22. Bryce
Bryce
“I’m shocked there’s still food on your plate,” Stone says, taking a seat next to me.
“Har har.” I lift my chin at the door when I see Jake coming in.
“Wonder if he’ll like his breakfast?” I’d come in this morning to a plate already made.
A place card indicating it was for Jake.
Two mini bagels were laid together to look like wedding rings, and there was a heart made out of strawberries. Not gonna lie… it looked delicious.
Stone chuckles. “Do you know who did it?”
I shake my head. “Nah, but I have my suspicions.” Though I doubt the person responsible for this is the same as the rest of the pranks. I’m impressed the culprit hasn’t been caught yet. I’m still waiting for Tyson to admit he’s the one who swapped my shampoo and turned my hair green.
Green!
I run my hands through my hair. At least Raul was able to fix it and I won’t have green hair in the photos tonight when we win the tournament. We have to win. I need the leverage more now than when I first agreed to play.
Jake spots the plate and instantly looks around.
“Dude, someone really went all out on your breakfast art,” Neal says.
“Who did this?” Jake asks.
Snickers ripple across the room.
“No idea,” Neal says, “but that’s some serious commitment to the bit.”
Coach Badaszek walks through the dining room whistling “The Wedding March,” and Jake's head nearly spins off.
“Coach!” Jake calls.
Coach just gives a little wave and slips out the door causing the quiet snickers from before to erupt into all-out laughter.
“Alright,” Tyson calls, getting everyone’s attention. “Let’s finish so we can get to the arena. We have work to do if we want to win this thing.”
I stuff a piece of bacon in my mouth and toss the rest. I’ll eat later.
My phone chimes with an incoming text alert as I’m boarding the bus. I quickly take a seat and pull out my phone.
Hadley: I hope you have a great practice this morning.
Bryce: Thanks. Morning skate should be fine. Just trying to stay loose for tonight.
The guys are joking and laughing, cutting up and letting some of the stress loose. Tournaments are always stressful, but this one feels extra heavy. Especially after the call I got from my agent last night.
Apparently, there're rumors that Colorado is looking to offload some players to bring in Taz Houlihan. I don’t blame them. He’s an amazing player, but I wonder which of my friends will be leaving the team.
My agent assured me I’d likely be okay since I’m half of Denver’s top defensive pair, but general managers have been known to trade captains if they want a player bad enough.
I’m just getting my head wrapped around the distance from Colorado to DC.
I can’t imagine being traded even further out from Hadley.
Hadley: You’re going to be great! I can’t wait to watch you win tonight!
Having Hadley in the stands, rooting for me and the rest of the Stars… It’s every hockey player’s dream come true. Finding a partner who understands your passion for the sport, who supports you, win or lose? That’s like winning the lottery.
I’ll have to see how many games Hadley can attend next season because I’m quickly becoming addicted to seeing her cheering me on while wearing my jersey.
Bryce: I can’t wait to see you in my jersey again.
I want to tell her I love her. That sometime between meeting her in that bookstore and now, she totally stole my heart. And I don’t want it back.
Hadley: I’ll be the one cheering the loudest.
Hadley: Probably at the wrong thing.
Hadley: Why is hockey so complicated?
Her rapid-fire texts make me laugh out loud.
Yeah, I love this woman.
After the tournament, I’ll tell her how I feel and we’ll figure out how to move forward, because a life without Hadley in it isn’t an option anymore.
Pre-game jitters are getting to everyone. People are taping and re-taping their sticks, adjusting their laces, and Coach is pacing the locker room like a caged animal.
I’ve already taken my shower—with shampoo that was still sealed, thank you very much—and am just finishing my laces when Coach stops in the center of the room drawing everyone’s attention.
“This is it,” he says. “Everything we’ve worked for comes down to sixty minutes on the ice.”
Sixty minutes, and this game will be over. Win or lose this has been the most life-changing few weeks of my life.
“Bring the Stars & Stripes Cup home,” Coach says, finishing his speech.
Sticks start smacking the floor, building to a crescendo of energy before we head through the tunnel to the ice.
You can feel the tension on the ice. Players from the East and the West going through their routines. All of us with the same goal in mind. Help our team win the Cup and go home as champions.
The National Anthem goes off without a hitch, and Izzy, Jake’s new girlfriend, doesn’t even flinch when the crowd shouts “RED!” A big difference from the first night when our little singer, Olivia, got startled and had to be comforted.
I glance in the stands to where Hadley is seated and wave. She and Paige opted to keep their seats instead of sitting with the Wags, and that’s okay. I can find her more easily here.
There she is.
My girl, in my jersey with her Wags tournament jacket on, grinning from ear to ear, and waving madly in my direction.
“Let’s do this,” Xavier says, skating up beside me before going to his spot.
I’ve got so much adrenaline pumping through my veins when the puck drops that the stadium and all the noise fade.
Taz wins the opening faceoff from Levi. My eyes are focused on the black puck winging its way back and forth across the ice.
We switch in and out with practiced ease, running the plays we’ve spent the last two weeks working on together.
But it’s not enough. We’re behind at the end of the first period.
“We’ve got this, guys. Look for opportunities to make it happen,” Tyson says, before skating off to start the second period. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not looking to lose.”
My eyes go to Hadley again. She’s beautiful tonight.
Her hair is up in a high ponytail with a blue wrap around her head.
