Page 106 of In the Danger Zone
I was playing like shit again.
The game was moving fast. The second period had already started but it felt like we had just been playing for a minute. I was determined to do a good job, to prove to Murph that I didn’t belong on the bench after how shitty I had been playing lately.
But my head was still a mess. That was because all I could think about was Daisy and how I had made the biggest mistake of my life and hurt her. Fuck, I was an idiot.
When I had told Daisy that it was a home game, I had been trying to subtly suggest to her to come watch. Maybe I wasn’t being subtle at all. Or maybe I should have just come right out and told her that I wanted her to come. I missed seeing her face up close. Those pretty, brown eyes.
God, it felt like forever since I last looked into them. It had only been a day, though. She had actually let me stay out there on the ice with her. It had just been me and her. She had been so close, her body up against mine. And all I had wanted to do was kiss her. To feel her, to let her know that I would never make the same mistake.
For a quick moment, I looked over in the stands. My eyes scanned the crowd quickly; they darted left and right and up and down. I could pick out Daisy’s face easily. Amongst hundreds, thousands, millions of faces, I would always find her.
But she wasn’t there. My girl hadn’t shown up.
My ex-girl. Fuck.
The new label was enough to make me hiss out loud, and I took my anger out on the guy who had control of the puck. Knocking him into the boards, I let out a sharp breath as I skated away from him, on the hunt for my next target.
Daisy had truly taken over.
She had every right to walk away from me yesterday. And tomorrow. And the day after that.
I tried to keep my focus on the ice as the minutes flew by. We were getting closer and closer to the end of the period, and the game had been pretty even so far. Two goals for the both of us – none thanks to me since I couldn’t fucking focus. How could I? Hockey wasn’t important anymore. Not when I didn’t have her.
The sound of the horn going off put an end to the second period. Finally. I was breathing hard and I kneeled over, stick in hand. Why did I do it? Why did I believe Asher? Why was I so fucking stupid? Maybe I didn’t deserve Daisy for that fact alone. She was smarter than I could ever be. She should have been with a guy who was on her level.
But that image in my head was enough to make me wanna crosscheck someone. I didn’t want any other man to put their filthy fucking hands on her. The idea of her tangled up with someone else pissed me off like nothing else ever could.
Hudson clapped me on the back, giving me a sympathetic look. He kept quiet and probably knew that no words were going to help me get rid of my pain. All I did was nod at him, slowly skating off the ice and into the locker room.
Murph yelled at a few of us. Especially me. In one ear, out the other. He didn’t know that hockey wasn’t at the top of my mind anymore.
I waited impatiently for the time to pass by. Some of the guys talked to me, but I couldn’t focus in the slightest on what they were saying. The only reason I knew the last period was about to start was because Hudson practically pulled me to my feet and dragged me out of the locker room.
I took my position, waiting for the signal to go. I just wanted the last period to be over with so I could get off the ice, get back to my room, and be miserable for the rest of the night. But before that could happen, Colton was suddenly by my side, giving me a little nudge.
“Someone’s here to see you,” he said with an obnoxious grin, nodding to the stands.
Frowning at him, I followed his gaze.
And there she was.
Daisy was there looking right at me. I should have dropped my stick and stormed up the stairs and kissed her hard and fast, but I couldn’t even move. She waved at me and I slowly held my hand up, still in shock. She actually came to see me.
Maybe I had a chance.
Maybe I could get her back and show her that I would never, ever make the same mistake.
The whistle blew and that sparked something inside of me. I was raging as I moved along the ice, making sure that Tanner didn’t have to worry about the puck getting near him. Guys fell right into the boards because of me, my broad shoulders more than helpful as I took care of them all. My eyes kept flickering over to Daisy, wanting nothing more than to impress her, to show her that I could at least be good atsomething. I was a fucking idiot who didn’t know how good he had it, but hell, at least I was a good defenseman.
With all the new energy surging through me, I managed to get control of the puck. Gliding along the ice, I zeroed in on that space the Shark’s tendy didn’t seem to realize he had left open. Pulling back, I hit the puck, watching as it flew into the net with ease. The crowd roared. I felt the guys pulling at me, screaming in my ear.
But all I cared about was Daisy. I looked at her, noticing a little smile on her face. It was small but it wasthereand I quickly sent her a smile right back.
Seeing her was enough to cement the fact that I needed Daisy back. There was no part of me that could just let her walk away. All I wanted was another chance to prove that I could be the guy for her. The good, kind guy she fell for. Just one more chance. That was all I was asking for, that was all I needed.
And this time, I wouldn’t mess up.
Chapter 47
