Page 40 of Make Your Shot
Steven finds me again, just before the second period starts and he settles back down into his seat just as Caleb is coming off the ice again. I haven’t made eye contact with him since that first time and if I’m being honest, I’ve been actively avoiding any opportunity.
Until now.
He hops over the boards and I accidentally look at him. His gaze is hardened, his eyes moving to Steven and then back to me. They narrow the slightest bit, his nostrils flaring as he spins around and drops down onto the bench.
“Is he just an angry man or did someone piss in his coffee this morning?”
I suck in a deep breath, my chest rising and falling as I exhale. “He’s not an angry person, he’s just...complicated.”
“A hot complicated person,” Steven says, glancing at me with a wink. The horn sounds, signaling the period is over. “I’m intrigued.”
“He’s actually really nice and his daughter is such a little spitfire. I just think he’s still hung up on losing his wife. It’s almost like he hasn’t figured out how to heal from it.”
“Is that something you ever really heal from?” Steven questions me as the Zamboni pulls out onto the ice to clean it.
“I don’t know,” I tell him with a shrug, my mind drifting to my father. He’s good, but thinking back now, I’m not sure if he ever truly healed. He dated other women, but he never brought them into our home or into my life. He never settled down. “I think in a way, you probably do.”
Steven nods. “You’re probably right. I’m sure it’s not easy, but then again, what do I know?"
A small laugh escapes me as I shake my head at him then finish the rest of my second drink. Intermission feels like it passes by sooner than I thought it would, but perhaps it’s from the alcohol in my system. I need this buzz to go away by the end of the second period or I don’t think Caleb is going to be too happy with me.
The guys come back on the bench, Caleb glancing at Steven and me from the corner of his eye before he steps out onto the ice. The guys line up and the puck drops. Caleb wins the face-off, but there’s a slashing penalty called on the other team within the first minute.
I glance up at the Megatron. They’ve turned on the kiss cam. A smile tugs on my lips as it jumps around the arena, flashing on different couples. And then it’s me! My own damn face is on the Megatron, the camera zooming in on Steven and me.
“Oh! That’s us!” Steven immediately turns toward me, his hands grabbing the sides of my face as he pulls me to look at him. We’re both laughing, heat creeping up my neck and into my cheeks as he plants a wet kiss on my lips.
“Oh my gosh, are you drooling?” I snort, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
Steven laughs and winks. “Maybe it’s you who is drooling over that hot boss of yours.”
“Oh please,” I chuckle, rolling my eyes at him as I slowly direct my gaze back out to the ice. Caleb stands just on the other side of the boards, his face stone cold as he stares back at me. My breath catches in my throat and my stomach tumbles onto the floor.
Caleb tears his gaze from mine and heads back to the center of the ice. My heart stumbles over itself and I watch him get ready for the face-off. The puck drops and he wins it, but instead of engaging in play, he drives his palms into the chest of the other team’s center.
What the hell?
The guy looks visibly pissed off, shouting something inaudible to Caleb. In less than two seconds, both of them are throwing their gloves onto the ice and engaging in a full on fist fight. Instinctively, I rise to my feet, my hands covering my mouth in horror as the two men tousle, both of them throwing punches before going down on the ice with Caleb on top.
The refs break them up, hauling both players to their feet. Caleb glances over to the bench, eyes wild with blood dripping from his lip and eyebrow. I’m cemented in place, my heart forgetting how to beat and my lungs forgetting how to inhale and exhale properly.
Both of the guys are escorted over to the penalty box and I’m stuck standing motionless. Steven tugs on my arm, urging me to sit back down. “Mia, are you okay? You’re pale as shit.”
“Yeah, I—uh. It must just be the alcohol.” I pause,nervously tucking my hair behind my ears. My buzz vanished the second I watched Caleb drive his fist into another man’s face. “I actually have to go.”
Steven’s eyebrows draw inward. “What?”
“I have to watch his daughter after the second period so I should go check on her.” I swallow roughly, my heart pounding against my ribcage. “I’m sorry to run out on you. We’ll catch up next time you’re back in town.”
Steven’s eyes are filled with concern, but he concedes. He nods and pulls me in for a hug. “Okay. Text me later, okay?”
“Okay,” I tell him, nodding as I rise from my seat as play stops again. I use the opportunity to quickly head up the stairs and back into the concourse. I find the nearest bathroom, pausing inside to catch my breath. I close my eyes and let my head tilt back against the wall as I focus on my breathing. After a few moments, my anxiety starts to settle. I walk to the sink to wash my hands, letting the cool water regulate my nervous system.
I don’t know what the hell just happened.
And I’m not so sure I want to know what caused it.
I adjust Tella in my arms and she wraps hers tighter around my neck, a soft sigh escaping her as she settles against me. She fell asleep at the beginning of the third period. I scooped her up and carried her out into the hallway after the game finished. Most of the otherfamilies have already left so it’s just Tella and me lingering near the exit, waiting for Caleb.
