Page 81 of Ice Cold Heart
Marco smiled, all charm. “You should see the rest of me.”
Stephen quirked a brow. “I’m free after the game.”
I shared a look with Eva, and I was pretty sure we’d come to the same conclusion—we should have introduced the two of them way sooner. Eva shrugged and elbowed Stephen back to his side of her chair.
“I have something for you,” she said, then dove into the giant tote bag at her feet.
My brows rose when she emerged with a neatly folded red jersey. MATHIS was written across the top of the fold. She shook it out and held it up, grinning around the side.
“It’s kind of my signature move. I assumed you and Cole weren’t hiding anymore after last night and him calling in the cavalry.”
Marco leaned over. “I called in the cavalry.”
“Semantics.” She waved away his correction and set the jersey in my lap before pointing to the jersey she was wearing with Gavin’s last name. “They love it when we let them mark us.”
I laughed and rubbed my hand over the silky material. It was almost the same as the one I’d worn when I’d finally given in to Cole. “No going back after this, is there?”
“Why would you want to?”
“Good point.” I tugged the top over my head and let it settle around me. At least it would be warmer than my t-shirt. “Do you just have these on hand in case of emergencies?”
Eva rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I’ve been carrying this around for weeks.”
“Weeks?”
“Yep.” She popped the word, then nodded at the ice where Gavin, Cole, and Reece were trying to get shots past Mase. “I have one for Reece and Mase too, but don’t tell them or they’ll get all weird about it.”
“No promises.” I leaned back in my seat and watched Cole turn to scan the arena, finding me almost immediately. His eyes drifted down to the jersey, and he grinned before Dad barked something at him. He couldn’t see the back to know his name was on it, but I had a feeling he knew.
“I wasn’t sure you were aware of me and Cole,” I told her.
Eva sent me an incredulous look. “How do you think you two kept things secret this long? You weren’t exactly subtle with all the eye-fucking. I swear taking care of everyone’s relationships is a full-time job.”
Stephen chimed in again. “You could—I don’t know—let them handle it themselves.”
Marco nudged me and leaned closer. “Invite me over after the game.”
I frowned at him. “I’m not going home.”
“I know,” he whispered. “Invite me to Cole’s.” His gaze tracked to Stephen, who’d started arguing with Eva about sleeping arrangements.
“Fine. You’re invited, but I doubt Cole and I will stay in the common area for long.”
Marco smirked at me. “I’m hoping I won’t either.”
When the lights dropped to dramatically introduce the teams, I stood and screamed hard at Cole’s name. He skated past our row and raised his hand to trail over the glass in front of me. Gavin followed him, blowing Eva a kiss. Stephen sighed loud enough for me to hear him over the pounding bass of the entrance music.
Hockey was much more nerve-wracking when I actually cared about the outcome. I chatted with the others during intermissions, but when the guys were playing, I was glued to the action. Unlike last night, TU took an early lead and never relinquished it.
The guys played a brutal game of who could hit Kane the hardest, which Marco explained was because the gray house where I’d squared up on Scott belonged to Kane’s dad. I couldn’t help but grin a little wider every time Kane ended up sprawled across the ice.
The whole ordeal seemed like it had happened a long time ago instead of that morning, but I wasn’t worrying about my reaction yet. Tonight, I wanted to forget my near miss and watch my boyfriend and dad do what they loved. What I loved, if I was honest. I hadn’t lost the rush I used to feel coming to my dad’s games, no matter how deep I’d tried to bury the feeling under resentment and hurt.
TU crushed Easton. My old school didn’t stand a chance, and I felt a petty sense of satisfaction watching Kane snarl at his teammates as they filed into the locker room after the last buzzer. For a fleeting second, I wondered if my mom was watching, but I knew the answer.
No. She hated hockey, maybe more because I’d secretly loved it.
We’d won the first round of conference playoffs, so we’d advance to the semi-finals, then the championship, then the Frozen Four. Dad had done an amazing job building this program from scratch, and I couldn’t wait to watch them succeed.