I am a bundle of nerves when we arrive at the arena Saturday night. It’s been so long since I had a night out with girlfriends. I forgot about the hours of getting ready together and all the fun, happy conversation that I once loved just as much as whatever plans came later.
After we load up on food and drinks from the snack bar, Everly leads us to our seats. Grace sits between me and Ev and there’s an empty seat on the end of the aisle. I’m thankful for a quick escape route in case I need to go throw up. I keep telling myself it’s stupid to be nervous. Everly told me a dozen times that Ash has no idea I’m coming and that he’d be too focused on the game to be searching for me. I believe her but my anxiety does not.
We’re about halfway up in the lower section between the net and the team’s bench. Both teams are on the ice warming up. A player I don’t recognize is across the ice, handing a stick over the glass to a fan. The back of his jersey says Sato. He doesn’t take off his shirt or stop to flirt with any unsuspecting women, but nonetheless it transports me right back to the last time I was here.
Everly cranes her neck to see every single player as they stretch or shoot pucks into the net. Grace is looking down at her phone, texting Lane. She told me before we left that she doesn’t really care that much about hockey, she comes for the snacks and to watch Everly get all mouthy and riled up—something, admittedly, I’m also excited to witness.
“Nachos?” Grace offers by inching the plate toward me.
My stomach is in knots. “No thanks.”
With a shrug, she takes another for herself and goes back to texting.
At first, I don’t look for Ash at all. I watch the jumbotron advertisements and chat with Everly and Grace over the loud music pumping into the arena. But the more time that passes without me seeing him, the more paranoid I get. Is he here? Has he spotted me? And most ridiculously, can he feel me here freaking out?
I set two rules for myself tonight (don’t ask about Ash and don’t drool over Ash), and I broke the first one before warmups were over. Leaning over Grace, I shout at Everly, “Is Ash playing tonight?”
A small smile curves her lips, but she smooths it out and then stands to get a better look at the players on the ice. “I don’t see him.”
Disappointment hits me so unexpectedly that I don’t hide the frown on my face in time and Grace catches it. She doesn’t call me on it, simply offers a solution. “If he’s not playing, he’ll probably watch the game from the press box.”
She points toward the sky boxes. Without binoculars, or staring really hard, it’s impossible to make out the people sitting and standing around for the start of the game. But like any good friends would do, Everly and Grace help me look all around the arena for a missing hockey player.
“I’m sorry, Bridge,” Ev says. She’s started calling me that for short. “I don’t see him. Do you want me to text him?”
“God, no,” I reply. The last thing I want is to draw attention to the fact I’m here or that I’m searching for his whereabouts. I’d never hear the end of it from him, cocky bastard.
The players head to their benches and the pre-game show begins. The arena goes dark, making it impossible to see.
“We’ll keep looking,” Grace reassures me. “He’s here somewhere.”
Everyone gets to their feet to cheer as the announcer on the starters for the Wildcats. A man steps up next to me, standing in front of the vacant seat. He leans over me, throwing his voice to be heard over the noise in the arena, “Who are you looking for?”
He’s wearing a Wildcat hat low over his eyes, but I recognize the low timber of his voice and the way my entire body lights up in his presence. Not to mention the smell of him. Groan. Why is soap and laundry detergent mixed with his cologne the sexiest thing ever?
“Oh my gosh!” Everly squeals when she sees him. “A—”
He puts a finger to his lips.
She ducks her head and lowers her voice a tad. “Hi! We were just looking for you.”
I widen my eyes at her. Sellout. Heat creeps up my neck when a knowing smirk plays over his lips. My roommate reaches over and hugs Ash. Then her smile falls. “I’m sorry.”
His lips press into a straight line as he tips his head. “I should be cleared for Monday.”
Everly moves back to her seat. Ash nods his head in greeting to Grace and then all his attention focuses in on me. I was not prepared. Not the first time when he gave me the puck, or the second when he tried to intervene with Gabe, or at the hospital, over coffee, and certainly not now.
