Page 127 of The Draft

Henry seemed to find a newfound vigor, and with him, Cade, Alex, and Brooks helping me to guard the goal, we managed to last the last few seconds of the game without a hitch.

When the final whistle blew, and we were celebrating our win, I looked over at Madison, who was jumping in her seat, hugging the polar bear like we’d just won the Frozen Four. We were still five wins away from that, but I didn’t care because she was out there celebrating for me, and that was the biggest win I had all year.

I pushed my helmet up, popping my mouth guard out and playing with it in my mouth when Henry came over. He held his hand out, and I took it as we slapped each other’s backs in congratulations.

“Thanks,” he said curtly.

“For?” I played dumb. He knew what I did with Scotty.

“Watching out for me.”

I shrugged. “Didn’t do much.”

“Still, I know you brought it to Scotty’s attention. Surprised Cade didn’t notice. He always wants an excuse to hurt someone.”

“Don’t I know it. What’s going on with you two, by the way? Just a few weeks ago, he was saying he didn’t want you in our dorm, then the next day, you show up with matching black eyes.”

Henry shook his head and chuckled. “It’s an incredibly long story. I’m sure Cade will tell you sometime.”

“I won’t hold my breath,” I whispered.

“But I hope this game proves that I’m here to play and not fuck with the team. Just because I played with a bunch of cheats at SoCol doesn’t mean I’m one too.” I nodded, knowing that I was wrong. “I’m also sorry I was an asshole to you and Madison when I was sixteen. I was young, stupid, and equated being popular with being successful. I’ve learned that’s not always the case.”

“That’s all water under the bridge. We’re teammates now.” It was the truth. I didn’t care about anything that happened in high school, much less Henry’s reasons for being here. As long as he was a good teammate, that was all I wanted.

“Maybe even teammates in Atlanta,” he joked, and I pushed him as he headed to the gate.

“I hope not.”

As the crowd was filtering out, I glanced back into the stands, and Henry followed my gaze, knowing exactly who I was looking at before he found the object of my affection. Madison had made her way to the player’s box and was talking to her brother now. Throwing her head back and laughing, she was at ease with Cade, and I was happy this entire thing hadn’t ruined their relationship. It had been a week since he found out about us, and although it took him a few days to talk to us again, he was now back tonormal. With Madison, at least.

“Take care of her,” Henry said, drawing my attention back to him. Okay, we might have bonded over the game, but I wasn’t interested in his advice. “Don’t make the same mistake I did.”

I grunted in response. “On that note, I’m going to go and see her.”

I skated over to my estranged best friend and his sister, or, should I say,mygirlfriend, and smiled. Sliding up next to Cade, Madison immediately moved over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me. “You played amazing today,” she said. As we pulled out of the hug, she cupped my cheeks and kissed me fully on the lips.

“Yeah, I could have lived a happy life without seeing that,” Cade joked, pushing himself off to the side, making his way to the locker room. “See you later, MB.” Leaving Madison and me together, the rink was quieter now as the crowd had filtered out.

I picked Madison up over the barrier and skated around the ice with her in a bridal carry. Her hands gripped my neck as I kept skating, waiting for everyone else to leave so we could be on our own. She seemingly knew what I was waiting for so she dropped her head on my chest and closed her eyes. Gliding across the ice, her blonde hair flicked with the motion, throwing that strawberry scent around again.

“I still can’t believe you’re mine,” I whispered in awe when the place was quiet.

“I still can’t believe you can hold me with all this padding on.”

I lifted her a little higher, causing her to squeal and then giggle as I switched her position. Her legs were wrapped around my waist now, but I didn’t think she’d be able to hold on like that for long since my pads doubled my size, and her thighs could barely get a grip around my waist. I drifted over to the net, placing her on the top so she could sit.

With my hands on either side of her, I said, “You know you’re the only person I can stand in this world, right?” I kissed her forehead, rubbing her thigh.

“That’s not true. You like Cade.”

“I put up with Cade because he’s Cade. He’s like an annoying brother you know you can’t get rid of, so you have to love him.”

“Heismy annoying brother that I can’t get rid of.”

“Exactly, which is why you’re still the only one Iwantto spend time with. Everyone else can go and fuck themselves for all I care.”

She giggled at that, throwing her arms back around me as she placed a small kiss on my lips. I could kiss her all day, and it still wouldn’t be enough. She leaned back, pulling me into her so much that I had to hold on to the net for balance.