Page 45 of Make Me Yours
Instead, I take that energy and pour it into the game.
Every shift, every pass, every hit, I play the best damn period of my career.
Each time I touch the puck, the crowd roars. Every goal feels like a message, a silent vow.
She’s here.
Watching.
And if she doesn’t already know she’s mine, I’ll make damn sure she figures it out soon enough.
Before I know it, we’re in the third period and the game is tied. The atmosphere in the arena is thick as the crowd pulses with energy. I dig my skates into the ice and race toward the net, tracking the puck, reading the play before it unfolds. I don’t see the defenseman barreling toward me until it’s too late.
A bone-crunching collision explodes against my ribs, and the next thing I know, I’m airborne.
The world tilts before impact.
My helmet slams against the boards, and a sharp burst of pain ricochets through my skull. Noise erupts around me. There are shouts and the shrill blast of the ref’s whistle along with the scrape of skates cutting across ice. Even so, everything sounds distant and muffled.
I blink, trying to clear the stars clouding my vision as my ears ring. The ceiling of the Kingston Landry Arena looms above me, the bright lights blurring at the edges.
I should get up and shake it off.
Instead, I turn my head and focus on where Lilah is sitting, and squint.
But everything is fuzzy.
I want to tell her not to worry, that I’m okay.
I’ll get up in a second.
That’s when the world fades to black and it’s lights out.
15
LILAH
Iwait for Steele to shake off the brutal hit, but he remains still.
My stomach plummets as I grip the hem of my jersey, my knuckles turning white.
On the ice, the medics rush toward him while the crowd shifts from roaring excitement to a low murmur of unease.
When I rise to my feet, Evelyn’s hand lands on my arm, steady but firm. “Darling, wait?—”
“I can’t,” I whisper. “I have to get to him.”
“Lilah, just?—”
I don’t wait around to hear the rest. I’m already moving, tearing out of the suite and into the hallway, my heart pounding as loud as the crowd buzzing behind me. I bolt for the stairs, my legs barely keeping up with the surge of adrenaline flooding my system.
By the time I hit the main level, security is everywhere. There’s shouting and redirecting as they try to keep things under control. I push forward and weave through the crowd. A few guards recognize me, parting just enough to let me slip past. The echo of my steps follows me down the corridor. It feels like the walls narrow as my pulse thunders.
I just want him to be okay.
Please.
Be.
