Page 33 of Icebreaker

"Remember that time when I was upset, and you tried to cheer me up with a bouquet of dandelions?" She laughed softly. You must have been about seven, and you were so proud, presenting me with weeds like they were the world's best roses."

I laughed along with her, thinking about my chubby fist gripping the stems while I saw the smile on her freckled face. "I remember it. You'd had a terrible day at school. Kids picked on you over your red hair. I thought the bright yellow flowers could fix everything."

Maggie touched my arm and slowed our pace. "You always have a knack for seeing the sunshine in the weeds, Quinn. Even back then, you used whatever you could find to mend hearts."

Her words warmed me from the inside out and reminded me of a simpler time. "Some days, I feel like I'd love to go back to those times…the days before Mom and Dad…"

I didn't mean to take us back to heavy topics, but there it was. We paused by a koi pond and watched the fish glide below the water's surface.

Maggie looked at me. "You know, they'd be really proud of you—not just for your hockey skills but also for how you handle tough times. You're resilient."

A lump formed in my throat. Grief over the untimely death of my parents always lingered just beneath the surface of my thoughts. "I couldn't have done it without you. You've been my rock since that horrible night when the police showed up at our door. I just wish they were here to see all of my life and meet Axel."

Maggie squeezed my hand. "They might not be here in person, but they raised us and taught us the essentials to weather any storm. Plus, you're a lot stronger than you think. You've dealt with so much in your life already."

I whispered softly in response. "Thank you."

As we resumed the walk, the garden's tranquility felt like a temporary shield from the chaos of the outside world, including Axel's battles with Dante. Maggie made a fantastic suggestion. "Let's not let today be about the shadows. We will celebrate the good—like the dandelions."

I found a cozy cafe for our lunch. While we waited for our food, Maggie turned the conversation back to Axel, but she had new questions. "Tell me about how you see him through your eyes, Quinn. Tell me about the real Axel, not what I'd see in a TV interview."

I smiled, thinking immediately about the dinner with Axel's family. That's where I saw the best glimpses of what lay beyond Axel's self-defense walls. "He's incredible. Some see him just as a grumbly, tough guy on the ice. That's what they see in hockey games, but he has a great sense of humor that can catch you off guard."

"What else?" Maggie asked as she sipped a glass of iced tea.

"He's incredibly passionate about everything he does. That's true about hockey, of course, but there's more. He will throw himself into strategizing about a game or even picking what movie to watch." I chuckled over a recent memory. "During one of our lighter moments, he worked hard to convince me that we should watch a documentary on sea otters. His intensity about it was adorable."

Maggie smiled from ear to ear. "You're so into him. I love seeing that."

"And he's kind, too. It's a genuine trait in Axel. One day, we were walking down the street checking out food trucks, and he spotted a little boy struggling to keep up with his friends. Axel swooped in, helped retie the boy's shoelaces, and he gave him a little pep talk. It wasn't huge, but it was pure Axel."

"And you said I get to meet him tonight?"

A slight shiver raced up my spine. The two most important people in my life were going to meet. "Yes, for dinner. Nothing elaborate. We'll go back to my apartment and order pizza. That way we won't have the distractions of a restaurant."

Axel was early, which sharply contrasted with how he stood me up about a week earlier. I considered it part of a long-term effort to make amends.

At the door, he presented me with a bottle of red wine and reached out to shake Maggie's hand. The blend of poise with a slight background of anxiety at meeting a relative of mine looked good on him.

Axel spoke first as I closed the door behind him. "Quinn has told me so much about you, Maggie." He pulled out a chair for her at my dining table. "I'm so happy we're able to meet."

Maggie studied him as she sat. "I've heard quite a bit about you, too. All good things. Quinn likes to focus on the positive."

We had a few minutes to talk before the arrival of the pizza. Axel was attentive and eager to chat. He asked Maggie about her life in Chicago and showed genuine interest in her work as a graphic designer. I smiled when he managed to pull out details I'd never heard before.

When our pizza, my favorite—sausage, pepperoni, and green bell pepper—arrived, Axel shared stories about his childhood in Sweden and Sven's skating lessons. He also talked about his interest in working with kids in the future.

"It's not just about teaching kids to play hockey. It's about giving them a place where they belong and can grow. I want to help build a…give me a moment for the English word…community."

I did my best to see Axel through Maggie's eyes. It was hard to miss his warmth and integrity. Seeing him that way only deepened my affection.

He remembered to share his sense of humor, too. We all laughed out loud when he shared a story about appearing at a public event early in his NHL career. "I had the language down, but the culture…not so much. The invitation said 'semi-formal,' and I saw that last part and showed up in a tux. My teammates were all dressed in khakis and button-downs. They had a good time laughing and calling me, 'Red Carpet Man.'"

A few seconds later, my phone buzzed. It was a call from Moose. I excused myself and headed for the bedroom to take it in private, leaving Axel and Maggie alone.

My efforts to keep the conversation private didn't work. Moose's voice boomed out of the phone loud enough my neighbors could probably hear. "Well, well, if it isn't my best buddy who's too busy gallivanting around the city with his sister to call his pal, Moose." He barely held in laughter at his mock indignation.

I chuckled and leaned against the brick wall of my loft apartment. "You know, if I had a nickel for every time you accused me of ignoring you, I'd be able to buy the Lumberjacks by now."

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