“She’s everything.”
He took me to a locker on the end that had been labeled “Walker.” Inside was a Bobcat jersey with my name. I was torn between lingering in this moment, taking my time with every piece of gear, and ripping the pads from my bag so I could get out there quickly. The second impulse won out, but I snapped a few pictures of the locker.
I’d unzipped the pocket of my bag and reached in to take out my tape when my fingers brushed against the soft texture of the small box I’d hidden there a month ago, knowing it was the one place Ember wouldn’t accidentally stumble onto it. Giving in to my number one dream, I hid it with a smile and took off for the ice, so excited I barely remembered to remove my skate covers.
The hallway opened to the players’ bench, and the lights from the arena shone down, making me feel small and godlike all in one breath.
“Please welcome to the ice, from the University of Colorado, number thirteen, Josh Walker!” The announcement through the PA system rocked me in a way I wasn’t prepared for, emotions hitting me as hard as the players slapping my back as I skated onto the ice.
Just before the puck dropped, I looked over to where I knew Ember would be cheering me on from behind the glass. One glimpse of that smile and I was fueled for the entire game. We’d come full circle—me on the ice, showing off for the red-headed girl in the stands, knowing that for just this amount of time, I had her attention, her focus.
The game was fast-paced, even though I knew they’d slowed it down for me. Hell, I wasn’t in any shape to be playing against my college team, let alone NHL players, but damn if I wasn’t going to give it everything I had. I skated until my legs felt like rubber and my breath came in harsh pants.
We played for over an hour, culminating in the one shot I managed to slip past the goalie. Ember cheered from the stands, and right then everything I’d dreamed about for my life came together in a moment of absolute perfection.
The players smacked my back as they left the ice. I thanked them one by one, and they all acted like I had done them a favor by showing up. Chase shook my hand last.
“Stay safe over there, and we’ll do this again when you come back.” He looked over his shoulder at Ember. “The ice is empty for an hour or so if you want to spend a few minutes.”
“Thank you for everything. This has been a dream come true.”
“It’s been our pleasure.” He nodded once and took off for the locker room.
I opened the door to the player’s box as Ember approached with a bag thrown over her shoulder. She stepped inside and swung the bag down. “Huh,” she said, sniffing. “It doesn’t smell nearly as bad in here as I’d always assumed.”
I laughed. “Skates?”
She nodded, unzipping the black bag and taking out her CCMs. “Luke told me I could sneak out there after you were done so I didn’t make an ass out of myself in front of those players.”
“Please, you’d hardly make an ass out of yourself,” I countered as she tied up her skates, pulling them extra tight.
I ditched my helmet and gloves and picked up something entirely more precious. Holding out my hand to December, I opened the door to the ice, and we skated on. “This is amazing!” she said, laughing as she took in the enormity of the arena.
As she spun around to face me, stopping with a precision she hadn’t had a couple of years ago, it hit me—right here, under these lights that played with the colors in her hair—this was exactly what I’d been waiting for, the best moment of my life.
It was about to get even better.
Chapter Seven
EMBER
The ice was a little bumpy under my skates, but that was to be expected after a dozen NHL players had dug it up for the last hour or so. Man, I owed Luke big-time. But the look on Josh’s face when he’d realized why we were here, the utter radiance that shined from him as he skated onto the ice when they called his name…they were worth every single second of coordination this week.
Pulling it off had been a miracle, and I couldn’t have been more grateful to give him this. After all, he’d already given me so much.
He skated toward me, and I paused, blown away with everything that was Josh. His hair was sweaty, water dripping down his flushed cheeks from dumping his bottle over his head. It was high school and college all jumbled together to make this magnificent man in front of me. I’d never loved him more.
“I’ve gotten a little better since that first date, huh?” I asked with a flirtatious smile, skating backward just because I could.
“You’ve always been perfect.” That grin was enough to melt me despite the temperature of the ice.
“Did you have fun?”
“Yes. I can’t believe you did that for me.” His eyes were warm, letting his love for me shine.
“It’s your dream.”
He shook his head and took my hands in his much warmer ones. “No. It used to be my dream. And as hard as I worked for it, and as difficult as it was to let go when I got wounded, I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me. This”—he glanced at the empty seats and bright lights—“has been more than I could have ever imagined.”