Rebound

by Sophia Summers

“Back in the day, we played well as a team. We each had our differences, and you all had your problems, but we played well. And for most players, they get to play on select teams and then they’re done. They never see those guys again. They certainly never get to play together again.”

  Rocco considered the guys. Jax, the left wing to his right. Dice. Trane. Every one of the guys meant something to Rocco. And he missed those days on the Northbrook team. He missed his time with Coach Fenwick.

  Their coach was not one for big speeches, but he kept going. “I’m real proud of you boys for working hard to save the arena. It makes a man emotional when his players think outside themselves and do some good in the world. Look at this place. Bree has done wonders to get us some much-needed funds. And we’re expecting so much more from this all-star game and event. I think we can make sure this place is in business for a long, long time.”

  Rocco hoped so. Northbrook Elite had meant everything to him. Moving to a new town in middle school had been rough. And the team had become his friends and an extension of his family.

  Coach ran them through their old routines. He started with laps, then drills, then plays. And Rocco was surprised how quickly his body flowed into the routine. Coach had them weaving and passing the puck and scoring in the synchronous pattern they’d done for hours as high schoolers.

  Then Coach pulled them in tight. “This is gonna be a tough game, gentlemen. We got Moose to worry about.”

  Clint frowned.

  “And a whole slew of Canadians coming down, plus Slosky.”

  Trane grunted.

  “The Olympic coach?” Rocco tried to place the guy.

  “Yup. He’s coaching the other team.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Coach. We got you.” Trane was fiercely loyal to Coach Fenwick. Second only to scoring on the guy, if you wanted to bring out Trane’s anger, insult Coach Fenwick.

  “Don’t get me wrong. I think we can win this. I’m just saying we’re gonna have to give it our all. Now, I’ve been watching film of you guys, and you still do all the same stuff.” He smiled. “It would be endearing except that you’re hanging onto the same garbage you did when you were seventeen.” He shook his head. “But keep this in mind, we’re helping with ticket sales just by participating, but if we win…” He clucked his tongue. “If we win, then the sponsors will donate a hefty amount to the club. Winner gets the grand prize.”

  They worked out for another three hours. And when Rocco was ready to call it quits, Coach started in on the death drills. Rocco saw how much they’d all grown. In club, this moment would be when everyone started moaning and mouthing off under their breath, but not now. They just moved into formation and started racing up and down the ice.

  When they were finally finished, Coach left to go home. Rocco wanted to race to see Summer, but he was equally glad to be with the guys. They walked to their old locker room. It had been completely redone, but they went to their old lockers anyway, checking everything out.

  “Remember when we first got these lockers?” Jax pressed a hand up against the metal.

  “I thought I was the coolest guy in high school.” Rocco grinned.

  “Not me. No one cared about hockey, but I didn’t care about them either.” Declan shrugged.

  “Around here, it was cool to be on the Northbrook Elite.” Back in the day, Jax’s dad had funded a lot of what they did. And they were right. It was special.

  18

  The next morning, Summer took a car over to the Northbrook ice arena. The first event would begin in about an hour, and she wanted to be there early. Rocco had said he’d have a few minutes before everything kicked off. She wore his Steelers jersey, and she had a Northbrook hat on. Her stomach was full of flutters. She thanked the driver and hurried over toward the players’ door.

  Rocco was just inside, talking to guys she recognized, though she hadn’t met any of them except Zane. Rocco stood shorter than all of them, especially the man on his left. That guy towered over everybody.

  When Rocco saw her, his face lit, and he reached out a hand.

  Her stomach did happy flips, and she strode to him, lacing her fingers in his and standing close to his arm.

  “Guys, this is Summer Davis.”

  Five sets of handsome eyes turned to her, and the man closest on her right held out his hand. “Welcome to the family. I’m Jax.”

  Zane held out his fist. “Good to see you, Summer.”

  “You too, Zamboni.”

  She shook hands with each of the guys. Declan, Trane, and Clint. “It’s great to meet everybody. So, are you guys the Pit?”