He’s standing so close that we’re nearly touching. I forgot how tall he is. And how good-looking. No, that’s a lie. I didn’t forget that last part. But I had hoped I’d exaggerated it with the time that’s passed. Nope. No such luck. Ash is easily the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.
“Are you sitting there?” I point at the seat behind him.
He glances back at it before replying, “No, I’m meeting someone. Ty told me Everly was coming to the game, so I thought I’d pop over quick and say hi.”
“Oh.” Of course. He and Everly are tight. Then the beginning of that reply sinks in and it dawns on me then what he’s saying. “Oooooh. Right. You’re meeting a girl. Err…a woman. Congratulations!” My voice is way too high and cheery. Some weird feeling takes over my body that I refuse to acknowledge as jealousy.
Congratulations?! If he weren’t watching me with that gorgeous and annoying smirk, I’d be giving myself the world’s biggest head palm.
“Thanks. I mean, it’s just my mom and a few other family members but I’m pretty stoked.”
His mom. If I had been jealous, and I definitely was not, I’d probably feel relief about now.
Luckily, I’m saved from responding because the national anthem begins, and we fall silent with the rest of the crowd. Ash removes his hat, but keeps his chin tucked low. I wonder how many people would freak out right now if they realized Ash Kelly was standing right by them.
“How’ve you been? How’s school and everything?” He steps closer to me and whispers the words.
I can feel the heat of his body and I get another whiff of his cologne. Warm, cedar, with just a hint of spice.
“Good. You?”
“Not been the best month of my life, but it’s looking up.”
I mistakenly glance up and over, directly into his eyes. Can he hear how loud my heart is beating?
“Looks like things with Everly and Grace worked out well.” His gaze briefly flicks over my roommates before concentrating back on me.
“They’re really great. Thanks for that.”
“Happy to help.” He puts his white hat back on and tucks his long hair behind his ears as everyone claps through the end of the national anthem.
“Where are you sitting?” Everly asks him as we take our seats.
“My family is in town, so I got a box.”
Everly’s eyes widen and Ash chuckles. “You want to come up?”
“I mean, can we?” Everly asks with a hopeful smile.
“Sure. If you want. My box is your box.”
“Really?” Everly looks from me to Grace. “Do you guys want to go? The view is incredible up there.”
“Whatever.” Grace already has her purse on her shoulder and her snacks gathered.
What am I going to say except, “Sure.”
The private box is pretty much exactly what I expected. Gabe took me to a Vikings game once and we sat in one that was similar. Better seats, more space, quieter, and free food and drinks.
When the four of us step into the packed suite, Ash is rushed by two tall, pretty young women I assume are his sisters. They take turns hugging him, then Ash introduces us.
“Jess and Leigh, meet my friends Everly, Grace, and Bridget.” Hearing him say my name does funny things to my insides. “These are my sisters.”
Next up, we meet his dad, stepmom, and two younger siblings—Harper, who is five, and Hunter, who is three. Then his mom and two aunts.
Everly, Grace, and I make our excuses so he can catch up with his family.
“I feel like we’re imposing,” Grace says as we take our seats. “It’s like a family reunion in here.”
Everly glances over her shoulder where Ash and his family members are all gathered in a circle still. “Nah. Ash is one of those ‘the more the merrier’ people. He likes having a lot of people around.”
“I’m proud of myself, I made eye contact for the first time since this summer and didn’t want to die of embarrassment.” Grace shoves a large chip covered in cheese and jalapenos into her mouth.
“Why would you want to die of embarrassment?” I ask, sneaking another peek at Ash. He’s got Harper clinging to one side of him and he’s holding Hunter. They’re both wearing little miniature versions of his jersey and it’s just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
“It’s only weird if you make it weird,” Everly tells her and then offers a sympathetic smile.
I’m still clueless.
“I had this stupid crush on Ash earlier this year,” Grace starts to explain. “And then this summer we were all over at Leo and Scarlett’s place hanging out…” She squeezes her eyes closed. “And I tried to kiss him.”
