Chapter 11 - Boone #2
Henry grabbed my other hand and spun in a little circle, shouting about how our team was unbeatable.
He was pure energy, running in little circles, clapping and pointing at the balls that rolled successfully.
I had to bite back a laugh at how intensely he celebrated, treating every point like a Stanley Cup-winning goal.
Carissa grabbed the next ball and took aim, her focus all business. The ball shot up the lane, landing in the 50-point slot. Henry bounced in place, almost knocking over the barrier between lanes.
I shook my head, laughing. “Cheater. You planned that.”
“Planned it for Henry,” she said, giving me a pointed look, letting the words carry their weight without having to explain.
I threw my next ball and missed the top slot completely, earning an “awww” from Henry. Carissa’s ball went high again. She grinned at me, triumphant.
I pretended to scowl, but there was a heat rising behind my ribs.
She was ridiculously cute when she got competitive.
I had to admit it. She had that laugh, that spark in her eyes, and the way she focused, serious but playful at the same time.
I felt a little guilty for all the times I’d given her a hard time, the teasing and tests of patience.
She didn’t deserve that. Not really. Not tonight.
Henry grabbed a handful of tickets from the machine and waved them like a flag. “We need a prize!”
I bent down, patting him on the shoulder. “Let’s see what we can get.”
Carissa laughed, crouching beside me to help Henry choose a prize. “Okay, Henry. What are we going to pick?”
He pointed to a small stuffed penguin that had a lopsided smile. “That one! He’s funny.”
“Funny’s good,” I said, pulling more tickets from the machine. Carissa leaned in and helped me slide the tickets into the dispenser, and the machine coughed out the prize. Henry squealed, holding it to his chest. “My team wins again!”
“You two are a terrible influence,” Carissa said, elbowing me lightly. “I didn’t even have a chance.”
“You didn’t need a chance,” I said, holding up my hands, playful surrender. “Henry’s happiness is our scoreboard. Look at him. That’s a perfect game.”
Henry ran off a few steps and came back with another game in mind, a little digital racing track that lit up with neon lights. “This one! This one!”
Carissa followed him, laughing, and I grabbed the second controller. “Alright. Let’s see if I can beat you both.”
She smirked over her shoulder. “Doubt it.”
Henry perched on a stool between us, giggling, his little hands waving in the air whenever the cars zipped past the finish line. I let Carissa win, just once, watching her face light up. Henry laughed louder than I’d heard all night.
“You did that on purpose,” she accused, laughing.
“I did it for Henry,” I said. The truth wasn’t far from it. Seeing her grin, hearing Henry roar with laughter, it made the coil in my shoulders loosen a fraction. She caught my glance and grinned, a subtle acknowledgment that maybe she knew the whole thing was a setup.
After the race, Henry darted off toward another game. I grabbed her hand, steering us toward the tickets counter. “We’ve got enough for one more prize, think he’d pick a helicopter or a car?”
“Helicopter,” she said instantly. “He’s obsessed, remember?”
I nodded, feeling that tug again in my chest. The tug for Dawson and Gage. I hated that it never left. Always there, in the background. Every time I laughed, every time I ran, it was lurking somewhere under the surface. I didn’t want them to see it. Not tonight.
Carissa leaned close as I swiped the tickets. “You’re worrying about them again, aren’t you?”
I shook my head, trying to keep my face easy. “Not worrying. Just… thinking.”
She gave me a look that could’ve melted steel. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
Henry held up the stuffed helicopter and squealed. “It’s mine!”
I scooped him up, holding him high, while Carissa laughed and ran her hands along the side of the prize counter to steady herself as she leaned down. “Good work, team. Henry’s got the whole collection now.”
We wandered a few steps away, Henry bouncing in my arms, and I felt like the night could stretch forever. I didn’t often get to open up, but tonight, I let her see a crack in the armor.
“You know,” I said quietly, letting my voice drop just enough so only she could catch it, “my dad… he was never gentle with us. Hockey was everything. Still is. I got used to doing things the hard way, yelling, pushing myself, pushing my brothers. Dawson… Gage… they’re my family.
I want them to be okay, but it’s hard not to… you know.”
Carissa’s eyes softened, and she didn’t say anything. She just nodded, letting me speak without interruption. Henry was oblivious, spinning around, chasing a ball that rolled away from the next game.
“I’ve been on ice since I could walk. Hockey’s all I know. It’s what keeps me grounded… what taught me to fight for people I care about. My brothers included. Sometimes I push too hard, but I only want them safe,” I admitted.
Her hand brushed mine. “I get it,” she said simply. No judgment. Just understanding.
The corner of my mouth lifted. “Yeah. It’s rare I actually talk about it without making it sound like whining. So thanks for letting me be… you know, human for a second.”
She laughed lightly, squeezing my hand before letting go. “I wouldn’t call it whining. Just… Boone being Boone.”
I grinned at her, tension sliding out from my shoulders. It was the first time in a while I’d felt something close to relief.
Henry ran back, his laughter echoing through the arcade. “Race again! I want another race!”
I groaned, scooping him up again. Carissa followed, still grinning, and we ran a few steps to the next track, joking and teasing.
Her laugh bounced off the walls, and I couldn’t help but notice how easily she filled the space.
She was light, full of life, but real too, not some carefully curated version of herself.
We rolled through another few games, winning a silly stuffed dragon for Henry, and I couldn’t stop grinning at the way he hugged it like it was the Stanley Cup.
Carissa’s hands found mine at one point as we counted tickets, her eyes locking on mine with something quiet and steady.
I wanted to hold that gaze longer, but Henry spun off again, demanding our attention.
I let the laughter and chaos of the arcade take over, keeping my worry contained where it belonged. Carissa was by my side, smiling, joking, and I had to admit, it felt damn good to just be here. Just us. Just this night. Just Henry thinking we were his personal entertainment squad.
Henry darted ahead, spinning toward the next game like a tiny tornado, squealing with excitement.
Without thinking, Carissa grabbed my hand and tugged me to run after him, her grip firm but easy, like it had always belonged there.
The electricity in that simple touch ran straight up my arm, twisting into a pulse that made my chest stutter.
I tried to keep my face casual, grinning at Henry as he barreled past us, but the way Carissa’s fingers lingered just long enough left me feeling like I’d been kicked awake in the middle of a dream. She glanced back at me, playful and unaware, and my pulse jumped again, betraying me entirely.
“Wait up, slowpoke!” she called, tugging me a little faster, and I couldn’t stop the laugh that came out rougher than I intended. Her hair brushed my shoulder as we ran, her energy warm and magnetic, and I had to shove down the awareness of just how close she was, how… distracting.