Page 41 of SlapShot Sweetheart

“It’s a beautiful language.”

And he saw her beautiful smile start to creep out as she stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head. Theo pointed at his ear and shook his head, unable to hear anything at all anymore, especially with the coach chirping at him incessantly. He might get in trouble for that stunt, but it would be worth it in the long run. Looking over his shoulder at Aimee, he raised a hand and smiled once more, finally able to focus on the game.

CHAPTER 12

AIMEE

“That man is no good,”Aimee muttered under her breath, unable to fight the smile that was emerging from her very soul. He was a rascal, a rogue, a playful little imp who seemed to be bent on getting his way in every aspect of life. Had anyone ever told that man ‘no’ before? she mused and was pretty sure of the answer.

Theo thought he was cute… and curse him, he was right. As much as she wanted to growl, hiss, and scream at him – those brown puppy-dog eyes looking so sad and lost were her undoing. And when he put his hand on the clear walls of the penalty box, she was done. He was reaching for her, giving her ‘the look,’ and it was working in so many ways.

Now that she had time to put things together, he was always there, silently supporting her and trying to make her feel special. From the kittens to the poems to bringing over dinner since she was giving him such a hard time about being late… all of it was to show he was interested in her. She had pushed back so hard, giving him so much flak, yet he still kept coming back for more– which just blew her mind. Anyone else would have been long gone, but not him.

No, Theo was gesturing and giving her hand signals, saying ‘I need you’ before sneaking out of the penalty box to steal a kiss – which was all over the televisions in the arena. She adored the scar on his eyebrow, the way his eyes would crinkle when he smiled, and the mischievous glint on his expressive face. He was the ultimate twerp… and hers.

Her eyes slid toward where he was sitting – only to see him look back at her once more, smiling as he raised his hand, wiggling his fingers.Oh my gosh,she thought, chuckling and rolling her eyes, seeing his smile widen as he held up both hands, making a heart with his hands. She put her head down in her hands, smiling.

How could you stay mad at that?

Time seemed to fly by as he kept making hopeful, silly faces at her – and honestly, it was completely sweet and flattering. She couldn’t picture any other player being so free or open. Some of them looked downright grumbly, but the ‘fighter’ of the group was turning out to be the most tender-hearted, or so it seemed.

When Theo’s time was up, he blasted onto the ice with a renewed fervor. He was everywhere, skating aggressively after the puck, shoving the other team to steal the puck once more, before taking it to the other side of the arena and scoring a goal. As he skated away from the goal, he pointed at her with his stick held high almost like a knight holding aloft his lance in a silent salute.

Two hours later, Aimee was sitting in the family lounge, chatting easily with Becca as the two picked at their platesof nachos. There was nothing better than crunchy tortilla chips made soggy from hot orangey-looking plastic cheese, in her opinion – plus when you slathered on the jalapeños and sour cream?

It was heavenly.

“Things are better?” Becca asked simply, shoving a chip in her mouth.

“We’re going to talk about a few things.”

“You know that man adores you.”

“How would you feel if Travis lied to you?”

“What makes you think he hasn’t?” Becca returned quickly, startling Aimee. “Look, there’s a difference between a ‘lie’ and a ‘LIE.’ The entire world will disagree with me, quote the whole ‘an omission is a lie’ complex, and maybe they are right to a certain point, but you have to take in the context of the entire thing – and the person.”

“Explain,” she said simply, chomping down on a chip.

“The tooth fairy is a lie,” Becca shrugged, and Aimee nearly spit out her chip at the unexpected explanation given in a casual tone. “Santa, the Easter bunny, the whole ‘don’t make a face because it will stick like that’ comments… all of it are lies. I believe it’s the intention behind it that changes things. Parents don’t set out to lie to their children – they love them, want the best for them, they want to give them something to hope for or look forward to.”

She nodded, chewing thoughtfully as Becca continued.

“I mean, let’s take the Tooth Fairy. It's simpler for a child to believe that some magical glowing being with wings will come and take a fallen tooth, leaving them a dollar – all without waking them up. It’s easier than for a child to hear the explanation that another tooth is shoving it out from behind… and parents are a bunch of emotional saps who keep the firsttooth but then get suckered into buying all thirty of them simply to keep disappointed look from our kid’s faces.”

“I guess I never thought about lies like that.”

“I’m not saying it’s right… I’m just saying to hear all the facts before condemning Theo. He’s a good person deep down inside. When we were refinishing one of the cabins on the property, he worked tirelessly to help my husband simply because they were friends. I don’t know about you, but the friends I used to know were the ones who would ditch you at the slightest speed bump in the road.”

“Then they weren’t friends to you.”

“Well, I know thatnow,” Becca said dramatically waving a soggy chip and laughing as Aimee joined in. Their laughter died down as the door opened and in walked Travis and Theo, freshly showered and changed.

“Becca, honey, are you ready to head out?”

“Yup,” Becca replied, smiling and rising to her feet. “These two have a few things to discuss, and I’m hoping for a visit to Chez Giroux. This plastic-looking cheese is just a teaser for the real deal.”

“Reylo tonight, then?”

---