She’s wearing my jersey and sporting a huge foam finger that she keeps waving in the air any time someone from the East skates by.
She is adorable. I’m not looking to lose tonight, either.
Not this game, and definitely not the girl.
The second period is just as brutal as the first. Both sides are playing their hearts out. When Dash scores, it gives us the momentum we need to score two more times to come back and tie the game 4–4. Then, the East scores a goal at the last minute and we’re trailing again.
When we pause for intermission, Coach’s mustache is twitching, and it looks like he’s barely keeping it together.
After a brief pep talk, we’re back on the ice fighting for the win.
Gone is the playful chirping. Players are dialed in.
All focused on the same thing. Protect the net, score the goal, win this game.
East scores again, and it’s a fight as we battle back, hoping to stay in the tournament.
With six minutes left, Stone ties the game with a wrist shot.
I glance into the stands and see Hadley is on her feet, her hands wrapped around Paige’s arm, and Paige looks like she’s trying desperately to get Hadley to ease up.
She sees me looking and gives me a thumbs-up before blowing me a kiss.
I don’t blow one back. I don’t have time.
In the last seconds, Josh makes an incredible save against Taz Houlihan, and just like that, we’re into overtime. I can see why Denver wants him. The guy plays every minute like it’s his last.
It’s intense. The crowd is on its feet cheering and chirping so loudly I can barely hear Coach’s instructions. Not that it matters. We know what to do.
Now we just need to execute.
During overtime, if I’m not on the ice, I’m watching Hadley. She’s now biting her nails, and when Kingston gets sent to the penalty box with only 58 seconds left, I’m almost positive I see her look around for a way to get on the ice.
I shake my head. For someone who didn’t like hockey, she’s all in tonight.
And I love it.
The next few seconds pass in a blur of skates. Tyson pounces on the puck and passes to Dash. Dash streaks down the ice, scoots around the net, and wraps the puck around the pipe and… it’s in!
WE WIN!!!
The arena erupts.
The entire team rushes the ice, gloves, sticks, and helmets flying everywhere as we dog pile on Dash.
The sound is so loud it’s deafening. Our equipment litters the ice. Dash is beaming, and players are still congratulating him on the winning shot. Someone skates up behind me, pounding my helmet hard enough to rattle my teeth, but I don’t even see who it is. I’m laughing too hard to care.
We did it.
We just won the Stars and Stripes Cup!
After the handshake line, the East team leaves the ice and we wait while the red, white, and blue carpet is laid down. The cup is carried onto the ice, gleaming beneath the lights. Tyson, as team captain, skates forward first, shaking hands with the presenter before he’s handed the trophy.
He grins, lifts the cup overhead, and the crowd goes wild. The team surrounds him, each eager to get a chance to hold the Cup.
When the cup is passed to me, I’m shaking so hard I have to remind myself not to drop it. My eyes find Hadley in the chaos. She and Paige are wrapped around each other, jumping up and down, and shouting with the rest of the crowd.
She stops and turns toward me, beaming with tears running down her cheeks.
And somehow, seeing how excited she is for me is even better than the win.
How will I ever play without Hadley cheering me on again?
We funnel off the ice, everyone talking at once, and when we get to the dressing room, it descends into utter chaos.
Music starts blasting from a speaker in the corner. Players dump water and sports drinks over each other’s heads. Stone is dancing on a bench. Tyson’s trying to give an interview, and Neal keeps photobombing him.
It’s chaos, and I love it.
“Let’s go celebrate,” Colt says. “Come on. Let’s find your girl.”
Colt’s right. As fun as this is, there’s only one person I want to celebrate with tonight.
We head into the hall, still sweaty, still riding the high of adrenaline. I’m on a mission to find my girl.
We don’t go far before I spot her, standing at the end of the tunnel in my jersey, talking to the other Wags.
I love this woman.
Someone gets her attention and points my way. Hadley launches into a sprint and I open my arms just in time to catch her.
“You did it!” she squeals as I hold her close and spin her in a circle.
“We did,” I say, setting her gently back on her feet.
“I didn’t expect to see you so soon. I thought you’d be celebrating with the guys.” The warmth of her hands on my chest grounds me in a way nothing ever has.
“Yeah, well, I wanted to celebrate with you,” I say to her.
“You did?” she asks, her eyes going wide.
“I wanted to celebrate with the woman I love,” I say, holding her hands against my chest and watching her eyes.
“You…” she starts, her eyes filling with tears. “Say it again.”
I laugh and lift her by her waist. “I love you,” I say softly. “And I’m done pretending like any amount of distance can keep me from you.”
She’s crying fully now. Colt wolf-whistles. Paige has her hands clasped over her mouth. Taylor is clapping. “That’s going to be tough to top,” someone else calls out.
Colt is grinning and slaps me on the back. “Thanks for making it harder for the rest of us,” he says. “We can’t all declare our love on the heels of winning a tournament.”
“Guess you’ll just have to get creative when the time comes,” I say.
“Well?” Paige says, elbowing Hadley. “Are you going to say it back?”
Hadley’s breath hitches.
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “You don’t have to say it back if you’re not ready.”
Hadley shakes her head and grabs my face with both hands. “I love you, too, Bryce Chambers,” she says before pressing her lips to mine.
And just like that, winning the Stars and Stripes Cup? Still not the best thing that happened to me this summer.