Page 58 of Rookie's Redemption
It's a breakaway with an empty net. Should be automatic. Easy money.
Except as I'm racing toward the goal, I catch sight of the jumbotron one more time.
TAILS & PAWS FUNDRAISER: $107,850!
Over a hundred and seven thousand dollars.
That number is crazy. Not just because it's more money than Mia probably dreamed of raising, but because it represents something bigger.
It represents an entire community coming together for something good. It represents Mia's dream becoming reality. It represents the kind of future where love and hockey and home all exist in the same space for the first time in my life.
I slide the puck into the empty net, and the horn goes off signaling the end of the game.
Icehawks win, 4-1.
But more importantly, Mia's shelter just got handed a future.
The crowd is going absolutely ballistic. Fans are throwing hats on the ice, even though it wasn't a hat trick. Programs, scarves, anything they can get their hands on.
Through the chaos, I look up at the VIP section and meet Mia's eyes.
She's crying. Full-on, mascara-running, don't-care-who-sees-it crying. But she's also smiling like the sun just came up after the longest winter in history.
I skate toward her section, pushing through teammates and officials and photographers who are trying to capture the moment.
When I reach the glass, she's right there. Pressed against the barrier, looking down at me with those hazel eyes that have owned my heart since we were kids.
"Over a hundred thousand dollars!" I shout over the noise, buzzing with adrenaline.
She presses her hand against the glass. I press mine against the other side, matching her palm to palm with only the barrier between us.
"Thank you,"she mouths, and I can read her lips perfectly.
"I love you,"I mouth back, not caring who sees or what the cameras catch.
The crowd notices our exchange. Someone starts chanting, and within seconds the entire arena has picked it up:
"KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS!"
Eighteen thousand people demanding we kiss. On live television. In front of scouts and teammates and the entire town.
Mia's eyes go wide, and for a second I think she might bolt. This is exactly the kind of public attention she's spent years avoiding.
But then she grins. That real, genuine smile that makes her whole face light up.
She leans down toward the glass. I stretch up on my skates.
And even though there's a barrier between us, even though we're surrounded by chaos and cameras and thousands of people, when our lips meet against that glass it feels like the most private, perfect moment in the world.
Chapter Fourteen
Mia
The noise inside Ridgeview Tavern is absolute chaos.
Every table is packed, every barstool occupied, and there are so many people standing that I can barely see the walls covered in hockey memorabilia. The air carries the scent of spilled beer, victory, and pure adrenaline that's still buzzing through the crowd two hours after the final horn.
Ryder's hand is warm in mine as we push through the throng of celebrating fans, teammates, and what appears to be half the population of Iron Ridge.
