Page 90 of The Big Puck

The refs and linemen finally break from their huddle and as the ref skates to center ice to make his pronouncement, the crowd quiets. My heart clatters and the guys go still, all turning toward the ref. I close my eyes for a beat, replaying what I saw and I calm, knowing.

“After review, it was determined that the player was not off sides and the goal is good. The score is two to one in favor of the Whalers.”

The crowd erupts and the guys pile onto Jason and Rafe.

Kap looks at me and shakes his head. “You are un-fucking believable. Good call coach. I’d say you were lucky, but that was not about fucking luck.”

“Nope,” I say. I turn around and catch Lainey’s eyes, her face blindingly happy and I feel like she’s aiming all the sunny joy in the universe directly at me.

The ref blows the whistle, signaling the short commercial break is over.

“Same line on the ice.” They skate for center ice, except Jason pauses.

“Congratulations on your sixtieth goal.” I finally have a chance to tell him.

“Thank you.” He taps his chest and then skates to his place in the circle around center ice.

“Three and a half minutes to hold on and win this game.”

“We’ll win,” I say, watching the puck drop with certain calm.

I was right

The moment the horn blows ending the game everything changes. We won the division title. My pie-in-the-sky hope happens for real and I feel light headed, like the weight of my baggage is suddenly gone.

Wait, no. That’s not right. It’s not winning the game that dissolves the weight I’ve been carrying.

It happens the instant Lainey throws her arms around me as I step into the tunnel and she kisses me while all the cameras flash and the microphones catch her telling me how much she loves me.

As soon as her words penetrated my brain, my heart and my soul, catching up on what my body already knew—guess my dick is smarter than I’ve given it credit for—that’s when I feel the weight lift, literally like I’m floating in mid-air.

Or that could be the team lifting me off the ground, holding me over their heads as they shout like maniacs and I shout right along with them.

No, that wouldn’t explain why the feeling never leaves me even through all the interviews with Lainey plastered to my side because my body refuses to let her go—I finally trust in my physical response to her. My emotions still need to get sorted through because I’m too high and still too determined to get my win over Gavonza.

Tomorrow.

Chapter 35

LAINEY

I tell him to bring me to Aunt Hildie’s house so we can be alone.

“What about Krissy?” he says and I know he’s teasing me. I reach over and squeeze the bulge in his pants.

“What about Krissy’s daddy?”

“What about him?” Now I know he wants to hear it, for me to reassure him where he stands.

“Tonight is your night, Spence, every last second of it, you and me and no one and nothing else.”

“I think I like that you have a pied a terre, although I’d like it better if it wasn’t my Aunt’s house and didn’t have photos of family ancestors all over the walls.”

“I don’t care. They can all watch.”

He says nothing to that because I think he’s speechless, but the bulge in his pants twitches with all kinds of enthusiasm, doing the talking for him.

We spend the night not sleeping. I make love to him like he’s my Adonis, my treasure, my everything, fawning and fondling and giving him everything I have. All night long.