Page 203 of Lucky Mother Pucker

“I suppose I should have known that there was a good reason for you of all people to be in a fight. You’re a level-headed young man. You don’t lose your cool.” He sighs. “I’m sorry to hear about what happened with your sister. Is she okay?”

“Yeah. She’s safe now.”

“Glad to hear it.” He exhales sharply. “Well, gentleman. Anything else you want to talk to me about before I rejoin my family?”

“That’s it, Coach. Thanks for taking our call,” Nick says, then hangs up.

I look at my teammates, shaking my head at what they just did for me.

“I can’t believe you guys. I can’t believe you just did that.”

“You stuck your neck out for us countless times,” Nick says.

“Yeah. It’s about time we did the same for you,” Blake says.

Travis claps a hand on my shoulder. I swallow hard, overwhelmed and heartened by what my teammates have done for me.

They head to their bedrooms with their bags. I turn to Lucy, who’s standing in the kitchen.

I walk over to her, my hands on top of my head. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

A big grin spreads across her beautiful face. She reaches up and kisses me.

“I can believe it. You’re such a good person, Leo. Of course your friends and family would rally around you.”

I cup her face and kiss her mouth. “I wouldn’t have made it through all this without you,” I say.

Emotion flickers in her sapphire eyes. “You supported me through so much, Leo. I’ll always be here for you.”

Warmth burrows around my heart, making everything intense in the best way.

I wrap my arms around her, pulling her against me. Wally walks up to us and settles at our feet, wagging his tail.

All the uncertainty, all the stress from the past few days are gone in an instant.

All I feel right now is comfort. Contentment. Overwhelming joy.

I cup Lucy’s cheek in my hand and gaze down at her. That happy feeling coursing through me multiplies by a million. Through everything, she stayed with me. Grounding me, supporting me, defending me, loving me.

“It’s all gonna be okay,” Lucy says.

For the first time in a long time, it feels like it will.

* * *

I race across the ice, trailing the player from San Jose College who has the puck.

He passes to his teammate, who’s close to our net.

He winds up to take a shot, but Nick checks him, then races off with the puck.

I speed ahead so I can clear space in front of the San Jose College net. I want Nick to have as clear a shot as possible if he gets the opportunity to score.

It’s our first game of the new year, and the Hollis U home crowd is going wild. It’s the second period, and we’re tied two-to-two.

I watch as Nick focuses on the goalie. One of their defensemen is standing in the way of a clear shot, so I shift my position so I’m in front of him. I push back, throwing him off balance.

A second later, Nick shoots the puck. It sails past the goalie’s glove, sinking into the net.