| |
Kendra
Declan and I hustled back to the suite. Biting my lip, I lowered myself onto my seat, gripping the edge of it. I was looking at the ice, but I wasn't really seeing the game. I was a bit lost in my mind.
My whole body was tense. Tyler was right, and I just realized a very important thing. Before meeting him, I would feel insecure right now, possibly even trying to run away, fearing that if Tyler had to choose between me and hockey, he’d choose the latter.
I had no idea when that fear was formed. Maybe when we lost Dad, or when Mom’s second boyfriend bailed after her diagnosis. It was how I protected myself.
But over the past few months, loving Tyler changed something inside me. It also changed the way I looked at everything. I was proud of our love, and I believed in us, and I couldn't wait for the game to end to tell him.
"Oh shit. This isn’t going well," Travis exclaimed as two players from the opposing team skated toward Tyler with the puck between them.
I swear to God, everyone around me was holding their breath, myself included.
"Fuck, no, no, no," Declan exclaimed, and then the whole stand booed. The Seattle Dogs had just scored a goal.
Shit. My hot goalie wasn't in top shape right now.
I fidgeted in my spot, a plan forming in my mind. I didn't want to wait until the end of the game anymore. I turned to the Maxwells, leaning in so they could hear me. The fans were so loud that my ears were ringing. The stands seemed to vibrate along with their chatter.
"Anyone have any ideas how to go the extra mile to show Tyler my support right now without being super over the top?"
"Hell yes. Let me think," Travis said.
"There are always blank pages and markers at the promo table at the entrance doors. They’re for kids mostly," Declan said. "You can make a poster."
"Hey, that's a good idea. How come I didn't come up with it? I'm the one with ideas," Luke said, looking genuinely baffled.
Declan burst out laughing before pointing at him, then at Reese, then at Travis, and finally at me. "Whenever you tell stories about today, make sure you emphasize that I came up with this."
"Oh, you two, give it a rest," Reese said. "I'm going to get a marker and the posters."
"Okay," I said, feeling so enthusiastic that my face exploded in a huge smile. Now, what should I write on it?
Looking at the ice, I watched Tyler move between the pipes like a lion in a cage. The last thing I wanted was for him to lose focus.
Reese returned with the paper and a marker a few short minutes later. I had a blank moment just looking at the paper, unsure what to even write on it. It wouldn't make sense to just write something like "Go get it." The fans could do that. I wanted to write something personal, something I knew he'd like.
With a smile, I decided to keep things simple. I wrote “TYLER” in huge letters on the first row and a comma, and then on the lower one, "I LOVE YOU."
"I like it," Travis shouted. "Sweet and to the point."
I realized he'd been looking over my shoulder, standing between me and Reese. Reese was also looking at me and making no secret of it.
“Should we go too?” Declan asked loudly.
Luke raised a brow. “Dude, let her go. Don’t be a—”
I didn’t hear the next word, but I had a hunch it was “cockblocker.” I quickly averted my gaze to Reese, whose eyes were so wide that it was obvious I’d heard right.
With a nervous laugh, I got up from my seat. I went all the way down to the first row off the ice, not caring who was looking at me or what they were going to think. I just held the poster up above my head. I turned slightly so the fans could see it, and they all cheered at once, like a chorus, calling Tyler's name.
He cocked his head toward us, and I was probably imagining it, but I thought that even from here, I could see his grin. The goalie’s mask hid everything, but when he nodded at me, I knew for sure he saw it.
My heart was about to burst. I might not know a lot about hockey, but I felt a shift in energy the next second. Something about the way Tyler moved was different. The pacing wasn't angry anymore. It was just agile and energetic.
I was rocking back and forth on my heels and tiptoes, too full of energy to stand still. But I was holding my arms up in place. They were starting to get tired, and I could barely feel my left hand, but I was determined to keep it up as long as I needed to.
My breath caught when the Dogs came with the puck near our goal again, and I almost looked away when they shot it. But I didn't.
