Page 83 of Put a Rink on It

Aubrey beams at his compliment. “Thank you, Poppa. I added extra chips for you.”

“I thought you might have. Thank you.”

As everyone eats dessert, the shared consensus is deliciousness. Aubrey gets major props for baking cookies without sampling them.

“My favorite is the maple,” Millie asserts.

“Same,” I agree. “I’m a sucker for anything maple-related. Once Marina turned me onto real maple syrup, I can’t get enough.”

“Because it’s the best,” Walsh enthuses.

Juliet adds with an upturned nose, “Anything else parading as maple syrup should be illegal.”

More laughter rings out. I can’t remember the last time we had a Champion family dinner like this. If ever. Sure, there are more people here, and two kiddos, but Mom and Dad weren’t ever big on traditional family anything.

My saving grace in taking Marina away from this is that Connecticut isn’t too far.

Her move isn’t permanent. She could be back in Vermont in a year if she wants.

The thought lands like being shoved into the boards.

CHAPTER 26

marina

Sitting on the bleachers of the local ice rink for Lennon’s game isn’t the most pleasant after the night Nero and I had. We alternated drinking wine, having sex, and sleeping, with sleep being last on the list. If we got a total of three hours all night, I’d be surprised. So worth it. So much, I can’t keep the smile off my face. Hopefully, no one else sees through it.

The buzzer signals the end of the game. They don’t keep score at this level, but Lennon’s team dominated. She’s the only girl on the ice, but she skates circles around all of the players.

This is her first year playing hockey, but Walsh had her on skates before she could walk. As much as she wanted to play sooner, he held his ground, not wanting to add anything else to their plates or make her more obsessed with the sport.

“When did she get so good, Walsh?”

“I swear by osmosis. All those days in the arena watching paid off. I’m not sure how, but that’s the only thing I can attribute it to. She was bored at her first practice, but I’m not gonna be one of those parents who requests she play up.”

I side-eye my brother. “Oh, you’re not?”

“Nope.”

Megan, his ex and Lennon’s mom, pokes her head from Walsh’s other side. “I told him he’s not allowed to. She’s already too smart for her own good. Let her learn some self-control.”

“Can’t wait to see how this plays out,” I mumble so Megan can’t hear me. Nero’s snigger indicates he didn’t miss it.

He’s wearing a baseball hat, the brim hiding his face. He got a few looks and whispered musings when we first walked in, but he didn’t acknowledge them. Not that Lennon didn’t blow his cover the minute she spotted him from the ice, waving and shouting his name, garnering his attention. If people noticed, they respected his privacy, but there’s a part of him itching to out himself. He can’t help it. It’s who he is, having never minded the limelight around the younger fans. The women who throw themselves at him and the obnoxious fans he could do without, but it’s a package deal. He’s always said it comes with the territory.

“What’s next?” Ma asks as we descend the stairs to meet Lennon in the lobby.

“We figured we’d let Lennon pick where she wants to eat for lunch, and I’ll treat,” Nero tells her. It should sound like he’s trying to show off, but his offer is truly genuine. He wants to treat my family to lunch. Not because he can, but because he’s generous.

“That’s awfully kind of you.”

He wraps an arm around my shoulder, bringing me into him, the scent of my body wash oozing off him. It shouldn’t be sexy, and it shouldn’t be making me want him in a public place, in front of my family no less, but it is, and it does. “It’s the least I can do for letting me swoop in and take Marina from you.”

“As if we were given a choice,” Ma mumbles loud enough so I hear her. However, glancing over at her reveals a proud smile. She raised us to spread our wings; she can’t be too upset when we execute it.

“I’m not too far. Way better than California or Minnesota,” I confirm, convincing myself of the same.

Truth is, even if it were farther, I’m not sure I would have said no.