Page 13 of Pieces of Us
“You think so?” His eyes brighten the slightest bit.
“Well, yeah. You’re already on a team, and I saw you steal the puck earlier. You’re doing great.”
“Stealing the puck was awesome.”
“It was. Ready to start drills?”
“Okay.”
They start passing the puck around haphazardly. I take some photos, and in the view of my phone, I see Melonie in the background. I bring my phone down and give her a smile and a wave. I hold up a finger to let her know it will be a minute till I can get to her. She nods her head and sits in a chair to wait as I finish up.
Chapter Five
Melonie
Ifeel the cold air of the arena hit me as I walk up the stairs to get to the ice. As I get closer to the boards, I scan the large space for Linc. Finally, I see him out on the ice, crouched down, talking to one of the children. He’s smiling and gives the little guy a high five before standing. I watch as he interacts with the group, helping some of them with their grip or throwing a fist in the air when their stick actually connects with the puck they’re passing around. It looks like controlled chaos, but Linc seems to be in his element, helping the kids and taking pictures.
I never thought the sight of Linc having fun with kids would be a turn on, but here we are. But it’s not because it’s Linc. I’m thirty-six after all, just my internal clock yelling at me.
I watch for a few minutes, then he finally notices me and waves. He throws a finger in the air to tell me he’ll be a moment, so I grab a seat and watch. I can’t help but smile as Linc shuffles around the ice, trying to help the kids. There’s lots of laughing and fist bumps, and the kids seem to really like him. What’s even more surprising is he looks like he’s having just as much fun. The coach blows the whistle to have them come to center ice, and Linc makes his way over to where I’m sitting.
“Hey, Mel.” He sounds out of breath.
“Looks like you’re getting a workout out there.”
“These kids are crazy, but they’re so much fun.” He runs a hand through his messy blonde hair. “You have the stuff from Audrey?”
I hold out the binder Audrey gave me at brunch. “Yup. Here you go. Everything you need is in there. Just call the number of the shop on the first page and set up a time for all the guys to go in and give them that. They should know what to do.”
He takes the binder and looks at it, confused. “We need a whole binder just for tuxes?”
“You should see what she has for our bridesmaid’s dresses.”
“What Audrey wants, Audrey will get. Thanks for bringing this by. I’ll hit up the guys after I’m done here and get everything set up. You’re welcome to hang out if you want. The players are going to surprise the kids in a few by joining their practice. It will be awesome to watch if you don’t have anywhere to be.”
“That sounds fun! And I’m always up for seeing hockey players.” I give him a wink.
Linc shakes his head. “Remember they’re off-limits, Mel.”
“So protective.”
“Of you? Yeah, I am.” He smiles at me.
“I don’t need protecting, Linc.”
“I know you don’t. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to.”
I shake my head. The whistle blows again.
“I have to get back. Don’t leave without saying goodbye, okay?”
“Okay.”
Chapter Six
Linc
The practice time with the pro players sent the kids into a stunned frenzy. Some of them were scared to play in front of the guys, some wanted to show off their skills. Either way, these kids will remember this practice for the rest of their lives, and I love that for them.
