebration lap, Willow,” Coach Kurt said. “You deserve it!”
I’d taken plenty of these in my skating career, but decked out in full goalie gear? My blades dug into the ice as I pushed off, tears stinging my eyes. I waved to our fans and held the puck above my head.
People were clapping; a few even stood and cheered loudly. Warmth spread through my chest as I continued to wave.
I picked up the pace, flying across the ice. The cameras flashing and people cheering transported me to my last competition. I’d won gold and taken the exact same victory lap.
As I rounded the bend, something took over me. Call it instinct or a pure adrenaline rush, but I turned on my skates and started going backward. Closing my eyes, I pushed off and flew through the air. I didn’t open my eyes until I landed the jump.