Page 200 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

"I saw your face when you stepped onto the ice."

I laugh softly. "Was it that obvious?"

"Jamie..." She smiles. "You looked like someone who'd just been handed a piece of his life back."

The words catch me by surprise because they're exactly right. "I guess that's what it felt like."

We begin walking toward the parking lot, neither of us in any hurry to leave. The practice facility is quieter now. A few arena employees pass us in the hallway, offering me a smile or a wave. I return every greeting, asking one man about his granddaughter's piano recital and another whether his wife is feeling better after the flu.

Annette watches the conversations unfold with quiet amusement. I glance toward her. "My mother has an incredible memory."

"I don't think you can blame your mother for this."

I laugh. "You've been talking to my teammates."

"A little."

"They exaggerate."

She gives me a look that says she knows better. "Liam claims you asked about his dentist appointment six months after he mentioned it."

"I did."

She stops walking. "You actually did?"

I shrug. "He had seemed nervous about it."

A smile spreads across her face.

"Jamie..."

"What?"

"You honestly don't realize you do these things, do you?" "I'm beginning to think I don't."

She shakes her head, still smiling, and we continue toward the exit. The afternoon sun has warmed the parking lot enough that the last patches of snow are shrinking beneath the edges of the trees. Somewhere across the street, children are shouting as they run around on the community playground, their voices carrying easily on the breeze.

I unlock my truck but don't reach for the door. Instead, I lean against it, looking back toward the arena.

"I kept wondering if I'd feel different."

Annette waits. "I thought maybe the first skate would answer every question."

"And did it?"

I consider that for a moment. "It answered one."

She tilts her head. "I still love hockey."

"I never doubted that."

"Neither did I."

I smile. "I guess I was wondering if hockey still loved me."

She studies me with that calm, thoughtful expression I've come to know so well.

"Jamie..." She steps a little closer. "Hockey never stopped loving you."