I have a physical reaction to her words. Heat courses through me as a visual of the two of them together flashes before me.
She keeps one eye still closed and peeks out the other.
Everly shoves her shoulder lightly. “It was not that big of a deal.”
“Nothing happened.” Grace turns to me and says it like she’s clarifying for my benefit. “But it was humiliating. He pulled me into a hug and told me how cool a chick I was.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad. You are gorgeous and I could see you two together.” It’s true. I could. Grace is stunning. Dark hair, eyes that are this storm blue that’s almost gray, and a smile that transforms her from sweet and pretty to vibrant and stunning. But it’s not just her looks. Grace’s father played professional baseball in the nineties, so she fits into Ash’s world in a way I don’t. They make sense.
“Maybe he just didn’t want to get involved because you’re friends,” I say.
“We were never really friends. I tagged along with Ev to a few team parties. Ash and I would make small talk. He was always friendly and made me feel welcome. Sometimes I’d think he was checking me out, but you know Ash, he’s got a way of making everyone feel important. It’s hard to tell what’s going on in that big, handsome head.”
I nod like I know, but the truth is I know very little about Ash and how he is with other people.
“Anyway, it all worked out because I met Lane and he’s the best.” The blush on her face as she smiles makes me incredibly happy for her.
The game is good. Everly’s brother, Tyler, gets the first goal of the game. Grace was right about our roommate being super entertaining to watch. She barely takes her eyes off the ice, but somehow manages to stay in conversation, never missing a beat while also calling out to the players like they can hear her.
Ash comes over during the first intermission with Harper and asks if we need anything.
“Define anything,” Ev says. “Because I could use a cute guy or a million dollars or—”
“They have cotton candy.” Harper holds up hers to show us. It’s almost as big as her head.
“Ooooh. I might need some of that.” Grace stands.
Harper leads the way.
Everly looks between me and Ash. “You know what? Me too. Maybe I’ll find a cute boy out in the halls.”
“Having fun?” Ash asks when we’re alone. It feels weird to sit at the front of the box all alone, so I get up and the two of us slowly walk back to where the bar is set up.
“Yeah. I am. Thank you for letting us crash. Your family seems great.”
Ash’s sisters walk by with their heads together, whispering. If I’m not mistaken, they give me a thorough once-over with nosy, prying expressions.
“They are. Mostly.” He chuckles. “My sisters are trying to figure out which one of you is my girlfriend and I think you just became the front-runner.”
I dip my head to hide my blush.
“I told them it wasn’t like that, but they refuse to believe anything I say about girls since the tenth grade when I lied about kissing Catherine Thomas at a birthday party, and then the next day there was photographic evidence of said kiss being shared around the school.” One side of his mouth pulls up into a boyish half-smile. “Do you want something to drink or eat?”
“No. I’m good,” I say as his little brother runs a circle around us and then darts off in the same direction he came. “Does your family come to a lot of games?”
“No, not really. Once a season they come here, and they make it to all the games we play in Boston. That’s where they all live.”
“Tonight is the one game of the season they all came here?” I ask, finally realizing that his entire family is here and he’s not even playing. I guess I assumed they came often, or maybe I was too distracted by Ash to think anything.
“Yeah. Perfect timing to get hurt, huh? I didn’t know until about a few hours before the game that I was for sure not going to be out there. They’d all already made plans to come in for the weekend.” He shrugs. “I guess at least this way I get to spend more time with them.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how much you wish you were out there.”
“You have no idea. I’m ready to trade my left arm for a robot arm.”
Laughter slips from my mouth and Ash’s smile gets bigger. “What about you? How’s everything going for real?”
“Good,” I answer with the same canned response I gave him the last time he asked.
He looks at me like he’s waiting for more, so I add, “Nothing new to report. School, work, home, repeat.”
“Still busy then?”
“Yeah. Still busy.”
He chuckles softly. “All right. I can take a hint.”
“You can?” I ask, in mock surprise.
