Page 119 of False Play
I shot him a soft smile. “Sounds good to me.”
“I’m sorry I took so long. He wouldn’t have been able to find you if I hadn’t been stopped by Coach to talk.”
I perked up. “What did he say?”
He finally put me out of my misery by smiling. My favorite smile, too. The kind I knew was real because his eyes lit up and the corners crinkled just enough to give him away. “He’s putting me back in. I’ll be playing this weekend against Vancouver.”
I quite literally jumped up and down—which was no easyfeat in four-inch heels—then wrapped my arms around him. “I’m so fucking happy right now.”
His laugh was loud and carefree. He gripped my waist and met my gaze. “It’s all thanks to you. Thanks for keeping me in line this season, Kenny baby.”
I shook my head. “You’ve done amazing despite being benched for most of the season. I know it was hard, but hey, at least you get to play the day we’ll find out if we clinch a playoff spot or not. So, you know, no pressure.”
He smirked. “Have you met us? We got this in the bag.”
“I forget how humble you are,” I said sarcastically.
“Please, you like me just like this.”
I think I love you just like this, was my first thought.
It hit me out of nowhere, right in the chest, like a sudden lightning strike that left me a little breathless. My mind didn’t want to accept it. It tried to trick me into believing it was too soon. Maybe it was, you know? But I was also at a point in my life where I wastrulyhappy. This was Henry, the guy who’d seen me at my lowest. The guy who saw me for who I was and embraced all of me without question.
While the knowledge was easy to accept, I wasn’t ready to tell him. I still needed to take things slow, just in case. Because I owed it to myself to protect my heart.
So instead, I smiled and gave him a chaste kiss before replying, “It’s kind of annoying how right you are.”
THIRTY-THREE
HENRY
WE’RE SO BACK, SONS OF BITCHES!
The way adrenalinekicked and rushed through my veins as over 23,000 fans filled the United Center and cheered for us as our intro song, “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC, boomed through the arena was an indescribable feeling. Knowing how important this night was and how close we were to the playoffs should have been nerve-wracking. Butthiswas where I thrived the most. Every play we made was crucial. The pressure intensified the deeper we got into the season, but we were a well-oiled machine. Not only that, but every single one of us was thirsty for another chance after coming so close last season. We knew we had the talent to go all the way to the finals; it was just a matter of putting in all the hard work.
The second the puck dropped, the noise vanished. Not literally. I could still hear the fans slamming the plexiglass, chanting my name like I’d never left. But in my head? Dead silence. Only the scrape of my skates against the ice, the thrum of my heartbeat slamming against my ribs, and thewhooshof adrenaline reverberating through my veins.
It was like time never passed. Like the fight that put mycareer on the line and got me benched like a goddamn rookie never happened. But I had a lot to prove tonight. I needed to prove to Coach I was the same quality player as ever. I needed to prove to my teammates I was someone they could count on. I desperately needed to prove to Kennedy I was the kind of man she could be proud of, and that without her, I didn’t think I’d ever see the ice again. The way I played needed to speak for itself, so I could show everyone I was capable of keeping a cool head, even when the angry monster was trying to rear its ugly head. I couldn’t let it control me. I had too much to lose.
The puck bounced wildly off the faceoff, and I lunged, cutting off Vancouver’s center and stealing it clean. My body shifted automatically, remembering every movement and all the hours I’d put into this sport. I weaved my way between the defenses as my eyes scanned and calculated every possible outcome. Hayes and Donovan were with me, and it felt so goddamn right and meant to be to play next to my best friends once again. But even then, I barely saw them. All my attention was locked on the net.
For a split second, I hesitated. Not because I was scared, but because there was this fire burning inside of me. I was excited and ready to reclaim my spot in this team for good. After so long being benched, I was ready to put it all out there and show the world why I was the right player for this team and this position.
I could hear my teammates trying to get my attention, and the way the crowd screamed in anticipation. Every sound fueled the fire I couldn’t tame, the same fire that’d kept me going even at my lowest.
With my eyes still on the net, I fired. Low glove side.
There was a second where everything moved in slow motion, where my focus tunneled in, heart pounding, breath caught somewhere between hope and exhilaration. Theneverything came roaring back in a flash when the puck snapped past the goalie and slammed into the back of the net.
The red light flashed as the horn blared, and the arena erupted in a roar.
I glided across the ice with a smile so bright, my cheeks hurt. Hayes, Donovan, Parker, and Morgan crashed into me as they tapped their gloves against my helmet and slapped their sticks against my back.
I couldn’t help but laugh when Hayes yelled, “We’re so back, sons of bitches!”
My eyes scanned the crowd, and I inhaled a deep breath as I took everything in, trying to savor the moment and commit it to memory. My heart nearly skipped a beat when my eyes landed on the first row, just to the left of our bench. Every fan was slamming the glass, trying to get my attention, but there she was. Tall, chestnut hair curled and tumbling over her shoulders, wearing my jersey, with her hands tucked under her chin, gazing at me like I was the only person in the arena. Her eyes shimmered with tears, and her smile,God, that fucking smile. It filled my chest with something tender and fierce all at once.
I skated closer, the crowd erupting around me, but I tuned it all out. Not because I was trying to be a dick, but because Kennedy was all I could ever see. She was the golden hour, and I never wanted it to end.
