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“Don’t get me started on something I can’t finish,” he warns, taking both my shoulders in his hands and stepping out of my reach. “I have to go.”
“I know, Captain,” I sulk. “You’ll be great. I’m going to go down to Sophie’s room to watch you guys on TV and order room service.”
“Okay,” he grins. “Don’t wait up for me, though. I’ll probably be late.”
“K,” I smile, stepping back into his arms. “Just be prepared. Someone, whether it’s today or in three days, is going to ask about Mia.”
“I know,” he says, letting out a shaky breath. “But it’s going to be okay. I’m ready.”
I look up into his eyes and realize he is. Wanting to send him off in the right way, I reach up onto my tippy-toes and give him a deep kiss. “Go get ’em, Tiger,” I mock.
“You’re such a smart ass,” he laughs as he grabs his phone and wallet off the table and slides them into his pocket. He walks with me down to Sophie and Tank’s room, and as I slip inside, Tank comes out. Sophie and I watch in awe as our sexy boys strut back down the hallway, looking as handsome as ever in their team suits.
We make ourselves comfortable on the couch as we check out the competition on ESPN while ordering room service. The other teams look pretty good, but we know they have nothing on our boys. But maybe that’s just my ego talking. For them to have made it this far in the competition means they’re really fucking good, and these next few games are going to challenge my boys like never before. But they’re ready. They can handle this.
An hour later, the Dragons are introduced, and my man’s face appears on the screen with his ranking and stats. I squeal out as he smirks at the camera and mouths, “Love you, baby.” Pride surges through me, and I must admit, I tear up just a little.
Next up is Tank, who holds up his hands to make a heart and gives the camera a sexy smirk while Sophie screams out that she’s so horny for him. The rest of the team follows, and eventually, the full team sits behind the longest table I’ve ever seen, each with their own microphone and little nameplate.
It doesn’t take long for the press to jump straight into their questions, starting with Coach Harris and then moving on to the boys. All the regular questions are thrown around.
“How did you prepare?”
“Do you think you’re ready?”
“What has your training been like?”
Blah, blah, blah.
Before I know it, they start to get personal, and a wave of nerves settles in the pit of my stomach. The boys are asked about the fundraising event with the calendar and the auction, which managed to get national attention. Miller pipes up and answers these questions, making sure to mention Sophie and me in the process. He then goes on to tell them about donating the proceeds to the Denver Youth Hockey Program.
On and on it goes, question after question until a small brunette stands up and makes herself known. “Hi there, my question is for Miller Cain,” she announces. There’s a slight pause as the camera pans back to Miller, and he indicates for her to go on with her question. “Hi, Miller,” she starts. “I don’t mean to be insensitive. However, it’s well known that your younger sister, Mia Cain, has recently passed in a tragic accident. What we would like to know is, how is this going to impact your performance tomorrow?”
Miller smiles back at the woman. “I was wondering how long it would take for Mia’s name to be mentioned,” he smiles fondly. “She always used to bug me about giving her a shout-out at one of these. It’s a shame that it’s under such awful circumstances. But as for my performance? Mia always had faith in me that I could do anything I put my mind to, including taking out the championship. When I get on that ice tomorrow, I’m skating for her. So, no. My performance is not something I’m concerned about. If anything, I know I’ll be skating my absolute best.”
Holy crap. That’s my man.
I wipe tears from my eyes as pride surges through me, and for the second time in twenty minutes, I realize that every word he has just said is as true as it could possibly be. Tomorrow he isn’t skating for himself or his team. He’s doing this for his sister, which is how I know the opposing team won’t stand a chance. Miller will come out on top, even if it kills him.
A few hours later, I’m fast asleep in bed when I feel a familiar warm body crawl in beside me and scoop me up. “You did amazing. I’m so proud of you,” I murmur in my sleepy haze.
“Thanks, baby,” he says, planting a soft kiss on my temple. “Go back to sleep. We have a huge day tomorrow.”
Chapter 26
Miller
JustasIpromisedto the nosey bitch of a reporter, I kicked ass and skated every moment of the semi-finals with Mia in mind. It was a hard game, one of the hardest I’ve ever played. But I kept on and, in the end, we won it for Mia.
The boys all stopped me in the locker room before heading out to let me know that they were all skating for Mia too. It nearly brought me to my knees seeing how the boys had turned into men over the space of the season. I couldn’t have been prouder of them.
I thanked them all and got out on that ice, and as a team, we pushed our way right through to the final, where we’ll be skating for the championship. We just happen to be up against the LA team that beat us last year, but I won’t let that happen again. Not on my watch. These boys have worked too hard to let it slip through our fingers once again.
We celebrate in the locker room with a quick speech from Coach Harris before getting back into our suits to head out for the after-game reporters.
Following our duties and strict instructions from Coach Harris, Tank and I find our girls and head back to the hotel. “Coach isn’t letting us leave the hotel tonight, so I was hoping you’d join me for dinner in the hotel restaurant?” I ask Dani as we step into the elevator.
“My, oh, my. Miller Cain, are you asking me out on a date?” she says in a flirty tone, one that makes me want to bend her over the hotel bar and fuck it out of her system.
