by Rhonda James
I think she may have been onto something there.
I loved when our favorite team would make the playoffs. Dad would allow me to stay up late on school nights just to watch the games. I remember sitting on the sofa, silently willing them to skate a little faster. Be quicker on the face-offs. And when our team won the Cup, it was a fucking weeklong party in our household.
I simply loved playing the game.
From an early age, I’ve always gotten a rush just suiting up for a game. The sound a freshly sharpened set of blades make when they meet the ice. The anticipation you feel brewing inside you when you’re on the last minute of a penalty. The rush that comes with scoring a game-winning goal.
I love everything about it.
Those same reasons were my rationalization for choosing to study sports broadcasting after my injury. It offered me a way to stay close to the game. Helped me feel like I could still be part of it. I’d just be trading my jersey and stick for a suit and microphone.
***
The score is tied 2-2, and we we’re down to the last ten minutes of the game. All Vickers has to do is win this face-off and get the puck to Stewart. If Stewart doesn’t have a clear shot, he’ll send it over to Cage. If the forwards can’t get the job done, Cage is always the player to finish the task. We made a strong line. Earlier in the season, Coach switched it up and brought Masterson in to take my place. He’d wanted to see if Masterson’s game was stronger when paired with Cage. That little experiment had lasted only three games before he remembered that Cage and I on the same line equals goals.
Tonight’s game has been a tough battle. Both teams are fighting for a spot in the finals, and all the senior players know it’s time to make or break. We made it through most of the game without a lot of fighting taking place, though the rivalry between our two teams has been fierce over the years.
I played a good game and scored a goal before a penalty for checking sent me to the sin bin. I have a minute left to go on it and am itching to get back out there. State is skating circles around us. By the way our guys look out there, it’s almost as if all those penalty drills Coach had us running last week have been a complete waste of time. Their defense has Vickers surrounded, and there is no way for him to take a shot.
“Cage! What the fuck are you doing out there. Clear a fucking path already!” I scream from my seat.
The official gives me a look of warning, but I wave him off. This is do or die. It is obvious the only way we are going to win this game is if I have control of the puck.
With thirty seconds to go on my penalty, the puck drops, and it looks as if State has taken control of it. But a wild shot sends it sailing past its intended target, and Cage is there to rob the puck. With five seconds remaining, it is lobbed against the boards in our territory. My time runs out, and I jump out of my seat and onto the ice in a flash. Vickers regains control of the puck, and I race behind him to back up the play. If I were paying attention instead of looking over my shoulder at Cage, I would see the player coming up on my right.
As it is, I don’t.
I remember the impact of the collision and know I’m going down.
After that, everything goes black.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
LANEY
I love u so much. Can’t wait 2 spend the weekend with u.
Derek sends this just before heading out on the ice. I smile when I open it and Cassie teases, before offering to help me sneak into the locker room for a quickie.
Cassie and I are quickly becoming great friends. We met a couple of times this week for coffee at Comet, and during that time, we discovered we have a lot in common.
We both love hockey players.
We both enjoy dressing up, but our favorite clothing is anything with our player’s number on them.
And we both have a secret crush on Sebastian Miles.
I’ll admit I was a little jealous when I found out she and Brantley met him. Then she told me Derek and the guys also met him. I made her start from the beginning and give every dirty detail. Then I made her tell me the story one more time.
Cassie drove us to the arena, so I could bring my overnight bag and leave it in the cab of Derek’s truck before we went inside to watch the game. We made our way to our seats. Since this was my first actual game, I followed Cassie’s lead until she found a couple of seats she thought would afford us the best view of the players. I was excited she chose seats directly behind the players’ bench. I hadn’t seen Derek in two days, and I missed his arms around me.
As excited as I am to spend the weekend together, I’m nervous about meeting his parents. What if they don’t like me? What if they think I’m not good enough for their son?
I already know the answer to that question.
I’m not.
But that didn’t stop me from falling for him.
At first, he was hesitant to tell me about his upbringing. Turns out he comes from money. I remembered the night we met. His suit. The way he carried himself. At the time, I joked and asked if he was rich. His answer was no. The dishonesty didn’t upset me. At that point in time, he didn’t know me, so there was no reason for him to divulge that kind of information.
He told me his family wasn’t filthy rich; his parents had merely worked hard and had been good about investing their money. Rich or not, I don’t care. As long as he loves me, I don’t care who he is or where he comes from.
I only hope he’ll feel the same way about me after he discovers the truth about my family. I want to tell him the truth about everything. I want him to know my dad didn’t die in that accident; he murdered a man, because he was too heartbroken and racked with guilt over Mom’s death. Now he is paying for it by rotting away in a prison cell. I just keep waiting for the right time to present itself.
It isn’t as if I can just drop a bomb of that magnitude and expect him to accept it. Not without him questioning what kind of strain it might place on our relationship. It’s the very reason Noah broke up with me. He couldn’t handle it. I know Derek loves me, and he’s ten times the man Noah is. Because of that, he deserves to know the truth, but I’m afraid. And the longer I put off telling him, the easier it makes it for me to pretend the issue doesn’t exist.