  “Yes, we are.” Clint pulled out his phone. “The only texts I’m getting right now are from the fam.”

  “Is Grizz coming?” Rocco pulled Summer back up against him, and she smiled.

  “I think for some of it. Probably to the gala, at least. He and Rachel wanted to support Northbrook.”

  “Grizz?”

  Rocco squeezed her hand. “Clint’s brother is a pro baseball player.”

  A pretty woman joined them, and all the guys held up fists. “Bree!” The unison welcome showed Summer what it was like to be tight with this group, and she felt privileged to be a part of it. Rocco introduced her. “And this is Bree, Ryker’s sister. Bree, this is Summer Davis.”

  After shaking hands with Bree, Summer asked, “Is Ryker another hockey player?”

  Bree adjusted the strap on her shoulder. “Nah, he played with Grizz. He’s pro baseball.”

  Rocco added, “Bree’s helping with the events we do and raising money to save Northbrook.”

  Summer smiled. “That’s awesome. I love what you’re doing here.”

  “Today should be a blast.” Bree’s grin told them just how proud she was of the whole event. “You guys ready for the stunts and relays?”

  They had three events today. From what Summer had seen in the program, the first part involved a series of contests—fun challenges for the hockey players. Then the players had a break while some stunt companies came out and performed daredevil feats. They had a local band playing music for a dance-off in the stands. Then the actual all-star game would begin.

  Summer’s stomach flutters started up again.

  “You doing okay?” Rocco asked.

  “Yeah.” She felt all the guys turn to look at her. With a nervous laugh, she shrugged. “I’m nervous about your game. It’s a tough lineup on both sides.”

  Rocco rested an arm across her back. “Don’t worry about that. We’ve got Zane and Trane. No one can get past these two.”

  “Except Rocco.” Trane grunted.

  “Oh, really! Something I don’t know about?” Zane eyed him.

  Rocco stepped closer. “Maybe.” The group moved in. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

  “Ooh, Rocco’s got a secret move.”

  He laughed.

  Then Bree checked her watch, and all the guys saluted. They knocked Summer’s fist as well as Bree’s, and she grinned. Bree scooted off, but Rocco stayed behind.

  She didn’t want to let go of his hand. “I love this. The guys are so awesome.”

  “They are. Practice with them this morning brought it all back.”

  “So, I’ll be in the stands. Be careful. No sense getting hurt and wrecking your regular season.”

  “We always get a little hurt.”

  She laughed. “A little?”

  “Or a lot. But you know, we hardly feel it anymore.”

  She pressed her lips together. And he laughed as he pulled her into his arms. “But you.” He grinned down into her face. “I like you worrying about me.”

  His arms around her felt strong, and warmth filled her. “Do you?”

  “I do.” He searched her face. “The other thing I like is bringing you with me when I travel. Is there any way we can make this a permanent arrangement?”

  Whether or not he realized the implications of what he said, she sucked in her breath. “That would be awesome if I didn’t have th
e library and everything else.” The everything else part included possibly moving away and hardly seeing Rocco at all, so she kept it to herself. But the dangling possibility twisted her insides into unfriendly knots.

  “What is it?” He ran a finger along her forehead.

  “Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just thinking about how busy life is and not looking forward to getting back to it.”

  He nodded, but she could tell he wasn’t completely satisfied with her answer. Then he sighed. “Okay, I’ve got to get back down there. Thanks for coming.” He tipped his head, and she went up on her toes to meet his warm lips. As his arms tightened around her and she was filled with a heady delirium, she wanted to shut out everything in her life that was not Rocco. He was all she needed. He pressed his lips to her forehead and then winked as he stepped away.

  She watched him walk around the corner.

  “He’s one of the best.” Bree stood at her side.

  Summer jumped. “Oh, hey.”

  “Sorry, I’d be a bit lost in that view if I were you too.” She winked. “I can show you your seat if you like.”

