Chapter 18 #2
“Look at him, he wants to see the warm-ups, too. Besides, I’m cold and could use a warm puppy to cuddle,” she says with a pout.
I roll my eyes, but pick up Ajax and pass him to Cami. She cuddles him like she said, so I relax back in my seat and go back to covertly checking out Sebastian on the ice.
Suddenly, Cami stands up with Ajax in one arm and bangs on the glass with her fist. She then waves her free hand above her head and holds up the puppy, making him dance to the music in front of the glass like a total lunatic.
She’s making a complete spectacle of herself, but it’s getting the attention of the players on the ice.
I palm my face and try to shrink down in my seat, but it’s a tiny stadium seat that doesn't allow me much wiggle room, and my knees are already pressed to the boards in front of me, so there’s nowhere for me to hide.
I look up just as a few of the players skate to the glass with big smiles on their faces, all focused on the dog.
All except the captain, who is looking right at me. He comes to a stop off to the side of his teammates, as they crowd together, making stupid faces at the puppy and Cami, who’s eating it up. Sebastian smiles and lifts his chin at me as he gets right up on the glass and looks down at me.
“Wait for me after,” he mouths. “Please.”
Well, fuck my life, I can’t say no to that. I reluctantly nod in agreement while fireworks explode in my chest. The smile that breaks out over his face is brilliant before he turns to the players next to them and barks out an order to get back to work.
Cami sits down with a smug look once her fan club has dispersed.
“Pleased with yourself?” I ask, crossing my arms and keeping a stern tone despite the giddy elation I’m trying to tamp down.
“Considering you got to have a quick rendezvous with your crush, which was the whole point, of course I am. What did he say? You’re blushing like a damn virgin on your wedding night.”
There’s no use trying to deny it or to keep it from her. We drove in together, and she’ll have to wait around with me after anyway, so I might as well tell her. “He wants me to wait for him after the game.”
She howls in glee and hugs Ajax to her chest. “This is so good, Tuck! He’s feeling you. Your crush isn’t just a one-sided thing, which is amazing in its own right, but oh my God, he’s so hot.”
“Camille Margaret Covington, stop getting ahead of yourself. Maybe he just wants to say hello. There’s nothing romantic about it.”
I’m trying to talk my own whore heart down off the ledge of excitement and leaping ahead, also. I really fucking wish my head and heart would have a chat and get on the same damn page already. This is exhausting.
The players skate off the ice through the tunnel, and one of McKenna’s PR interns comes to get us as the Zamboni drives out to resurface the ice.
We’re taken around the arena to a hallway where we wait for the ice to clear, then some opening night activities take place with the Olsens as the owners, the GMs, and the coaches welcoming fans back for the season.
Suddenly, the house lights darken, music blares through the speakers, and neon green lights flicker to life around the arena.
Fog clouds blow onto the ice that’s lit up with a light show depicting a heroic Greek battle portrayed across the rink.
Soldiers in Spartan helmets are shown racing down the stands to the ice toward a multi-headed hydra, cinematic music amping up as the hydra defeats the armies and comes out victorious.
It climbs a mountain in the clouds and takes its place within a Greek temple-like structure on the Jumbotron, and the scene explodes into white light.
Greek columns lower to the ice while the fog rolls away, creating an opening near the tunnel for the team to skate through.
It’s a spectacle and pretty awesome, actually. I’m hyped.
The players race out onto the ice, doing a lap while the thematic music booms and the columns are pulled back up into the rafters. We watch as the national anthem is sung, and then it’s our turn to help with the puck drop. McKenna told us what to do as we waited, and it’s not all that hard.
Cami and I lead Ajax in his stupidly cute jersey out onto the carpet that’s been placed on the ice and stand at the edge as the team captains skate up to us. I can’t help staring at Sebastian a little too long. He’s huge in his pads and skates, looming over me more than he normally does.
“I’ve missed you, Country Boy,” he says, just for me to hear. “I don’t like you avoiding me like you have this week. Can’t wait to talk later.”
“We’re both working, Big Daddy. You shouldn’t be talking to me at all,” I say as I lean toward him and ensure only he can hear me.
His eyes grow dark, a look of promise crossing those familiar depths as a muscle tics in his jaw. “You shouldn’t call me that unless you want my mind on what you look like when you come, Tucker. You gotta know that’s hell in hockey pads.”
The other team’s captain taps his stick on the ice. “You done chatting, Monty? We got a game to play.”
Sebastian gives me one last lingering look before he reluctantly shifts his attention back to the task at hand and glares at the other guy.
I chuckle and take the puck Cami holds out for me, and try to ignore her smug, knowing look. I kneel and hold the puck out for Ajax. “Hold,” I command.
He takes the puck and waits for the next command while we all pose for the photos that are snapped by the photographer on the ice.
“Drop,” I tell the very good dog. He lets the puck fall onto the ice and wags his tail as he looks up at the hockey players.
Both of the captains bend down and give him pets for doing such a good job.
“Sit and high fives,” I tell him. He sits and puts up a paw. Both men laugh as they get high fives from the puppy while their photos are taken. They skate back to their bench, and we’re allowed to leave the ice.
“Oh my goodness, that was better than I could have hoped for!” McKenna gushes when she meets us on our way off the ice to guide us through the tunnels.
“Ajax is such a star. He had the crowd going crazy with how cute he is. I can’t believe he’s able to hold the puck.
It has to be heavy for how little he is. ”
“That’s why we’ve been working on it,” I tell her. “Service dogs have to retrieve a lot of heavy things, so we start them early with holds and retrieving specific items. His intensive training over the last three weeks included a lot of the basics, and he’s doing well,” I explain.
“It was worth it to have him help us with the home opener like that. Now, go watch your first hockey game and enjoy! You deserve it,” McKenna says as she pushes open a door to the main concourse so we can make it back to our seats.