Page 182 of Skate the Line

Almost as stupid as I feel for loving that he didn’t want some other guy hooking up with me, I bet.

“You could say that,” he says.

“I can’t believe you thought I’d actually go on a date right now, with you away and Ellie in my care.” I can’t hide my disappointment. “I thought you knew me better than that.”

He makes a noise that resembles a growl. I picture him pinching the bridge of his nose like he does when he is frustrated about something. “You’ve got me so twisted I can’t even think straight.”

“One day you’ll trust that I’m not like those other nannies you had. Now go win your game. Ellie and I are going to eat dinner and then crawl into your bed to watch you on TV.”

“Trust me, Sunshine. You’renothinglike anyone I’ve ever met before.”

He hangs up, and I stare at the phone for so long Ellie and Marco appear, both of them ready for dinner.

“Right, dinner.” I slip my phone into my pocket and follow them out the door, making sure to lock it behind me.

Fifty-Two

RHODES

“Bro, what is that?”Kane uses his stick to point at my skate during the other team’s time out. I glance at the laces and hide a grin. A pretty blue ribbon is intertwined within the laces, something I did right before the game after getting off the phone with Sunny.

“A good luck charm from Ellie,” I lie, flinging water down the hatch.

It most definitely isn’t a good luck charm from my daughter. I slipped the ribbon in my bag after losing yet another battle with myself at the innocent hands of Sunny, and when I saw it there before the game, I found myself wanting to hold onto it for good luck.

How pathetic.

Am I a teenager or in my thirties?

But that’s just it, isn’t it? Sunny makes me feel like a teenager again. I’m antsy when we’re apart, and now, she’s starting to run laps in my head. She’s all I can think about, and for the first time in my life, I’m eager to get back home to see my daughter’s nanny instead of dreading it.

Sunny in my bed will be the perfect reward for winning on the road—and we will win. We’re up 3-1, and as long as we hold the line for the next few minutes, we should be destined for the W.

Malaki zips past, and we get into position. Kane skates up toward the refs and says something mouthy to the other center, and just like that, we’re off.

I’m skating with a purpose tonight, and I know it’s because I have someone important watching me from home.

Except, she didn’t text me back during the last intermission.

Fuck, focus.

I clear my head as best as I can and follow the puck.

It hits my stick with force, and I skate up the line, passing it back and forth between my teammates. There’s an opening up ahead, and Kane hikes it toward the goal but misses by a hair.

I slip behind the net and play with the puck, tossing it back and forth before flinging it around the wall with it ending back in Malaki’s possession. A defender elbows him and steals possession, giving us a turnover.

Shit.

They’re going to pull their goalie to the bench, and it’ll be six of them against the five of us.

We’ve been in this position before, though, and we’ve practiced the drill too many times to count, constantly tweaking and reinforcing pressure.

I skate quickly toward the commotion but hear my name being called from the bench.

Coach is pulling me in?

We don’t need fresh legs yet.

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