Page 37 of Breaking the Pucking Rules
“Oh?” I ask, my heart rate increasing as fear shoots through me.
If anyone was going to recognize me hiding behind my mask, it would be Parker.
“Yeah. See…at first, I thought I was seeing things, but the more I looked, the more I convinced myself I was right.” My face begins to burn, and my stomach knots.
Risking a glance at her, I find her narrowed, suspicious eyes drilling into me.
She knows.
Fuck.
“Parker,” I hedge.
“Casey,” she shoots back.
My hands tremble as I stare down at my food, which I suddenly can’t stomach.
Parker and I don’t keep secrets from each other. Especially not ones as big as the one I’m keeping from Friday night.
“Don’t make me ask.”
“Fuck,” I breathe, closing my eyes for a beat.
“I fucking knew it,” Parker shouts as if she’s just won the Stanley Cup.
“Parker.”
She turns toward me, bouncing with excitement on the couch.
“I need to know everything.”
The breath I didn’t know I was holding comes rushing out of me.
Of course I want to tell her. Parker knows everything there is to know about me.
I trust her with my life, but sharing this…it feels like I’m betraying the promise I made to Kodie.
“Casey, you’re scaring me.”
“Parker, you have to promise to never tell anyone about this. No one aside from me and you know I was there.”
10
KODIE
“Yes, Sutton. You’ve got this,” I bellow as she gets the puck and flies down the left-hand side of the rink, dodging two members of the other team to line up a perfect shot.
As she pulls back her stick, I hold my breath and pray.
I get nervous for my own games; I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. Especially big ones. But I am never, ever as anxious as I am for one of Sutton’s.
I try not to be that dad who barks orders and pisses her coaches off from the stands, but every now and then, the words just slip out.
My eyes are glued to her as she takes the shot, hitting the puck with enough force to send it flying past the pint-sized goalie and straight to the back of the net.
“Yes,” I hiss, attempting to be a little quieter than before since I can’t help myself.
I’ve been brought up to be competitive and cutthroat on the ice. Even the humblest players struggle to rein it in after years of it being encouraged.
