Page 21 of Wild About You
Everly returns to her homework, and I get lost in the game. Hockey was a big part of my life even before I met Tyler. My uncle Tim was a pro hockey player and at least a few times a year we’d go and watch him play. And on rare occasions, my dad, who had also played as a kid, would lace up his skates and the two of them would play. The memory of my dad makes my smile fall. I miss him.
He had a stroke my senior year of high school that made it hard for him to communicate and to remember certain things. I know he loves me. I feel it when I’m around him, but our relationship is different. He remembers most of my childhood, but he forgets things I told him last year. It’s hard. He’s different. And as much as I don’t want to constantly compare things to before the stroke, we simply aren’t as close; and that ache, missing the man he was, or could be, has woven itself into the very fiber of my being.
I find Tyler on the ice. I watch as he speeds by players and puts himself into position in front of the net. He fights off a defender putting pressure on him, trying to get between him and the goalie, but Tyler holds his ground. Someone passes him the puck, and he turns and shoots it through the five hole, lighting up the goal post.
My breath hitches as everyone around me gets to their feet and cheers on number twenty-one. A couple people near us are wearing his jersey. It’s too weird. Everly even looks happy. She glances back at me still in my seat. “Are you okay?”
“Perfect.” I stand. “I’m going to get some food.”
“You’re not leaving, right?” she asks as I turn to flee. She has to yell over the continued applause and cheers for Tyler.
It’s exactly what I’d planned to do, but looking at Everly and knowing I’ll have to face her and her brother again no matter how this night ends, I change my mind.
“No, I’m not leaving. I’m gonna grab some food though.” I hold up the vouchers Tyler left me. It’s a pretty big stack and I’m going to use every last one on greasy, delicious food that will hopefully distract me from watching my hot ex-boyfriend being cheered on by twenty-thousand people. “Do you want anything?”
She nods, and I get the first real smile I’ve ever seen from Everly Kent.
7
SOME SET OF BALLS
TYLER
“Areyou sure you’re good to give Everly a ride home?” I ask Ash.
“For the third time,” he says, “It’s no problem.”
“Thank you.” I’m sweating bullets and it isn’t from the hockey game I just played. Piper is here. She came. Shestayed.
I head out of the locker room. Everly and Piper are waiting for me. My sister smiles and lifts her hand. “Nice game, bro.”
“Thank you.” My gaze slides to Piper. “Hey.”
Her dark blue eyes look almost black when she’s angry…and she’s angry.
I turn my attention back to Everly as Ash walks out to meet us. I jut my chin toward him. “Ash is going to give you a ride back to the house. I won’t be long.”
“Okay.” Everly covers a yawn and glances at Piper. “See you tomorrow.”
“Bye.” Piper waves.
When they’re gone, I take a step closer. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
“Me neither.” She gestures around the hallway where photos of the team line the walls. “This was your small conflict?”
“My job requires late hours some nights. Did you enjoy the game?”
Instead of answering, she asks, “What am I doing here?”
“I wanted to see you, talk about Everly.”
“You played me, and you dragged your sister in the middle of it.”
“That’s not…” I trail off and my brows pull together in confusion. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention. I wanted to talk to you before the team heads out on our next road games and I thought you might like to sit next to someone you knew. That’s all.”
Some of the fight leaves her, but I can tell she’s still mad.
“Let me take you to dinner. Anywhere you want. It’s the least I can do. I don’t want to think about you being pissed at me the entire time I’m gone.”
