Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
We settle into our seats. “This view is incredible,” Brittany says, handing napkins out to me and Izzy who sits between us.
The ice gleams under the bright arena lights and as I’ve got a mouth stuffed with hot dog, I see the Titans coming onto the ice for warm-ups. I hastily swallow and all three of us stand to cheer along with the rest of the crowd. The players skate around one half of the rink in smooth, powerful strides. My eyes cut back and forth but it’s Izzy who sees King first.
“There he is!” she screams and holds up the cardboard sign she made. In bold, colorful letters, it proclaims, “#1 King Fans.” She bounces with excitement, her eyes pinned on him.
My breath catches when King skates by and gives us all a broad smile. Izzy presses her sign to the glass and cheers as he circles around and this time, he notices it. Eyes warming and sparking a short glance my way, he comes to a crisp stop right before us. The fans to our left bang on the glass, beyond excited that one of the players is so close.
“Nice sign,” he calls out to Izzy and we can hear him over the cheers.
My niece’s face lights up with pure joy.
King looks over to where a bucket of pucks has been dumped out for them to use in warm-up drills. He issues a shrill whistle and yells, “Yo… Camden. Send me a puck.”
The player, who I recognize as Camden Poe as I’ve been studying the team roster, snaps a puck across the ice to King. He bends, picks it up and then tosses it over the glass to Izzy who catches it with a squeal of delight. “Thank you, King!” she shouts, her voice barely audible over the din of the crowd.
King shoots her a wink and then turns to me, putting his glove against the glass. I press mine on the other side, just for a moment, but I feel the connection down to my toes. He gives me the same charming wink and affection swells within me. Then he’s off to join the drills.
“Man, that was swoony.” Brittany sighs as we sit back down. “And he didn’t even seem to mind you have mustard on your chin.”
“Oh God!” I exclaim, rubbing with my napkin. Sure enough, bright yellow stains the white tissue and I glare at Brittany. “You could have told me.”
“Yes, I could have,” she says with an evil grin.
As the warm-ups continue, we devour our snacks, cheer on the Titans and jeer when the Ottawa Cougars take the ice. I soak in the atmosphere, wondering what it feels like for King. I’ll ask him tonight as he convinced me to go out with him and the team for a beer after.
“Look at him go,” Brittany says, nodding at King as he deftly maneuvers around other players. “He’s incredible.”
“He really is,” I agree, following his every move.
Izzy is back at the glass, her eyes glued to the action. Brittany leans over her seat and says, “He’s so into you.”
My stomach flips, mostly with a touch of angst, because that speaks to emotions and we’re not supposed to be going there. Admittedly, butterflies also happily zoom around because I really like King.
Izzy glances back at us. “I can’t wait for the game to start.”
“Me neither, sweetie.” I laugh, my eyes looking past her once again to watch King do a two-on-one drill. “It’s going to be spectacular.”
I take a deep breath, savoring the excitement that thrums through my veins. This will be a night to remember, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
♦
The energy is still buzzing through me as we walk into Mario’s, a popular hangout with the post-game hockey crowd who eagerly await the arrival of players coming over for a beer. The crowd is lively and loud after the Titans’ win. Watching the man I’m dating play a crucial part in that win is indescribable. The depth of pride I have in him startles me, another sign that keeping this casual might be a bit harder than I thought.
King holds my hand possessively, his strong grip reassuring as we push through the throng of excited fans just inside the doorway. The smell of fried food and beer hits me immediately, mingling with the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses.
King is a magnet for attention and I don’t know how much of that is because he’s a Titan or because he scored a short-handed goal tonight. It was in the third period and the Titans were a man short due to what I personally felt was a bad call against Rafferty for tripping. King intercepted a pass and took off down the ice with two Cougars hot on his heels. I jumped out of my seat, banging on the glass as he zipped by, and with an incredible juking move, he faked out the goalie and scored. It was one of the most thrilling things I’ve ever witnessed and my hand hurts from high-fiving all the people around me.