Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
MARCUS
“ O ur first home game of the season. You ready?” Noah is taping his stick next to me in our locker room.
Bode’s rock music is blaring across the room.
It’s bright in here. The red carpet—to match the team’s colors—is somewhat muted from the overhead lights and years of wear and tear. The Knights logo sits dead center with all of the wooden lockers facing it. There’s a small door with a bank of windows that leads to the coach’s office and the tunnel that takes us onto the ice.
Being in here is like a home away from home.
I’m flipping the puck that I have saved in my locker from my first ever goal. The rubber is worn down over the years, but before every game, I flip it around. Force of habit.
Hockey players are nothing if not superstitious.
“Fucking finally.”
“Are the girls here?” Noah asks.
I shake my head. “Too late for them on a school night. They’re watching at home with my mom. ”
“Do they wear little Evans jerseys?” Noah asks, an obnoxious smile on his face. “Or do they rep their favorite uncle?”
I return his smile. “They actually do wear Fisher jerseys. They love Uncle Flounder.”
That wipes the smile off his face and earns me a punch to the bicep. “You’re a dick.”
Flounder pops his head around Noah. “That’s because he knows I’m the favorite.”
I point my finger at him. “It better not be because you load them up with sugar they aren’t allowed to have.”
“He totally does.” Noah rats him out. “It’s not me.”
“Now who’s the dick?” Graham gives Noah his own punch to the bicep.
“Ow! That hurt.”
“No it didn’t. Stop being a baby,” Graham goads him.
“It could have if I didn’t have such strong biceps.”
Graham waggles his eyebrows at his boyfriend and the two of them start whispering back and forth to one another.
I smile as I lean over and drop the puck back into my locker.
“Alright, gentleman.” Coach Andrews steps into the center of the locker room, halting all conversation around him. “We’ve got Boston on the lineup tonight. They’re a good team, but I like what I’ve been seeing from you. We’re 3-1 to start the season.”
“Fuck yeah, we are!” Bode shouts, hands resting on the butt of his stick.
“I love the energy everyone is bringing to their game. The fans showed up tonight, so let’s go out there and give them the best home opener they’ve ever seen!”
“Hell yeah! Let’s go, boys! Knights on three!” Bode cheers, coming into the center of the locker room. “One, two, three…”
“Knights!” we echo.
I stand at the exit and fist bump every guy on the way out, pumping them up. I meet up with the rest of the starters as we’re each called out onto the ice. The noise is electric. Fans along the boards are pounding on the glass as we skate around waiting for the National Anthem to play.
I fucking love the energy before a home game. There’s nothing to match it. We’re having a good start to the season—nothing I want to jinx—and I’m only hoping we can bring home the W tonight.
We’re all ready by the time we’re getting into position on the ice. The puck drops and Bode snatches it easily before Boston gets it. He passes it to Jasper who shoots it over to me as I skate into Boston’s zone.
Bode is hot on my heels as I watch the pair of guys on D for Boston shout across the ice to set up their own play. But they’re no match for us. I shoot the puck back to Bode who dekes out the defense before he sends it flying at the goalie.
He grabs it out of the air and drops it next to him to the defenseman. They take it back up the ice into our zone, but Noah is there waiting for him.
It’s more back and forth during the first period when finally Bode and Jasper take off on a breakaway. Fuck, even following behind them, they look impressive. Bode sends the puck flying back to Jasper before it’s sneaking between the goalie’s legs and lighting the lamp.
The stands explode in noise.
“Fuck yeah!” I skate over to them and jump on top of them. “Great job, Jasper!”
“Let’s go, boys!” Jasper taps everyone on the head before we get ready for the puck to drop .
Boston evens up the score before the end of the first period, but we come out of intermission and put an easy two more goals on the scoreboard. They cut the lead to one before the end of the second.
Coach Andrews brings everyone to the bench before the start of the third. “Alright, boys. 3-2. I want you to skate like I know you can and let’s close out this game tonight. Bring home the W for our home crowd.”
Boston gets the puck to start the third and takes off on a breakaway. Noah is waiting for them and deflects the puck up into the nets. The refs blow the whistle to stop play. The TV screens start flashing between couples as I take a breather.
The kiss cam.
I’m skating around on the ice, keeping my legs warm when I see it.
Wait. That couldn’t have been Harper, right? It was just your average blonde-haired woman wearing a hat at a hockey game. I’m only seeing what I want to see.
It’s not Harper.
I only wish I was seeing her at a hockey game wearing my jersey.
This time, when the camera pans back, there’s no mistaking it.
That’s Harper.
I would recognize that face anywhere. A plain black hat sits on top of her head, but she’s wearing a red Knights crewneck sweatshirt with our logo splashed across her chest.
Damn, does she ever look sexy.
The giant pair of lips are encouraging her and the man sitting next to her to kiss. Her face is beet red, waving her hands at the guy next to her.
I can see her mouth the words I don’t know him while the crowd cheers them on. The man sitting next to her kisses the woman on his other side before the camera cuts away from them, but I can’t help the grin that splits my face. Fuck, Harper is adorable.
I can’t wait to give her so much shit for this.
“Yo, Evans. Head in the game!” Noah shouts.
I smirk at him before taking my spot for the face-off. Knowing that Harper is here now makes me want to play better.
Back in college, I always wanted to play better for her. Harper brought that out in me.
When the puck comes my way, with Bode skating even with me, we take off. With only one defenseman standing between us and the goalie, I fire the puck over to Bode who dekes him out and sends it back to me, then I’m sending it off the cradle of my stick and it hits the net.
A sea of red explodes around us as Bode skates over to me to congratulate me on my goal. “Hell yeah, baby!”
“Great pass!” I clap Bode on the shoulder as the rest of the guys come over to us.
I smile up into the stands, wishing I knew where Harper was. Wherever she is, I hope she’s impressed. I can still picture her back in college when I would score. She’d be the loudest person in the arena, jumping up and down, losing her mind.
That’s too much to hope for right now. But the fact that she’s here means something. It has to mean something.
By the time we put the game away in the third, despite a last-minute attempt by Boston to pull their goalie, we win the game 4-2.
Damn. It’s one of the best starts that the Knights have had in a long time. Lots of things seem to be going well lately .
A streak that I’m hoping continues for the team and me personally.
Harper’s sudden reappearance in my life has to mean something.
Hopefully a good thing.