11. Dan
CHAPTER 11
DAN
Practice is in full swing, and the sound of skates cutting the ice fills the rink. I line up for a face-off against Cooper, who’s been his usual bad-tempered self all morning. He grunts as he sets his stance. “Ready to lose, Roberts?”
I smirk. “In your dreams, man.”
The puck drops, and I win the face-off cleanly, sending it back to Ted on defense. My wrist twinges, but nothing more. Ted controls the puck smoothly and passes to Noah, who’s already moving up the ice. I skate hard, keeping an eye on the play.
We’re jelling well on the ice as a team, and I've got high hopes will make a clean sweep of our matches. We're up against the Canadian Lumberjacks in all five matches, my old Blizzard’s rival. Winning against the Jacks would be so sweet.
Coach blows the whistle, calling for a transition drill. We break into our lines, moving seamlessly from defense to offense.
Dawson is in net, focused and intense, just like he was back in our college days. Ted passes to me as I cross the blue line, and I quickly dish it to Cooper on the right wing. Despite his perpetually bad mood, Cooper’s got hands like magic, and he snaps a shot that Dawson deflects with a quick glove save.
“Nice try, Coop!” I shout, circling back.
Coach’s voice echoes through the rink, barking orders. “Keep it tight! Move the puck faster!”
We’re in the middle of a play when Nate, our cocky left winger, decides to pull something risky. He’s skating down the ice with a speed that borders on reckless, the puck glued to his stick. I can see that look in his eyes—he’s up to something.
Nate charges toward the goal, defenders closing in on him from both sides. Instead of passing to an open teammate, he pulls a slick between-the-legs move, faking out both defensemen. Everyone seems to hold their breath as he then flips the puck up and over Dawson’s shoulder, a move straight out of a highlight reel. Dawson barely has time to react before the puck hits the back of the net.
Nate skates away, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. “Told you I got this!” he shouts, pumping his fist in the air.
Coach Strickland is not amused. He skates over, eyes blazing. “Nate, that was risky as heck! You pull something like that in a game, and it better work every time.”
Nate just shrugs, still smiling. “Relax, Coach. If you got it, flaunt it, right?”
I can’t help but smirk at his brash cockiness. But that’s Nate for you: recklessly talented and as cocky as they come. At least he backs it up with skill. The team might grumble, but deep down, we all know he brings a spark that keeps us on our toes .
Coach switches things up, calling for power play practice. I take my spot at center, with Cooper and Noah on my wings.
“How’s the injury?” Noah asks.
“Only giving me a little trouble,” I reply.
Ted and Noah set up on the blue line, ready to feed us the puck. Scotty told us he wants quick puck movement, and we start cycling it around, looking for openings.
I see an opportunity and pass to Cooper, who hesitates, then fires a shot. This time, Dawson’s prowess in the goal pays off, and he defends it.
“Better luck next time, Coop,” he calls out.
We keep pushing, the practice intense but productive. Scotty keeps us on our toes, shouting instructions, and by the end, we’re all ready for some kick back time—and my wrist for some rest. It’s held up well today, but I don’t want to push it. Getting another injury could see me out of the Ice Breakers, and that’s the last thing I want.
After we’ve showered and changed, I walk with Dawson to our respective cars.
“That Nate,” Dawson says with a shake of his head. “I thought Coach was going to pop a blood vessel at his antics.”
“He’s young and got a lot to prove. We were all a little like that at one time.”
Throwing his gear in his trunk, he leans against his car, crossing his arms against the cold. “What’s with you and your ex?”
I arrange my features carefully. “What do you mean?”
“Emmy said something about how people are talking about you guys.”
I raise my brows in deflection. “My sister said that to you, huh?”
Dawson grins at me. “Yeah, we’ve been hanging out a little. She’s cool.”
“She is. She’s the best.” I narrow my eyes at my friend .
“Is now when you give me your ‘be careful with my sister’ speech? ’Cause you don’t need to do that. I know she’s special.”
I pinch my lips together. “She is.”
“But don’t think I didn’t notice that you totally avoided answering my question, man. You and your ex. Are you two hooking up? What’s the deal?”
“We’re not hooking up. I would never do that to Kiki. She’s too—” I search for the right word to use.
Dawson raises his chin as he watches me, a knowing look on his face. “Oh. Right. It’s like that.”
“Like what exactly? I haven’t said a word.”
“You’re in love with the girl,” he says simply with a shrug, taking me by surprise.
Of course I’m in love with Keira. I’ve never not been in love with her. I’ve carried her in my heart since the day we met, my constant companion, my everything .
“I don’t see you denying it.”
I look him directly in the eye. “You’re right, I’m not denying it.”
“So? What are you gonna do about it, man?” Dawson prompts.
I clench my jaw. I’ve been so busy walking on eggshells around her, searching for any sign that she feels something for me still after all these years. Waiting. Hoping.
“I’m going to show her just how much she means to me,” I say.
Forget waiting and wondering, hoping and praying. I need to act. I need to show her what she means to me.
I know what I want to do. What I need to do, and I need to do it right now.
Determined, I open the door to my SUV and get inside, slamming the door behind me. As I turn the ignition, Dawson knocks on the window.
I press the button to lower it .
“What the heck? You can’t just leave in the middle of a conversation,” he says on a laugh.
“I’ve made my mind up. I’m going to tell Kiki how I feel.”
He raises his brows. “That you love her?”
I nod, a smile busting out on my face. “That I love her.”
Dawson raises his hands in the air, stepping back from my car. “Far be it for me to stand in the way of true love.”
True love.
“As cheesy as this sounds, man—go get your girl.”
And that’s exactly what I intend to do.