Chapter 32
Gavin
“That’s some ring.” Knox meets me in the locker room before I head out to play.
I’m holding a light blue velvet box from Tiffany’s with a crown-shaped engagement ring inside it.
Being with me and having our little girl cost Haddy one crown. I bought this ring to give her a new one, to make her my queen.
“You know what to do?” I study his face, and he nods, fully serious.
“I’ll get Gigi to help me.” He slaps my shoulder. “Don’t worry, bro. We’ll have her ready and waiting for you.”
“Where are they now?”
“She’s up in the stands with all the fam. They’re where Mav told us to sit.”
Nodding, I know exactly where they are, and I picture her in my jersey with all my family. I always play better when she’s watching, cheering us on. I like looking up and seeing her there, waving and dancing with Gigi, smiling and blowing kisses.
Okay, the kisses thing is new.
We made a big splash in the tabloids last time with our kissing and the declarations of love during a big fight and ultimate tie-breaker. This time I’m going for the whole enchilada, the proposal, and hopefully her saying yes.
It’s a great feeling to know how close we are to making it official. Heading out onto the ice, I turn around to look up at them. It’s a big group, but she sees me waving. They all do, and the cheering begins.
Our theme songs blast through the arena, and we do our part, warming up, tossing pucks, giving the fans what they want.
Colorado is a killer team, big and tough. We barely beat them the last time we played them, and it’s clear they’ve been studying all our plays. I doubt we’ll have an easy time scoring this go-round.
Sure enough, right off the bat, I’m body-checked into the wall by a massive forward. He didn’t have to hit me that hard, and it ticks me off. I go after him, grabbing him by the front of his jersey.
“You sure you want to do this, little man?” he growls back, and it makes me even madder.
“I’m not so little.” I have him by the neck, and we’re gliding across the ice.
A lineman comes and breaks us up, but I’ve got my eye on that guy. He’s a bully, and I’m not letting him hit me again without a fight. My mom Elaine is here, and I know she hates it when we fight. Sorry, Mom.
The whole game is a struggle. We fly up and down the ice, turning the puck over again and again. None of our plays work out. I try for a pinch, and a different player slams me out of the way. They’re taking every opportunity to hit us hard.
As I expected, our tic-tac-goal play is blocked, but we still manage to hold it at 2-2 on the scoreboard. Donovan does his best to keep us upbeat and motivated, but Mav is pissed.
He’s going for an undefeated streak, and we haven’t lost a game since Christmas.
The clock is ticking down, and I notice Knox and Gigi moving Haddy closer to the rink entrance. My stomach tingles with what’s to come, and for a moment, I forget to be pissed at how this game is going. It’s probably why I get careless.
The forward is lined up ready to go for the slapshot, but I see an opening and reach for it with my stick. I don’t have time to think about the miscalculation.
The puck hits the pine, then flies into the air with the force of his blow.
The last thing I remember is pain exploding through my forehead and everything going dark.