Blindsided: A Moo U Hockey Romance

by Victoria Denault

“Yeah, you knocked it out of the park, Romeo,” I tell him and I sound sarcastic but my smile says I actually mean it. “Except the kiss was lacking.”

  “What?” he gasps.

  “Yeah, a little lackluster. Boring, really,” I say and fake a yawn.

  He grabs me by my waist and tugs me right up against him and then he kisses me again. His lips claiming mine with force. His tongue stroking mine with abandon as I fist his jersey in my hands and try not to moan. “Better?”

  I have to catch my breath before I can answer him. “It’ll do.”

  He laughs at my fake nonchalance and pulls me into a hug. I cling to him tightly, because I can—right here in public with half the town wandering by, I can claim Tate Adler as mine. And even more amazing is the fact that I want to, more than anything else in the world. Whoever said your world can change on a dime really wasn’t kidding.

  “We really do gotta get the stuff into the basket before the auction starts,” Tate tells me and ends the hug, only to take my hand in his as we keep walking.

  “Is your family here? Do they know about Marty?” I ask him and glance up to see his reaction because it’ll likely tell me more than his verbal response will.

  Tate’s smile fades and his jaw tightens as he nods. “Yeah. I told George I know and he lost his shit on me, but then he called my dad in from the orchard and sat him down and told him everything. There was a lot of yelling.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say not because I feel responsible but because I sympathize.

  “They’re still at the farm, talking it out. I think it’s gonna be okay in the end. One day. Just not today.”

  I give his hand a squeeze. Jace, Raquel and Louise come into view a few feet away, and Tate smiles down at me and winks. “Ready to profess your undying love for me again, this time in front of my family?”

  “Who said anything about love?” I quip.

  “You didn’t have to say it.” He shrugs. “You’re head over heels for me. I know it.”

  Our eyes meet and I really want to come up with some zippy burn about his ego or something but for the first time in my life, I’ve got nothing. He dips his head down a little so he can whisper by my ear. “Don’t worry, Firecracker, if this was a competition it’d be a draw because I’m skates over helmet for you too.”

  I scrunch up my nose. “Did you just make that up?”

  “Yeah. Another winner huh?”

  “No. God no,” I say with a laugh.

  “Okay, how about I just stick with the basic fact that I’m falling in love with you then?”

  Oh my God.

  “Really, Tate?” Raquel’s voice cuts through this perfect moment like a lawn mower ripping through a quiet Sunday morning. “After all this shit blowing up with our family today you’re going to add this silly fling with her on top of it all?”

  “Raquel, your cousin just told me he is falling in love with me and unfortunately for you, that makes me way more than a fling,” I announce. “So feel free to bitch about it, but do it somewhere else. We’re having a moment over here.”

  I take the bag of goat cheese and honey from Tate and hand it to Jace. “Can you go add these things to the gift basket? I’ve got to kiss your brother again.”

  “Gross,” Jace mutters but he wanders off toward the gift basket table by the stage.

  I wrap my arms around his neck as his circle my waist. “Wow. Your speech was almost as good as mine.”

  “Almost?” I blink. “Are you kidding me right now?”

  “Just shut up and kiss me, Firecracker,” Tate says.

  “So bossy,” I whisper back and shake my head in mock judgement. But then I do exactly what he demands and I kiss him, long and slow, because the fight—at least for this Adler and this Todd—is finally over.

  24

  Tate

  Eight Months Later…

  I roll down the window and take a long, deep breath. The sweet, humid Vermont summer air fills my lungs. I close my eyes and exhale then lean the other way and inhale my other favorite scent—Maggie Todd. She giggles and squirms when I nuzzle her neck, her silky copper hair sliding against my cheek and jaw. “Stop it! I’ll drive us into the ditch.”

  I let out a disgruntled huff. “Whose dumb idea was it to do this again?”

  “Mine. And shut up,” she says smiling. “Work doesn’t stop just because you’ve been drafted, Tater Tot.”

  The draft was held in Toronto three days ago, which was lucky because it’s close enough that we could afford a bunch of plane tickets so my mom and dad and Jace and Maggie could all be there with me. I knew from all the sports agents calling me nonstop over the last couple of months and Coach Keller’s opinion at the end of the season that I might go in the top fifty. But first round, thirteenth overall? Shit, that crushed even my wildest dreams.

  She pats my knee. “Farm work will keep you humble.”

  “Yeah. Yeah.” I grab her hand and hold on to it, then I tilt my head out the window and take another deep breath. “Brooklyn isn’t going to smell this good.”

  “Nope, but it’s only a five hour and forty-seven minute drive or a one hour and fourteen minute flight,” Maggie says, and although her face is placid and calm, I know from the accuracy of that statement that she has done a lot of thinking about this too in the last three days.

  If and when I ever do make it on the ice for Brooklyn, she will likely stay here. At least to start. We’ve got our families talking again and we’ve even started helping each other out with farm work, when needed – lending equipment or a hand for stuff as required. A merge of the farms is definitely on the table. Right now both our dads, her uncles and even Louise and Raquel are onboard. It’s just Clyde who vehemently opposes it and my gramps and gran… step-gran that is, who are leery. But by the time we graduate I think it will be a done deal. And that kind of scares the shit out of me but she can’t run a farm from Brooklyn, and Maggie this idea is her baby so how can I ask her to leave it? Luckily, I don’t have to worry about that immediately since I’ve decided to stay in school and keep playing for Moo U, at least for the next year. Our farm is still struggling a little, but not as much as it was, and we’ve managed to fix the barn and the cider press and have started selling our cider again.

  I take her hand I’m holding and slide it up my thigh. “I wanted to spend the day in bed with you getting over jet lag.”