  “Thanks!” She didn’t know much about Bree, other than that she was working on raising money for Northbrook, but she was expecting to really love her.

  They moved to the box seats, and Summer laughed. “Is this where I’m sitting?”

  “If you want.” She started checking things off on a clipboard. “But if you want to be closer to the action and Rocco, I totally get it. Either way, I had to stop in here to check on some things.”

  Summer wondered who else would be up here. And the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to get down by the ice. “You know what? My family always sits right at the glass. I would feel like I was missing everything way up here. It’s not the same.”

  “Oh, I can see why Rocco loves you.” She grinned. “Let’s get you down there, then.”

  Even though Summer was still super early, people were starting to fill the seats. She made her way to the spot Bree pointed out. Right next to the penalty box. Perfect. She’d feel right at home.

  Summer settled into her seat with a large Coke and a big smile. She couldn’t help her grin. How ironic that for years she’d fought her dad’s excitement about hockey, had fought attending all the games with her brothers, to now feel like the biggest hockey fan that ever was. She shouted along with the music, “Okay, okay, okay!” And then she laughed.

  The announcer called out, his voice booming over the stands, “And now! The one, the only Northbrook Elite All-Stars!”

  The crowd went crazy. Noisemakers and stomping feet filled the arena.

  “Let’s hear it for our guys! From their humble beginnings right here on this ice, here are your boys!”

  The music blared louder, and the energy hyped up. Summer was on her feet, her body pulsing to the beat, clapping and cheering and shouting with everyone.

  “And now, as goalie of Northbrook Elite, from the Michigan Comets, Trane ‘the Diesel’ Jones!”

  Trane skated out onto the rink. The crowd chanted, “Diesel! Diesel! Diesel!” He nodded then made his way into the goal and kissed both posts. Summer laughed but knew that Trane was absolutely serious about his post love.

  “Our defender, known by some as Zamboni, plays for the Tennessee Hounds. Zane Winchester!”

  Zane skated out onto the ice, a mammoth of a man, his stick raised into the air as he made a circle around the rink and stopped to the right of the goal.

  “Our other defender plays for the Denver Chargers! Declan Rivera!”

  “And now our center, who plays for the St. Louis Hawks. Clint McCarthy!”

  “And our right wing plays for the Wyoming Steers! The Rock. Rocco De Luca!”

  The crowd chanted, “Rock! Rock! Rock!”

  Rocco circled the rink, wiggling his hips and shaking his stick in the air. When he saw Summer, he slowed, lifted his helmet a touch, and winked.

  Energy coursed through her. Then he made his way into position. He tapped his helmet once, and Summer thought she might die from all the excitement.

  “And now our very own, hometown-grown, hometown-playing Chicago Flyers left wing, Jackson Emerson!”

  His face flashed from every screen, and a huge section of fans with Flyers jerseys made more noise than everyone else put together. “Jax! Jax! Jax! Jax!”

  After Jax made his rounds, the Northbrook team skated together in formation, doing drills and warming up while the announcer started calling out the other team.

  The crowd cheered, but their obvious favorites had already come out on the ice.

  When they started the competitions, she laughed with the rest of the audience. Rocco skated backwards between cones, juggling a puck all the way to the goal. His time was fast. Summer thought he might win the competition, and even though it was just for fun, for publicity, she hoped that he would.

  The crowd-pleasing events continued. People walked up and down the aisles, selling peanuts, cotton candy, and drinks. And every time Rocco skated by, he made some kind of goofy face at her. The more he did, the more she wanted to be part of his life. And she laughed at herself as much as him. She knew she’d need to think about her fellowship opportunity, knew she should give it some serious consideration. But for now, Rocco was all that mattered. And she liked the sound of that.

  Then the teams took a break, and everyone prepared for the coming game. Summer’s cell phone buzzed. Rocco. Hey, beautiful. Come down to the team rooms.

  Can I do that?

  Sure. Just tell them you’re with me.

  She was with him. With him. Her feet moved quickly up the stairs and out into the main hallways, past the concessions, and to the elevator going down to the team rooms. The security guard seemed to know who she was.

