Melting the Ice

TWENTY-NINE

THE DREAD IN THE PIT OF DREW’S STOMACH WOULDN’T go away. Despite he and his team having had one hell of a pep talk in the locker room before the game about this being just another game, they all knew what kind of game this was.

Another goddamn road game.

And as soon as they took the ice, it was as if New Jersey already knew they could take this game away from them.

There was nothing like having the hometown crowd in your corner cheering you on. Typically he ignored the boos from the fans of his opponents. It was only natural for them to want their team to win, and the Travelers stood in their way. Fortunately, because New Jersey was so close, a lot of the die-hard Travelers fans often came to watch them, so he soaked in the cheers of their fans as they were introduced.

They’d need every ounce of fan energy tonight for this game.

It’s just a game, just like any other game. He tried to remember Bill’s advice, tucked it inside him so he’d just focus on the game, not the location.

He lined up against New Jersey’s defender and when the puck dropped, that was it. It was game time and everything else got shoved into the back of his head. He could no longer hear the crowd noise, whether they were cheering or booing. The only thing that mattered was getting to the puck and lighting up the net.

He and Trick were in sync tonight, their passes were on the mark, and when Drew scored the first goal, he was pumped, every part of him feeling as if they could turn this around.

At least until New Jersey scored three minutes after his goal.

Shit.

But they battled back, Trick forcing the puck on a breakaway. Sweat pouring down his back, Drew skated like his life depended on it, the defender right on his skates as he made his way to the New Jersey goal. He got the puck, passed it to Trick, who shot it between the goalie’s legs.

Another goal, and Drew felt the momentum building. No one was going to take it away from them tonight. They were going to win this game.

At the end of the second period, they were tied. The coach told them they looked outstanding, and they were better than New Jersey. There was no reason they couldn’t take the win.

Drew felt the same way. Avery’s thigh had mostly healed and despite having two goals scored against him tonight, his reflexes were better than they’d been in weeks. His save percentage was off the charts tonight, especially with New Jersey being so aggressive at the net. The defenders were fierce, and the Travelers offense was determined. They were meshing like never before. This was their night.

When Drew and Trick came off the ice for a breather, Sayers and Litman came on, skating like they were on fire. They shot a goal right into the net between two defenders and the whole team lit up.

Drew and Trick did the same when they came back onto the ice, and suddenly they were up two goals with a minute and a half left. All they had to do was avoid penalties and keep the defense strong. There was no way they could lose this game.

Now Drew tuned into the Travelers fans who’d made the trip. Despite being in the minority at the stadium, they were pumped. And loud. He tuned into that noise and he and Trick went on the attack, double-teaming a defender. They fought against the boards for the puck, Trick coming up with it and heading toward the goal. Drew stayed in position while Trick, surrounded by defenders, sailed the puck across the ice to him.

Drew took the shot but the goalie deflected it. New Jersey’s defender took it and handed it off, which meant, with the clock ticking down, they had to rely on their defense.

New Jersey took a couple shots on goal, but missed.

The buzzer sounded.

And goddamn if the Travelers hadn’t won a road game.

The team took center ice and celebrated as if they’d won the championship. But it was a big win, and one they’d worked hard for. A giant monkey off their back, and Drew hoped now they could move past it and play every game—at home or away—like he knew they could.

There was a lot of chatter in the locker room, as well as the inevitable media, who had to give them shit about winning their first road game of the season and what it all meant. Drew, as well as the rest of the players, downplayed it, saying it was just another win. But all the guys knew what a big deal this had been, and what it had meant for the team. It was a huge confidence booster, and Drew was convinced this win was going to turn things around.

“Hogan,” one of the assistants hollered from across the locker room. “You have a visitor.”

Drew frowned. “Who is it?”

“Some hot-looking chick. Carolina, she said her name was.”

Lots of ooohs and whistles. Drew rolled his eyes.

Carolina was here? In New Jersey? “I’ll be right out.”

“Carolina came to your road game?” Trick asked. “It must be serious.”

Drew looked down at Trick, who was getting ready to take a shower. “It is serious. I’m in love with her.”

Trick just stared up at him, then grinned. “Well fuck me. Congratulations, buddy.”

