Page 58 of Drop Pass

“This is magical.”

I smiled. “It doesn’t take much when you’re from LA.”

She chuckled. “And Texas.”

“What part?”

“Houston.”

“So, still no snow.”

She shook her head. “Just hurricanes.”

“That sounds terrifying.”

“It is. I’ll take a foot of snow over that any day.”

I stepped away from the window and went to the couch. I rotated it away from the TV to face the window and pushed it forward so we could sit and watch.

“Here you go.”

She glanced over her shoulder and grinned. “Dinner and a show?”

“You’re an easy date.”

Her eyes sparkled as she sat down, pulling a pillow to her chest and hugging it. I went to the living room and grabbed a few blankets before sitting next to her and laying them out. She took one and spread it over her legs before leaning into me.

I put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to my chest and settled in. After a few minutes, she turned just enough to look in my eyes. “Tell me more.”

“About what?”

“You.”

I sighed and rested my head against the back of the couch. “You know I played in Europe most of my life.”

She nodded. “When did you start?”

“I started playing hockey around four, as soon as I was able to skate on my own. My dad played and wanted his son to as well.”

“You never talk about him.”

“He’s been gone a long time.”

“What’s your favorite memory of him?”

I let out a breath. I didn’t think about him very often. It hurt to miss him. To remember how much, he’d loved me. My sisters were cheated of a father and part of me felt guilty for having more time with him.

“He took me to my first professional game when I was six. We sat so close to the ice; I remember thinking the players were super heroes. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be tough and powerful. He told me if I worked hard and never stopped trying, I could be like them. He believed in me. He thought I could make it.”

“And you did.”

I nodded against her hair. “Yeah, he didn’t get to see it happen, but I did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. He was the one that pushed me to play in Europe. He knew it was what I needed to do to get to the next level, even though it meant leaving my family.”

“That must have been hard.” She sighed. “And terrifying. How old were you?”