Page 74 of Off The Ice

“Ha, ha,” I spoke dully.

“Cass, we’re good. The glass is like indestructible,” she said, glancing at me as I fidgeted nervously. “But if you see a puck coming, duck.”

Uneasiness settled in my gut, not as much from the imaginary fear of getting injured but more so from the chaotic atmosphere of the arena.

It was insane. I’d always known the cult following the Harbor Wolves had, but seeing the mass of people gathered for a sports game? It was unreal.

People were yelling and cheering, and the game hadn’t even started yet. And more than a few were screaming for Liam.

“Where is he?” I asked Maggie, trying to find his face among the players zooming on the ice. Under their gear and helmets and the speed at which they moved, it was hard to pick him out.

“There.” She pointed. “Number 26.”

Once she pointed him out, it was obvious. His build, the way he maneuvered his body. But on the ice, he had a grace to him that I wouldn’t have expected. Despite his size, he moved effortlessly, gliding like it was more natural to him than walking.

My gaze tracked him on the ice, watching as he used his hockey stick like an extension of his limb, guiding the puck exactly where he wanted it. It was an art form, really. I had to force myself not to drop my jaw in awe.

It was easy to understand why he had the following he had. And some part of me felt unsettled by just how many beautiful girls were sitting in the stands, wearing his name on their backs.

Liam skated by, unaware of the girls nearby, screaming his name as he passed their section. I stared in the direction of the shrieking, eyes narrowing on the poster they held.

“That’s a little much, isn’t it?” I nodded toward two girls holding a glittery sign that said, “Marry me, Brynn.”

Maggie laughed as her eyes landed on the sight. “I’ve seen worse.”

“Like what?”

“Let’s just say that one’s pretty tame as far as the fangirl signs go.”

I shuddered, my imagination filling in the blanks between Maggie’s words.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?”

“It does, but not nearly as uncomfortable as it makes Liam,” she said.

I stared at him, watching as he was immune to it all. The cheers, the screams of his name, the pleading for his attention. For a minute, it looked like he was scanning the crowd for something, but it was impossible to tell for sure.

“So, he doesn’t go for it, then?”

“Hardly.” Maggie snorted. “Liam would be a hermit if he wasn’t so damn good at hockey. He loves his job—well, the playing part. But everything else that comes with it? The media. The fans likethat.” She shrugged. “Well, I just feel kind of bad for him because as long as he plays for the NHL, he’ll never escape that.”

“So, why doesn’t he just quit? Find a normal job.” I squirmed, a newfound understanding of the man I was living with.

“Like I said, he loves the game. Sometimes I think it’s the only thing he cares about. He’d never walk away from that. Not for anything.”

The weight of Maggie’s words settled around me. It was clear that Liam took commitments seriously. Maybe that’s why he chose not to have any others. Hockey, apparently, was his end-all, be-all. I didn’t know why the thought of it left me feeling so hollow.

“There he is!” the fangirls a few rows away cried as Liam skated closer.

But this time, there was no mistaking where his attention was.

Sea-glass eyes met mine as his gloved hand came up to the glass, knocking twice in front of us and grinning. I blinked at him in shock, holding my mittened hand up in a wave. It was hard to believe that this man I saw in the most intimate of settings was now on display in this huge arena, with thousands of eyes locked on him. I watched him laugh at my surprise, and the sight of it had me smiling back at him before he skated away.

“Well, the fangirls aren’t going to like that. He usually pretends the crowd doesn’t exist.” Maggie laughed as the lights started to dim. “Oh, it’s starting.”

The National Anthem played, and all the while, Liam’s eyes remained straight ahead like a dutiful soldier, though mine were focused solely on him. It was as if I couldn’t tear them away if I tried, the heat of his attention still lingering. Seeing him there, in his jersey with his team, it was hard to reconcile the Liam I knew at home with this superstar player.

It made him feel untouchable and very far away in a way that was disconcerting. Why, all of a sudden, was I so overwhelmed? Why did it feel like I was losing him when I never had him and knew I never would?

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