The energy in the building intensifies once the two teams exit the tunnel and step out on the ice. The energy of the crowd is contagious. According to Cassie, this game will determine if their season continues into post-season play. If they win, they will play Ohio. If they lose, their season will be over. That means tonight could be the last night of play for most of the seniors. Brantley and Scott will be playing for a professional team, but Derek and Jordan aren’t pursuing a career in hockey.
As I sit waiting for the game to start, I wonder why Derek doesn’t want to continue playing. It occurs to me I’ve never asked him. Maybe I will on the drive to Pentwater. After all, we have three and a half hours to kill.
The horn sounds and the first puck drops. After that, everything starts moving at an intense pace. I try following along, with Cassie filling me in as the plays are happening. As she speaks, I am in awe of her knowledge of the game. She tells me she grew up around hockey. Her dad plays. Her brother plays. Brantley plays. Hell, even her ex-boyfriend is a hockey player. This girl clearly has a thing for hockey. I feel like a fraud sitting next to her wearing Derek’s jersey with #14 painted on my cheek, pretending to understand what is going on. It’s clear I have a lot of catching up to do.
I do my best to follow every move Derek makes. He looks really great out there on the ice. I may not understand much about the game, but there is no denying he is a great player. When he scores a goal, I jump up and stand on my seat, cheering his name at the top of my lungs. It pays off, because he hears my voice and looks my way. As he skates by, he touches two gloved fingers to his heart then points up at me.
I may shed a tear or two.
Okay, I damn near bawl. But that’s only because I feel so fortunate to have found him.
; During the third period, things get pretty intense. The score is tied and there are less than fifteen minutes left to play. You can feel the players’ tension rising off the ice. That tension feeds into the crowd, and the noise level multiplies.
Cassie and I are in the middle of planning a double date for the four of us when something happens behind the other team’s goalie that results in Derek being given a penalty. He skates over to a box behind the boards, and when I ask about it, Cassie refers to it as the sin bin. He clearly isn’t happy about being sent there and seems to grow more and more agitated as the clock runs down. He shouts something to the players, but I can’t make out what he says. Then the time on his penalty runs out and he springs out of the box so fast he becomes a blur on the ice.
What happens next will haunt me for a long time.
He is so focused on chasing after the puck, he isn’t watching the other players around him. He angles his head to where Brantley is positioned when a player from the opposing team collides with him and the impact flips him up in the air until he lands on his back. I watch in horror as his head strikes the ice and his helmet bounces off his head and rolls away behind him.
I scream and jump up to fight my way through the crowd. I have to get down there. I have to get to him.
Cassie is behind me in a flash. She grabs me by the elbow and leads me to the players’ bench, where they all watch the horrific scene unfold. She raps on the Plexiglas to get their attention. Jordan sees us and points to the tunnel entrance. She drags me that way, and as we rounds the corner, Brantley meets us. He takes one look at my shaking hands and pulls me in for a hug.
“He’s gonna be okay,” he assures me.
Since I’ve never watched a game, I wasn’t aware something like this can even happen. I naïvely assumed the players would just pass the puck around and slam each other against the boards. Derek never told me he could get seriously injured. Now that I know, I’m secretly thankful he won’t be playing after college.
“How do you know?” I ask frantically. “Have they said anything? He isn’t moving. Why isn’t he moving?” I cry into his jersey.
“I haven’t been told anything. The medical team is with him, and they’ve probably ordered him to stay still. That’s what happens. They take every precaution, just to be safe. Derek is strong. Soon, he’ll be up giving me a hard time for hugging you this long.” He laughs against my hair.
“Oh, gosh. I’m sorry.” I lift my head, and he uses his thumbs to wipe away the mascara from my cheeks. I can’t help thinking how lucky Cassie is to have someone like him. It makes me happy for my new friend.
“B?” She places a hand on his arm. “Any idea when she can get back there to see him?”
“No, baby. But as soon as I know, I’ll come get you. Okay?” He squeezes my hand and bends to give Cassie a quick kiss before he heads back out onto the ice.
I watch helplessly as the medical team hovers around him. A board is positioned beneath him and a brace is strapped around his neck. As they lift him onto a stretcher, I see his arm move. I press my face against the dirty Plexiglas, and for the briefest of moments, our eyes meet and he points in my direction and touches his heart.
It’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.
***
“What’s taking so long?” I ask for maybe the hundredth time since we arrived at the hospital.
“They just have to go over some things to clear him for release,” Scott reassures, wrapping an arm around my shoulder to comfort me. “Relax. He’s going to be okay. The doctor said it was a mild concussion. It’s a good thing he was wearing a helmet. Could have been much worse.”
“Yeah, but it still fell off when he hit the ice,” I point out.
“That’s only because he forgot to tighten the strap before he came out of the penalty box,” he reminds me.
