Page 27 of The Flirty Forward

I turn my focus back to the game. Tina comes back with a little one in her arms, and we settle in for the last period. The last period is more intense, especially when the other team scores early on. I can’t help but hold my breath when Sebastian gets slammed hard against the boards. On the next play, Aiden slams the other team’s guy into the boards—the one that got Sebastian.I shake my head. I will never understand why full-grown men want to play this sport. The game intensifies, and the action is non-stop. There are a few times that we get close, but we don’t score. Aiden has a chance near the end of the game, but it doesn’t make it. Then with under a minute left in the game, Aiden gets the puck and shoots it to Sebastian in the middle of the ice. Sebastian powers down the stretch on a breakaway. One, two, three, four strides, and he shoots. Score! The crowd around us goes crazy, and I’m stunned. It all happened so quickly! I watch the replay on the big screen as Sebastian’s family loses their minds all around me. I’m busy staring at the screen, so I see the exact moment Sebastian lifts his hand and points to his ring finger. It happens so fast, I almost miss it. My mouth opens in surprise, and I stare as they replay his goal again. It’s hard to see what he’s doing because he’s wearing gloves, but I know.

The clock winds down, and the game ends. The fans all around us scream over the win, and Kayla hugs me. “Wasn’t that a great game, Miss Winston?”

I can’t help my smile. “It really was.” I sit back in my chair a moment, trying to catch my breath. That was insane.

Tina collapses next to me. “That never gets old.”

“Winning or watching Sebastian score?” I ask.

“Both,” she says with a smile. Her husband hands her their little boy, and she works on putting a coat on him. “Will you be coming on Sunday?” I must give her a blank look because she continues. “To Sunday brunch?”

“Oh, um, I don’t think so.”

“Are you going back with us to see Uncle Sebastian?” Kayla asks from my other side.

“I don’t think so; I’m going to get going. We have school tomorrow,” I remind her with a smile.

“Hey, I think she’s trying to get your attention,” Tina says, nodding down the row. I turn and see Chloe, waving for me to come forward.

I quickly turn away. “Do you think I can get away with saying I didn’t see her and make a run for it?”

Tina laughs and gives me a sympathetic smile. “I think that’s a negative.” She finishes putting on her boy’s coat. “It’s been so nice to meet you, Stephanie. I hope we get to see more of you.”

“Mmm.” I say and then feel stupid.

She laughs again and shakes her head before turning to her husband. I face Chloe who is waving more emphatically this time. “I think you’d better go, Miss Winston,” Kayla says seriously.

I sigh. “I’m going.”

I wait for our row to move forward and then make my way to Chloe. “Let’s go,” she says impatiently. Before I can even ask her where we’re going, she starts down the steps towards the ice.

“It was so nice to meet you, Stephanie,” Sebastian’s mom says.

“You too,” I tell her with a smile. “I’ve gotta go...do something,” I say pointing over my shoulder.

“We won’t hold you up. Tell our boy we love him and are proud of him.”

“Oh, I’m not—” I stop. “Okay. It was nice to meet you all.” I give a general wave to the entire family and make my way down the steps towards the ice. My heart starts racing as I try to catch up to Chloe. “Chloe,” I hiss as we walk past several photographers. “Chloe,” I try again. I finally catch up to her. “What are we doing?”

She turns to me. “Getting you that picture you need,” she says under her breath. “Remember? The one you need to get your life back on track?” Her words are barely loud enough for me to hear.

I look out at the rink. It’s empty. “How are we going to—” I follow her through a door and then down a long hallway. When she opens it, I see several members of the press lingering. I know that’s who they are because they’re all wearing lanyards with badges, and several of them are sporting those huge, long cameras. “Chloe, what are we doing?”

Before she can say anything, Sebastian shows up. His eyes land on me and light up, and then he walks straight for me. I take an unconscious step backwards. “Hey, Doll,” he says when he gets close. He’s still wearing his uniform and his skates. In them, he towers over me. He’s already tall, so the skates make him ridiculously tall. He bends towards me, and I lean backwards. He keeps coming, and I keep trying to lean backwards. His heavy hand lands on my shoulder. “For the cameras,” he whispers, just before he wraps his other arm around me and leans towards me. He kisses me on the cheek, but I have no doubt it looks like he’s kissing me on the lips to the people behind him. Sebastian's broad shoulders give us the illusion of privacy. I pull back and stare up at him, unsure what to say or how to respond. If I make a big deal, people are going to take notice. I'll probably have a bunch more nasty memes and nicknames by tomorrow. So I stay still.

“Did you see my sign?” he asks in a quiet voice.

I did, but I’m not going to own up to it. “What sign?” I ask innocently.

He just grins down at me. His eyes scan me from head to toe. “I like you in my jersey,” he says, his voice still quiet.

I scowl. “I didn’t have a choice apparently. Um, how long do we have to stand here?”

“Just give them another minute.” His voice is still hushed.

Without anywhere to go and stuck with the guy, I finally meet his eyes. “Good goal at the end.”

A slow smile forms on his face. “So, you did watch the game?”

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