Page 66 of Ice Cold, Red Hot

Blake—Shepherd’s brother. And at his side were Shepherd’s parents, restrained and quiet. Their reticence stood in sharp contrast to the rest of the group—five or six huge men at Blake’s side. I realized they must be his teammates. Blake had come out to support his brother and brought half the NHL with him. I couldn’t help scowling at Darren, who sat with his arms crossed and a frown on his stern face. I didn’t like him, and wasn’t sure I ever would. He didn’t support his son the way I thought a father should. But Blake’s enthusiasm and that of his teammates almost made up for it. I hoped that my own support could fill in the voids. Still, Shepherd’s dad had come. That was something, I guessed.

“I didn’t even offer it to you, you just took it,” Nat complained, breaking into my thoughts.

“You held it toward me,” Griff said. “It was an unspoken invite.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Kinda watery anyway,” he sniffed.

“I didn’t even offer it to you, I definitely don’t need your opinion on my beverage.” Nat was pissed. I looked at her and leaned in. “Are you okay?” I asked.

She pasted on a fake smile. “I’m fine. That one is just driving me insane.”

I glanced at Griff, who appeared oblivious. What the hell was going on?

When the scrimmage ended, we waited with Shepherd’s family. Blake introduced us to his teammates, who kept up a steady banter that almost made up for the fact that his parents barely acknowledged us. After what felt like a very long time, Shepherd finally appeared, freshly showered and beaming with a smile of pride that made him even more handsome. I stood back, waiting while he spoke to his parents and his brother, and then his gaze shifted to me and he held out a hand.

“Mom, Dad,” he said, tugging me into his side. “I want you to meet Celeste. You’re going to be seeing a lot of her.”

Shepherd’s parents exchanged a look, and Blake gave me an enormous grin.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.

“You too,” Mrs. Renshaw sniffed. Darren barely glanced at me, which just made Shepherd pull me in tighter.

“You were on fire out there, Ren,” Griff said. “You’re gonna kill it this season.”

“You did great, little bro,” Blake agreed. “And with a support system like you have, you’ll do just fine in the league.” He nodded at me, Nat, and Griff as he said this.

“It takes a lot more than—” Darren began, but Shepherd’s mother interrupted him.

“Blake’s right. Shepherd’s got everything he needs to succeed. And I’m so glad our son has found such supportive and intelligent people to surround himself with.” She met my eye as she said this, sending me a tiny smile.

“Should we go find something to eat?” Blake asked the group. His teammates mumbled enthusiasm at this idea.

“Sounds like a plan,” Griff agreed.

As a group, we headed out and ended up at one of the diners near the arena. As we crowded around a booth, with Blake’s teammates in a booth next to us, Shepherd pulled me in tight.

“Thanks for being here.” His voice was warm in my ear, and I wished we were alone.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I told him. “It was amazing to watch you play for the Storm. You looked so happy.”

He smiled at me then, his eyes alight. “I am,” he said. “And so much of it is because of you. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I can tell you that I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing my best to make you happy.”

I held his eyes, warmth blooming inside me. “You already do,” I said.

He kissed me then, with his family and our friends around us. And I knew right then that this moment was the beginning of the rest of my life.