“Smart ass.” He bumps his good shoulder against mine.
His mom passes by us and waves. She’s tall, striking like her son, with the same dark blue eyes. She’s dressed in a pantsuit with heels that I’m not sure I could walk in. She is the picture of a power boss.
“What do your parents do?” I ask him.
“My mom owns a storage solutions company.” He glances over in the direction of his mom. “She started designing shelving and storage for sporting goods and athletic equipment when I was in high school. Our garage was first, then she did a few family friends’ closets and spaces, and now she does it for companies and organizations. And she runs a non-profit for youth athletic programs.”
“Wow. Your mom is way cooler than you.”
“Oh, definitely. I’m not even offended, though I know that was the intent.”
We both smile and my stomach dips. God, what is it about him? Bantering with him feels like foreplay.
Everly and Grace move back past us with their cotton candy to the front of the box when the teams are back from intermission. There’s a large TV up here where you can see the game as it’s televised.
“Seriously, though, your family seems great. And your mom really does seem awesome. I have a feeling her shoe collection is impressive.”
“Yeah, it’s a trip. Most of my childhood, she stayed home with me and my sisters. I have this vision of her in jeans and my dad’s baggy T-shirts. She’s the one who’d go outside with us and throw the ball or put on pads and a mask and let me shoot pucks at her.”
“That sounds dangerous.” I still stand by my statement; his mom is way cool.
He laughs quietly, grinning all boyish and filled with mischief. “She only did that once.”
I’m enthralled listening to him talk and seeing the way he smiles like he’s picturing it in his mind.
“What about your dad?”
“He’s an engineer. Or was. When they got divorced, he decided to go back to school to teach high school history.”
“It’s really nice that they’re both here. Are you all still close?”
“I guess so.” Ash shrugs and finally glances down at the ice as the game is about to restart. “He got remarried quickly, so it was weird at first. But then when Harper and Hunter came along, things seemed to be okay. Different, obviously, but I think it forced us all to get over it faster or something.”
“Bridge!” Ev calls my name, snapping me out of the moment.
I look up to see my roommates waving me over to join them.
“I should probably…” I tip my head in that direction but don’t move just yet.
“Yeah. Me too. Gotta make sure everyone has a good time. Hunter’s the hardest sell. He told me earlier that hockey was dumb. Think he’d be more impressed by a visit from Wenzel the Wildcat or signed merch? Probably Wenzel, huh?”
“Go with merch. I mean, a high five from the team mascot is cool, but something signed by Ash Kelly, that’s far rarer. Well, unless you’re a girl in the crowd before a game.”
His lips pull apart, flashing his teeth and a panty-melting smile. “I’ll have you know, I’d never done that before.”
“No?” I ask, my tone full of sarcasm. “I don’t think I believe you.”
“It’s true,” he insists. His blue eyes lose all playfulness. A serious, almost pleading expression takes over his handsome face. Hello, Mr. Kelly. I feel that look everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. “Sure, I’ve signed all kinds of things for fans—women included, but I have never used it as a tactic to ask out someone. I can’t explain it. I don’t even remember deciding to approach you. Then all of a sudden, there I was without a plan or any clue what to say next.”
“I think what you said was ‘Wanna puck?’”
He rubs the back of his neck with one hand. “Yeah, not my best opening line.”
“Do you have good opening lines? Because that’s not the word on the street.”
“I don’t regret it. Even if you thought I was the biggest chump to ever hit on you, it was worth it.” He bumps my shoulder again. I really like when he does that. “Here we are.”
Here we are indeed.
Ash’s family leaves before the game is over. First his dad and stepmom with a snoozing Hunter and heavy-lidded Harper in tow. Then his mom and aunts say their goodbyes. His sisters are the last to go a few minutes before the end of the third period.
The Wildcats are up by four goals, but Everly is still glued to the action like it’s a nail-biter of a game. There’ll be no getting her out of here early.
When the final buzzer sounds, the four of us stand. We thank Ash again for letting us hang out and watch the game with his family, which he waves off.