  Rocco stood outside the elevator when it opened, his grin overly large. She stepped into his arms, enveloped in the warmth of his hug.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Hey yourself.”

  “So, did you see I won the fastest player?”

  “I did!” She laughed.

  “I’m saving that trophy.”

  “I hope so.” She linked her fingers with his. “Are you gonna win the game too?”

  “I think so. There are gonna be a lot of good players on that ice. But the best ones are on my team.”

  “That’s what I like to hear.”

  “And then tonight.” He swung her around. “You. Me. On the ice.”

  “You know it. I’m so ready for that.”

  “Me too. More than you know.” He tucked a hair behind her ear then pulled her up against him.

  When he kissed her, his tenderness filled her. His lips were soft, gentle, insistent, and they left her legs weak and trembling. He kissed her once more, and it was all she could do to not run after him when he stepped back into the locker room.

  “Wow.”

  She hurried back to her seat so she wouldn’t miss anything. If she knew Rocco, he would try to make a bang with their very first play. They needed to win. The prize money could save the Northbrook Club for many years to come.

  But she wasn’t sure they could pull it off, not without a whole bunch of luck. The teams were equally matched, if slightly skewed in favor of the opposing team. They needed everything to go right to save Northbrook.

  19

  The game was about to start. Both teams were ready and in position. Rocco stood on the ice, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, ready for the puck to drop. Every game mattered. Every move on the ice was important, but this game, this fun all-star promo game, had turned into something vital.

  The opposing team scowled, which usually made Rocco grin. But today, he was feeling his Italian heritage burn, and the emotions of five generations of hot-blooded De Lucas surged inside him. He shifted again. The other goalie wasn’t anything to worry about, but their defenders…Rocco was outsized. But he always was.

  His eyes flitted to Summer. And the awareness of her gaze, glued on h
im, buzzed through his brain. He could take the left defender, Kong, down. Kong had nothing on Zane. Rocco was faster and tougher. The one he worried about was Goliath. The man was almost as big as Trane. And if the Northbrook Elite All-Stars couldn’t score, it would be because of Goliath.

  Rocco checked him out. Goliath looked right at him, expressionless, but his gaze didn’t waver. The man was out for meat, specifically Rocco-flavored sirloin.

  Rocco leaned forward, every muscle poised to burst forward. His eyes watched the puck. The whistle blew, and the puck fell. Clint tipped it to Jax, and Rocco took off down the ice. He reached for the biscuit almost without looking. He knew right where Jax would send it. Man, he missed playing with the Northbrook guys. Then Rocco dodged their first defender—Kong was slow and lumbering—and headed straight for Goliath. The man’s sneer showed off a missing front tooth. Rocco lowered a shoulder, sent the puck to Jax, who arrived in front of the goal like magic, and then Rocco barreled into Goliath with all he had.

  The man grunted and toppled to the side, taken by surprise. Rocco tripped Goliath’s skates with his stick, and the defender tumbled to the ice. The whistle blew, and Rocco was in the penalty box.

  They hadn’t scored. Jax’s shot was blocked.

  Rocco skated toward Summer and sat near her on the other side of the glass. She was all grins. He put his glove up to the glass, and she rested her hand as if in his gloved palm.

  But now his team was down a player, so he used the rest of the time to wipe down his stick and watch while the other team shot at Trane. The first attempt looked like it might go in. It landed close enough to the goal, but Trane was all over it and sent it behind the goal to Zane.

  Just as Rocco’s penalty was finishing up, the network went to breaks and the jumbotron pulled up a picture of Summer grinning at Rocco through the glass with hearts cascading all around their faces.

  He hoped Summer wouldn’t see it, but when he turned to her as he stood to leave, her cheeks were bright red. He shook his head, trying to say don’t worry about it. But the fans were cheering, and it looked like everyone near Summer had a sudden new interest in her. As long as it stayed in the arena. He hated when stuff like that hit social media.