Page 67 of Face Off

“Great.” He beamed. “Everything went according to plan, and she said yes.”

“Congrats.” I hugged him and clapped his back. “I’m really happy for you guys.”

Part of me still couldn’t believe my best friend and partner in crime was getting married, but I understood now. The idea of spending the rest of my life with one person no longer felt like a prison sentence. It was something I wanted too.

“Thanks.” He grinned and lowered his voice. “You’ll be my best man, right?”

“Of course. I’d be honored.” It felt good saying that with complete sincerity. I might have joked or scoffed a few months ago, but now I just wanted them both to be happy.

He grinned and walked away.

“You ready?” Reese appeared at my side.

I paused, unsure what he meant. “For?”

“The game.” He drew out the word while watching me like I might be losing my mind.

“Right. Yeah, of course.”

“Good. San Francisco always plays a little dirty, and Erik and Nikolai tend to let it get under their skin, so we can expect at least two or three power plays.”

I nodded, finally understanding. Special teams would have some good opportunities tonight, and he wanted to make sure I was up for it.

“We got this.” He slapped my back, and I finished changing and pulling on my gear.

The first period was pretty standard. No penalties were called, and I was feeling good each time my line went out. The second period got more heated, and I went out with the special teams after a hooking call against San Francisco. They were getting desperate after we widened the gap with two points over their zero, and playing it up for the refs.

My head was clear. I was zoned in, and we had a great flow working until I got hit by one of their defensemen.

It was clean, and the impact against the boards wasn’t anything I hadn’t felt a thousand times before, but I put a mental target on his back. They scored, ending the power play, and I went back to the bench.

As the buzzer sounded, ending the period, I finally risked looking up into the section where the Pride sat. I scanned the rows and found Holly and Sadie sitting next to Sydney and the twins. Sadie was dancing and cheering, and when she saw me look at her, she waved her arms in the air and I could have sworn I heard her screaming my name. I smiled and followed the guys back into the locker room.

When was the last time I had someone cheering just for me? It had been a while since my parents came for a home game, and the women I took out rarely made it to the point of me reserving tickets for them.

It felt good to know Holly and Sadie were there.

At least, until four minutes into the third period, when I wished they were nowhere near the arena to witness me crumbling to the ice.

The impact was unexpected. The guy who’d attacked me earlier came back for more when I was too focused on a play to realize he was in my blind spot.

His stick was in front of my right skate, and I didn’t have a chance to think of reacting before he pulled, twisting my ankle and body in the opposite direction. The snap was louder than the noise in the arena, at least in my head.

I hit the ice and knew it was over. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. The pain was worse than the first time I broke it. All of Madi’s warnings and pleas flashed in my mind.

I did this. It was my fault. I knew the risks, but I ignored the truth.

I lay on my back, staring up at the metal beams crisscrossing the ceiling of the arena, then my vision was filled with the guys, then Amelia. Her eyes asked me for the truth, and I shook my head once.

“Can you get up?” she asked.

I didn’t want to. I wanted to lay here forever. This was it. My career was over. The only life I’d ever known or wanted, gone. Ripped away from me.

But Holly was here. And Sadie.

I didn’t want to scare either of them, so I nodded, and soon I was being lifted. Brandon was on my left and Jake on my right, letting me put the majority of my weight on his shoulders. They got me to the bench, and Amelia and the other trainer took over. I limped my way to her office, and she immediately went to the x-ray machine.

“I’ve got it.” She excused the other trainer, leaving us alone. She didn’t meet my eyes as she moved, getting everything in position.