Page 117 of Against The Boards

“Benny, I’m a difficult person. You know that, right?”

I cupped her face. “I enjoy a challenge. I’m not going anywhere.”

She kissed me fiercely in response. “Promise?” she asked when she pulled away.

“I’m always gonna fight for you, bad girl. Always.”

Her smile could have lit up the whole room, but then she kissed me again, and everything else melted away.

Epilogue

8 MONTHS LATER

ROXANNE

I was wrapping rainbow tape on my stick when my teammate Kelly nudged my elbow.

“What?” I snapped.

Yeah, it was Beer League, but I still didn’t like to be bothered when I was going through my pre-game rituals. I ended up joining this team because Dinah’s brother Eddie was the captain, and when I had gotten my fourth tattoo last summer in his shop, we got to talking about it. Tonight was the final game of our season, and I was ready to bring it home.

Kelly laughed and showed me her phone. “That’s your man, right?” she asked.

On the screen was a video from the Bulldogs game where Benny was getting interviewed during warm-ups. The Bulldogs were at home tonight for the first game in the first round of the playoffs. I was so proud of them, but unfortunately, I had my own game to win tonight, so I couldn’t cheer on my love.

I watched the video and saw the interviewer point to the rainbow tape on Benny’s stick.

“Why use that tape all the time?” the reporter asked.

Benny ran his hand through his freshly cut dark hair. “My sister’s gay and my partner’s bisexual, so I felt like it was one way I could let the two women I love the most in the world know I support them. That I support the LGBT+ community and want to be a good ally.”

“Is diversity an important thing for you in hockey?”

“Of course. I want kids like me to see themselves not only out here on the ice but as fans too. Hockey should be for everyone, but we still have a lot of work to do in that regard. There needs to be a culture change.”

“Thanks, Benny. Good luck in the game,” the reporter said, and then Benny skated away.

I smiled while I finished taping my stick and laced up my skates. Benny was getting tired of being asked about the tape on his stick all the time, but the media liked to ask the same questions about guys who spoke out all the time. It always made me proud to hear his answer.

“Yeah, that’s him,” I said with a grin.

“Damn, he’s FIIINE. How did you land him?” Kelly asked.

I laughed. “Funny story: we used to hate each other.”

Allison, our goaltender, threw a towel in our direction. “Enough chit-chat, ladies. We have a game to win!”

“You got it!” I cheered and pulled my jersey over my head. “You know, if it wasn’t for that insufferable man, I wouldn’t be playing with you guys right now.”

They both laughed.

“I think I owe that man a beer,” Kelly said.

I laughed and shook my head at her. I finished taping up my stick and prepared to get out on the ice.

Playing on this team was everything I wanted. Yeah, the ice surface could suck, and sometimes half your team mysteriously disappeared, but playing this game I loved again was all I wanted. Benny had been nagging me about PHF free agency, but playing for fun took the pressure off my shoulders. If we won tonight, we would win the championship.

I skated onto the ice and started doing my stretches while Kelly and Eddie took some laps around our zone. I took some practice shots at Allison and did my own laps before the game started.