Everly and Grace are chatting with Ash about his weekend plans, and I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. It’s down the hall just a few feet from the private area where we’ve been watching the game.
Tonight was fun. And even though it was a little awkward at first, I’m glad that I saw Ash. We’re bound to run into each other from time to time and I don’t want it to be weird. Although weird might be preferable because it’s difficult to be around him and not wonder what could happen if I let my guard down for him.
On my way out, I spot Ash leaning against the wall. When he sees me, he pushes off the wall.
“Hey,” he says. “I wanted to catch you before you left. I’m glad you came. It was good to see you.”
“Thanks. I’m glad I did too.” Strangely, as the night went on, I relaxed. I did it. I saw Ash, which was inevitable living with Everly, and I survived. We even talked. It was fine. No big deal.
He lifts the jersey in his right hand, then uses the other to unfold it and show me the back. It’s just like the one Harper and Hunter were wearing, except this one is signed in the middle of the giant three. “I didn’t want you to leave empty-handed.”
“Thanks,” I say, oddly touched by the gesture and most certainly blushing.
He leans closer and asks, “Better than a high five from Wenzel?”
“Yes. Much better.” My heart feels like it’s in my throat. “But then again, I think mascots are a little creepy, so the bar is low.”
He chuckles. “Good to know.”
I pull it on over my head. “How’s it look?”
His scan is slow and appreciative, and even though he doesn’t answer, I get that he likes it very much. I do too. I swear it smells like him, which is probably my imagination.
My lips curve up and my heart patters along happily. “Are Everly and Grace still…”
“Yeah. They’re waiting for you.”
“Thank you for everything. It was really good to see you, Ash.”
He dips his head in a parting nod.
I take a step when someone calls my name. My smile slips, but it’s several seconds before I fully place the voice calling my name.
“Bridget?” he asks again.
I turn with a mixture of anxiety and fear. Gabe’s dark brows are raised in surprise. His black hair is gelled to perfection and his suit tailored for his tall and wide frame. He takes me in, gaze lingering on the jersey I’m wearing and then flicking up to Ash, who’s moved to stand beside me.
“I thought that was you,” he says. “I was going to ask what you’re doing here, but I think that’s pretty obvious. He’s why you’re too busy to take my calls?”
I blocked him and stopped sharing my location after I saw him last, but instead of correcting his assumption that I’m here with Ash, I ask the only question banging around in my head. “What are you doing here?”
“I tried to tell you. Now that I know you’re fucking him, I’m glad I didn’t ruin the surprise.” He looks at Ash, way too pleased with himself, and dread washes over me.
Ash curses under his breath.
“Do you want to tell her, Kelly, or should I?”
A moment passes where Ash does nothing but keep his stony expression aimed forward at Gabe.
“You’re looking at the new assistant GM.” He puffs out his chest and his slimy smile widens.
“Wait, what? You got a job here? With the Wildcats?” I look from Gabe to Ash. The latter’s expression confirms my questions.
“So, you’ve heard?” Gabe asks Ash.
Ash looks at me apologetically. “I saw him earlier, but I didn’t piece it together until now.”
Gabe takes another step forward and I tense. Ash moves farther in front of me.
That stops Gabe, but he huffs an amused laugh. “It’s best if you stay out of my way, Kelly, and keep away from things that belong to me.”
Belong to him? Surely he doesn’t mean me. Because hell no. I’m not property. Certainly not his.
Ash’s body goes rigid in front of me, back muscles straining against his shirt, but he doesn’t say anything as Gabe gives me a parting look that’s filled with the promise, this isn’t over.
“Guess I’ll be seeing you both around.” He turns and takes a step, and then pauses and glances back at Ash with a slimy smile. “I was sorry to hear about your shoulder. And during a contract season. That’s a tough break.” He sucks in air through his teeth. “I look forward to seeing you back on the ice. The team needs help with scoring right now or we’re going to have to make some painful adjustments.”