  I’ve been unofficially living in her rental apartment all summer with her and her roommates. They don’t mind the extra body because I do almost all the cleaning, but not in my underwear anymore, thankfully. Maggie laughs as she turns onto the road that leads to our farms. “There’s no time difference between here and Toronto, so no jet lag. And yes, both farms need our help today and you know it. But if you play your cards right, later I’ll sneak you into the barn and take care of this.”

  Her hand moves to the front of my jeans and she palms my cock through the denim and it starts to spring to life—and then stops immediately as she drives up my farm’s driveway and I see the big banner strung up on the front porch.

  Congratulations Tate!

  “You ambushed me!” I gasp as I see the field that leads to the orchard filled with people and picnic tables with balloons tied to them. Everything is in the Brooklyn team colors. She parks the car and her amber eyes glint deviously. “Ambush is better than blackmail isn’t it?”

  She hops out of the car and I follow. As soon as my feet hit the dirt, the crowd erupts. Everyone is here; Hank, Maggie’s entire family, my family, the coaches from the team, some of the players who live within driving distance or stayed in town for the summer, and—my step stutters—our grandmothers.

  They’re standing next to Daisy and Jace, as far from my grandfather and grandmother as possible, but they’re here and no one is brawling. That’s progress.

  Maggie grabs my hand and pulls me forward. “Everyone wanted to celebrate with you. And everyone promised to play nice. Except Clyde, so he’s at home.”

  G
od I wish that old man would get with the program. Thankfully, he won’t be selling the farm because Betsy is still entitled to half of it, and she announced in their initial divorce proceedings that finally started a few months ago that she wanted Daisy and Maggie to have her half. Clyde doesn’t have the money to buy her half, but Betsy has the money to buy his half, so he has finally shut the hell up with that threat.

  I hug everyone and take their congratulatory hugs back and then George fires up the grill and Jace turns on some music, and we have an honest to God party. It’s been a rough few months in the Adler and Todd homes as everyone adjusts to the truth. But my dad has started a relationship with Marty as have Jace and I, and Betsy is on civil terms with her sons too and great terms with Daisy and Maggie.

  As much as I am thrilled to be drafted and hopefully play in the NHL for at least a few years, I’m going to miss this place and these people. Maggie leans in as we sit at a picnic table across from Daisy and Jace who are arguing about his musical choices. “Don’t look so wistful. You haven’t gone anywhere yet.”

  “I know,” I say and kiss her cheek.

  “You two are so cute,” Marty says with a smile as she sits next to me with a plate of different salads. Since I know she’s not a vegetarian, I think she’s too nervous to approach the grill because George is manning it. “I’m so proud of you, Tate. For the draft and for everything else.”

  I smile.

  “Martha!” Gramps’s gruff voice cuts through the din of voices around us and I bristle for a second. “Got some ribs ready. If you still like ’em.”

  Marty looks like you could knock her over with a feather, which I get because I feel that way too. Marty stands. “I do. Thanks.”

  She walks over to the grill. And I smile.

  “That’s the face I need on your pretty mug tomorrow at the farmer’s market,” Maggie says. “Luckily, we have booths beside each other so you can stand in between them both and draw customers. Everyone will want to meet Burlington’s number one draft pick.”

  “Thirteenth,” I correct her.

  “You’re the number one pick from Burlington, Vermont,” Maggie says with a wink. “And number one in my heart.”

  “Wow. That was so cheesy it makes me miss those days when all you threw my way was shade,” I quip and she laughs and lets me cup the back of her neck and pull her in for a kiss.

  “You two never stop.” Jace mutters and makes a gagging sound as he gets up and leaves the table.

  Maggie breaks the kiss and she stands up. “I’m done with insulting you, but I’m willing to revisit some other old habits.”

  She starts to walk away.

  “Where are you going?”

  She looks over her shoulder. “The barn.”

  “Magnolia Todd, don’t ever change,” I whisper as I sneak away to follow her.

  Thank you for reading Blindsided by Victoria Denault! Did you know there’s a bonus epilogue featuring [story]? Get your copy here.

  You can get all the links to the next Moo U hockey books right here. Or turn the page for more great recommendations for Victoria Denault and World of True North titles!

  You Will Also Enjoy…

  More Moo U Hockey:

  Blindsided by Victoria Denault

  Slapshot by Rebecca Jenshak

  Holdout by Jaqueline Snowe

  Gametime by Jami Davenport

  Overtime by Kat Mizera

  Halftime by Kim Findlay

  Darkroom by Kate Willoughby

  And more!

  Victoria Denault’s Hockey Romances:

  The Hometown Players series

  The San Francisco Thunder series

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to Sarina Bowen for allowing me to play in your world as well as for graciously and generously sharing your wisdom on writing, marketing and publishing. Just like your books, you are magic. Thank you to my family, especially my husband Jack, who have been there when I needed them, even when that sometimes means not ‘being there’ so I can work. Thank you to my agent Kimberly Brower. Thanks Kimberly Cannon and Katie Kenyhercz for their editing prowess and to Jane, Jenn, Emma, Natasha and the rest of the team behind Heart Eyes Press for all the help and heavy lifting you did for this book, and this series extension in general. Thank you to the fellow True North world authors, especially my Moo U teammates. You’ve all been so much fun to work with. Thank you to Catherine for sharing your beautiful little balcony in Paris, which is where Maggie and Tate were created. Thanks to my beta readers Sarah J, Melanie T, Lex M and Jenn D for your feedback and support. Thank you to the bloggers for all you did to support and promote this book, and all you do - for all authors - every day. And to the readers, new and old, who gave this book their time; I appreciate it so much and I hope Tate and Maggie blindsided you, in the best possible way.