“I remember watching games with Dad, and most of the players weren’t even wearing helmets.” Cassie shudders next her to brother.
“They let them do that?” I gasp.
“That’s only in the pros. It’s different in college hockey. All players are required to wear the proper equipment.”
“Well, I’m thankful he’s not going pro,” I admit.
“I’ve already informed Brantley a helmet is not optional. I love him too much to worry about him cracking his head open on the ice,” she declares.
“Aww, sis, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Cage is too vain to go without a helmet. He wouldn’t want to risk messing up that pretty face of his,” Scott teases.
Around that time, Brantley and Jordan enter the room.
“I just got off the phone with Davis’ dad. I relayed everything the doctor told us, and they’ve decided not to come down. But they want him to call tomorrow after he wakes up. Laney, can you make sure he does that?” Brantley lifts Cassie out of her seat then sits back down with her in his lap.
“What’s going on? What were you guys just talking about?” He eyes the three of us suspiciously.
We all speak at the same time,
“Derek,” I say.
“Hockey,” Cassie offers.
“You,” Scott deadpans. “But we were only talking about your big-ass head, so no biggie.”
“Oh, yeah, Rivers? Which big head of mine were you referring to?” Brantley snickers. Cassie’s face goes beet red as she giggles in his arms.
“Dude, you are not right,” Scott groans painfully.
“Come on, I had to do something to lighten the mood around here. Besides, you set yourself up for that one,” Brantley jokes.
A nurse enters the room, and we all stop laughing and turn our attention to where she stands.
“Miss Dixon?”
“Yes. That’s me.” I stand.
“Mr. Davis is asking for you. Follow me, and I’ll take you back to him.”
He is sitting propped up on the bed dressed in a pair of blue hospital scrubs and one arm slung across his eyes. Even injured he somehow manages to look sexy.
“Hi,” I say quietly.
He lifts his arm and pats the space beside him. “Come over here.”
I start to sit on the edge of the mattress, but his arm circles my waist, and he pulls me down until I’m stretched out against him.
“Much better.” He sighs and kisses the top of my head.
“Is this okay? I’m not hurting you, am I?” I try sitting up, but he keeps me close.
“Uh uh,” he murmurs. “If anything, you’re making it all better.”
I smile and snake my arm around him, trying to get as close as I can.
“You scared me,” I confess quietly.
“I know. I’m sorry, baby. But I’m okay.” His fingers stroke my back while I listen to the quiet beating of his heart.
“So, nothing’s broken?”
“Nope. Doctor said I have a mild concussion, but all my tests came back clear. I have a slight headache, but they gave me some pretty good meds for that.” He laughs.
“I’m glad you’re okay, and I’m sorry we can’t go see your parents.”
“We’re still going. Maybe not tonight, but the doc said as long as my headache doesn’t get worse and I’m not vomiting, I should be okay to drive. We can go in a couple of days, tops.”
“We don’t have to rush—“ I try discouraging him, but he cuts me off.
“Laney, I want to show you where I grew up. I want my parents to meet the girl who stole my heart.” He lifts my chin with his hand. “I love you.”
I stare up into his blue eyes and relief washes over me.
“And I love you.” I stretch up to kiss him.
This kiss isn’t like some of the passionate kisses we’ve shared, but what it lacks in heat, it makes up for in love. He moans deeply when it ends, nipping playfully at my lips as I pull away.
“I think maybe it’s best if we take things slowly.” I smirk, eyes darting to his growing erection.
“Doc didn’t say anything about avoiding sex.” He smiles smugly
, and his eyebrows dance suggestively.
I pinch his nipple, making him howl. “You’re terrible. You were hurt and I was worried about you, and now all you can think about is sex?”
“Hey.” His arms circle protectively around me. “I’m sorry I scared you. Thank you for being here.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Derek.” I kiss him again. “I’d do anything for you.”
A devilish grin lights up his features, and his eyebrow shoots up. “Anything?”
My answer comes in the form of a kiss and a well-placed hand. Let’s just say he understands my meaning.
His finger is on the call button in an instant. “Oh, nurse?”
When she steps into the room, he gives me a quick kiss then turns and offers her one of his best smiles.
“Can I go home now?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
DEREK
It sucks I had to be carried off the ice during my last night playing with my team. It sucks even worse that we lost that game and our season is over. I hate that after four years of being a team and busting our ass it had to end on a sour note. I can’t help feeling like I’m partially to blame. If I hadn’t been so wound up when I came out of the penalty box, I might have seen him coming. I might not have been able to avoid a collision, but I might have been able to get back up and continue playing.
Losing sucks, but losing a game you know you should have won sucks even worse.
Spending the next three days in Pentwater with Laney is just what I need to take my mind off everything that happened. Laney has been holding out on sex, treating me as if an orgasm might put me back in the hospital. Sitting around with nothing to do, with no form of release, left me feeling frustrated and very horny. Yeah, I could have taken matters into my own hands, but that isn’t nearly as satisfying as having her be the one doing it.