“Thanks.”

He got dressed and went outside the locker room. Carolina was wearing tight jeans, knee-skimming boots, and a long red coat. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight.

He dragged her into his arms and planted a big kiss on her, much to the happiness of the lingering media, who took pictures. He didn’t care.

She smiled up at him. “Great game tonight.”

Moving them away from the photographers and video crews, he led her down a side hallway. “I can’t believe you’re here. In New Jersey.”

“A relationship goes both ways, Drew. It can’t just be you being there for me. It also means I’ll be there for you whenever I can. I told you I believed in you, and, win or lose, I was going to be in the stands cheering for you tonight.”

An ache formed in the pit of his stomach, an even bigger one swelling his heart. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“You were there for me when I needed you. And even if I’m not physically here, I’ll always be your biggest cheerleader.”

He brushed his lips across hers. “I love you, Carolina.”

“I love you, too. Now when do you get back to the city?”

“Bus leaves in about thirty.”

“Good. So when you get back, unless you’re planning to go out and celebrate with the team, I know this great cheeseburger place.”

He cocked a brow. “You hate cheeseburgers. And eggs, as I recall.”

“I do. They also have chicken. But you like burgers, and that’s the sacrifice a girlfriend makes when her guy has just had a great game.”

“Sounds good to me.”

A couple hours later they were seated together in a cozy, understated burger joint. Drew was wolfing down a cheeseburger while Carolina had a chicken sandwich.

“So this is what it’s going to be like, huh?” he asked.

“What what’s going to be like?”

“A relationship. You making sacrifices.”

She laughed. “Hey, I didn’t say I was going to eat a cheeseburger or anything. But yes. We’ll both make sacrifices.”

He reached out and grasped her hand. “And we’ll both probably make mistakes.”

“Likely.”

“But I’ll never hurt you. And you know, you can say whatever’s on your mind, even if you think it’s uncomfortable.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Last night. When I made a comment about being there every day to wash your hair. You looked uncomfortable.”

“Oh. That. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, or jump the gun on what was a very new thing for both of us. We’d just said we loved each other. I didn’t want to invite you to move in or anything.”

He wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “I get that. You want us to get to know each other better.”

She laughed. “Okay, this does seem stupid, doesn’t it? We’ve known each other for what seems like forever. It’s not like we need to . . . date or anything.”

“But maybe you want to take things slow.”

She paused, like she was thinking, then looked up at him. “I miss you when you’re not with me. I think about you all the time. I want to sleep with you next to me at night, wake up with you snuggled up against me in the morning.”

“That sounds good to me, too.”

“We both have such busy careers and it’ll be hard enough to see each other as it is. If you moved in with me . . . not that you have to or anything. I mean, if you want your own space, I’d totally understand.”

He pushed back his chair and stood, then came over and hauled her up and kissed her until she was out of breath.

“I want you in my life. When I told you I loved you, I didn’t mean, ‘Hey, baby, let’s go out a few times a month.’ It meant commitment to me.”

Carolina blinked as Drew wrapped his arms around her. “That’s what it means to me, too.”

“Then I’ll move in with you. And we’ll cohabitate. My toothbrush next to yours. And you’ll learn to take some downtime, so when I’m in the off-season, I can take you to my place in Oklahoma.”

“What is this downtime thing you speak of?”

He laughed. “It’s that thing where you aren’t working seven days a week.”

“Oh, that.” She leaned into him. “Yes. It’ll be hard for me because I’m such a workaholic. But I do love you, and lately, being with you is the most important thing to me.”

“I like hearing that. I don’t want you to feel any pressure, Lina. We’ll figure it all out together and we’ll make it work. Because we love each other.”

Drew had always turned her world upside down. From the time she was a teenager and hopelessly infatuated with him, to the one night of passion that had made her a woman, to him walking back into her life several months ago, he was her one and only constant passion. He had melted the ice around her cold, cold heart, and she wanted to share the warmth with him forever.

“Yes, we do love each other. So let’s make a home together, and figure out this living together thing.”

He gave her that lopsided grin that never failed to make her heart turn over. “I like the way you think, Miss Preston.”