"Yes, yes, yes," I chanted along with everyone else when Tyler blocked it. Then Steve got the puck, and the Blades passed between them, all the way to the Dogs’ side of the rink.
And scored.
"Yes, yes, yes," we all chanted again. The energy was infectious.
Everyone seemed to talk and shout at the same time, and I was happy I'd come down here to the ice because everyone was up on their feet. I probably wouldn't have seen anything from my own seat anyway.
Both my arms were now numb, and I lowered them just for a bit, putting the poster under my arm and rubbing my palms together before stretching them back up.
Two minutes later, time ran out, and the Blades won, 2-1. Our section of the arena seemed to be out of control. I finally brought the poster down because Tyler was being hugged by his teammates, and he wasn't going to see it anyway.
I saw the Maxwells come down to where I was.
"Okay, I need ideas," I said. "I want to get to Tyler. Is there any shortcut around here?"
"I'm afraid not," Reese said.
"A distraction technique would be great about now," Luke said, rubbing his jaw, "but I have no idea."
Declan patted his shoulder. "Mark the calendar, okay? The day I had more ideas than Luke."
"One idea," Reese said. "One."
"Yeah, we won't let it get to your head any time soon," Travis said.
The team went to the locker room, and I knew it would take a while for them to shower and maybe even discuss the game. We left the arena, heading to the lot where all the players parked, waiting there along with everyone’s families. They let a few superfans in as well—apparently they bought special tickets that included meeting the team. Five security guys patrolled the area, and there was a roped section that kept the fans confined to a certain perimeter.
When the team appeared, the fans started cheering. Travis chuckled.
"Tyler’s elbowing his way to us. Literally. Look at him."
I followed Travis's gaze and realized he was right. Tyler came inside the parking lot first, but instead of greeting the fans and signing autographs, he just kept pushing forward. His teammates trailed behind him, taking pictures and signing everything in sight. Not Tyler, though. He was making a beeline for us.
I held my poster above my head as he came closer. He was smiling brilliantly. Without a single word, he cupped my face with both hands, sealing his mouth over mine.
His kiss electrified me. I dropped the poster the next second, needing my hands free so I could touch him and hug him. I put my hands on his shoulders, but I wanted to feel him, so I moved my arms to his neck and put both hands around it.
He was breathing life into me with this kiss. I was so aware of his body and his connection between us, and it filled me with joy in every cell of my body.
"Okay, I was joking. Obviously he was elbowing his way to Kendra. I mean, Maxwell who?" Travis said.
I felt myself flush as we tore apart to draw a breath.
Tyler was totally oblivious to what Travis said, and when he pinned me with his gaze, I became oblivious to everything else too. Only Tyler mattered.
He still had his hands on my cheeks, and the skin-on-skin contact was addictive, as was the luminous, happy look in his eyes.
“Babe, let’s get out of here,” he said.
“But what about celebrating with the team?”
“I can do that another time. Right now, I just want to be with you.”
“And the fans—”
“Kendra, babe.” His voice was strong, filled with that dominant streak I loved so much. Part of me wanted to stall on purpose, just to see what he’d do. But I wanted to be alone with him too much.
He just wanted me. He didn’t care about anything else.
“He’s not even aware we’re here, is he?” I heard Travis ask, and I burst out laughing.
Tyler snapped his head up, glancing straight at his brother. “Sure I am. I was actually thinking you four can probably help us make a quick escape.”
“Sure we can. But first, I got a question: Anyone feeling used?” Luke asked.
Travis shrugged. “I don’t mind being used. As long as it’s for a good cause.”
Declan cocked a brow at Luke. “So, master of ideas, can you come up with an actual idea today?”
“Bro, it’s still not a competition. You had one idea today. I’ve had a million of them.”
Tyler took my hand, kissing it before interlacing our fingers. “It’s one of those times when the Maxwells are too busy bickering to actually be of any use.”
I grinned from ear to ear. “That’s okay. They more than make up for that in entertainment value.”
––––––––
