Page 48 of Icebreaker

The crowd erupted with thunderous applause that rattled the arena's foundation. With his arms raised, Quinn did some fancy backward skating to reach me. He had a massive smile on his face. "How was that for a finish?" he chuckled. I grabbed his helmet with my glove and pulled him into a celebratory headbutt.

"Picture perfect!" I declared. A rush of adrenaline hit my veins like a high-voltage electric shock.

As the game continued, our energy remained high. During each shift change, our lines took the ice with maximum ferocity. We kept our opponents back on their heels for almost the entire third period. When the final buzzer ending the game sounded, we'd won easily. My teammates and I converged on center ice, a massive tangle of bodies in gear, shouting in the chaos of victory.

Sergei clapped me on the back with the biggest grin I'd ever seen on his bearded face. "That's how we do it. We're like a well-oiled machine."

"Now, we do it repeatedly—every shift, every game!" I shouted back. Our newfound camaraderie warmed me from head to toe.

I caught up to Quinn as we skated off the ice. I found his glove with mine to exit hand-in-hand. Our skates clicking on the concrete floor on the way to the locker room sounded like a victory march. It carried the promise of many wins to come.

When we sat on the bench together, our hearts still pounding and breathingstillquick, I reveled in the peaceful sensation that settled over me. We had a long road with many challenges ahead, but a victory like the one we'd just enjoyed told me we were on the right track and had plenty of support whenever we needed it.

Chapter sixteen

Quinn

When Axel drove us onto the highway via an entrance ramp, I threw my hands up and cheered. I watched as the city's glass and steel gave way to the countryside, colored by the last of the fall foliage. I rolled down the window and let the cool breeze ruffle my air.

"Hey, it's cold out there. What are you doing?"

I'd grown so used to Axel's grumbly voice that I loved it as an integral part of him. "It's refreshing," I insisted. For the past several weeks, we'd had so much tension coiled tight inside us. I couldn't wait for nature to help us unwind.

Axel reached over and gently squeezed my thigh. "We needed this, getting away from everyone and everything, just the two ofus alone. That part is great, but after ten more seconds, close that window. I'm cold."

"Aww, Mr. Grumpy. I don't know what I'd do if you didn't grumble at me." I idly played with Axel's fingers, rubbing the wrinkles over his knuckles back and forth. "Can you believe how crazy everything got the last week or so? And then, when Coach and the guys spoke up, I felt like I was winning an award or something."

"Best Rookie Caught in an Old Codger's Screwups. How's that for an award title?" Axel smirked and laughed. "I'm so sorry you've had to deal with my baggage. Damn, it's not fair to have it hurt you."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Don't apologize. I knew it was likely to come with the territory. I saw you-know-who on TV the first time around, too. All of that is part of your history, and I love all of you."

He smiled softly. "How did I get so lucky to find you? I can't believe I didn't kick your ass after the pink skates."

I lifted our hands to my lips and kissed Axel's knuckles. "You thought it was funny. Be honest. And yeah, it was rather cheeky on my part."

"Just a little."

We rode in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the radio and watching the pastures go by. I "mooed" as I spotted a group of cattle near the fence along the road.

"What are you doing? I'm pretty sure you don't speak their language."

I laughed. "Didn't you ever do that as a kid? They do have cows in Sweden, don't they?"

Axel scoffed. "Where do you think I lived? It's not all ice and reindeer, you know."

I grinned and decided to change the subject. "So, how did you come up with this place anyway? Did somebody on the team mention it?"

Axel's eyes suddenly took on a faraway look. "So, as a kid, I loved visiting my grandparents' cabin. It was a cute little place with a tin roof and many windows."

"Aww, that sounds awesome."

"We spent summers there until…," he choked up. "I'm sorry, it was something we did when I was a little kid."

A lump formed in my throat. Losing his mother was such a formative event in Axel's childhood.

"Anyway." He shook off the sad feelings. "I was browsing online, and I came across this place. It reminded me so much of that cabin and all the happy memories. I bought it a few years ago but never spent time there. I thought perhaps someday I'd have someone special to share it."

"Axel…" I reached up and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye.

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