AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’s jumping and celebrating with some redhead.
The moment I catch her eye, her face lights with a grin so big, I swear my heart wants to beat across the ice and get to her as fast as it can.
I grin and skate away, my insides thumping as my resolve to distance myself from this girl flies out the window.
I swear, this is gonna do my head in, but damn if I don’t play some of the best hockey I ever have, knowing she’s in the stands cheering me on.
When the final buzzer sounds, the high-scoring game ends with a 7–4 victory for the Nolan U Cougars. The crowd is going ballistic. I raise my stick to my dad, who’s clapping and grinning like I’ve just won a gold medal, and then I spin to find Mikayla. The smile on her face is something else again, and when I find her waiting for me after I’ve showered up, I can’t help running over to her and plucking her off the ground. Her legs wrap around my waist as she hugs me tight and laughs in my ear.
“You were incredible!” Leaning back, she holds my face and stares at me in wonder. “I think I’ve found my new favorite sport.”
“Seriously?” I grin.
She shrugs like it’s no big deal, and I hold her for longer than I need to, carrying her all the way to my truck, because how the hell am I supposed to put her down after she’s just admitted to loving hockey?
Liam and Casey pile into the back seat, and Mikayla spins around to gush about how well they played. They blush like schoolboys who have a crush on their teacher, and I swear I’ve never felt so high. What a game.
I glance to my right. What a girl.
We head back to Hockey House, and Dad shows up a few minutes after we walk in the door with a stack of pizzas. He gets a cheer from the guys as we crack open beers and swarm the table for a slice. Mikayla sits beside me, the only girl in the house right now. I’m surprised more aren’t here already. We usually get puck bunnies clinging to us after a game like that, but as I do a quick head count, I figure half the team has probably gone to Offside and the girls have followed them there. The half who don’t know Jack Galloway.
“So, you must be pretty proud of your boy, sir.” Mikayla grins across the table, dropping her pizza crust on the lid. I snatch it up and finish it for her. She’s leaving the best part. Crazy woman.
“I certainly am.” Dad winks at her. “I’m proud of all these boys. You played like champions tonight, Cougars. It’s gonna be a good season.”
“Puck yeah!” we all roar, punching our arms in the air while Mikayla cringes and then starts laughing and shaking her head.
I grab another slice of pizza, ravenous after playing so hard, and down the thing in about four bites.
“Holy crap.” Mikayla laughs out the words. “You’ve heard of this thing called chewing, right?”
“I’m hungry,” I argue, crumbs flying off my lips. My mouth is still full, muffling my words.
“You’re just jealous you can’t finish a slice in four,” Asher hassles her, his eyebrows wiggling.
This spark lights her eyes as she spins to face him. Holy shit, I love that look on her face right now. “You don’t think I can finish in four?”
“Uh… no.” Asher turns to laugh with Riley, pointing at her like she’s so cute.
Her eyes narrow as she leans her elbows on the table. “Oh, I can finish in four. I just choose not to because I’m not a pig.”
“Sure, sweetheart.” Asher winks at her, grabbing his beer and taking a long swig as he leans back in his chair. He doesn’t take his eyes off her, and when he plops the beer back down, he’s trying not to laugh at the riled look on her face.
“Twenty bucks says I can.”
Casey starts to laugh, sharing a look with me before dipping his head with a snicker.
“You’re on.” Asher takes his time to choose the biggest slice before handing it to her.
She looks just a touch nervous as she grabs the mammoth slice and folds it in half. She darts her gaze at me, and I raise my eyebrows and nearly say,“You don’t have to do this,”but she’s already jamming the slice in her mouth.
Her first bite is huge and makes her cheeks puff out like a chipmunk. Thankfully, this isn’t being timed, because she makes sure the entire bite is swallowed down before tackling the second mouthful.
Riley starts laughing as she struggles not to choke on her second, and soon everyone in the room has been drawn into the bet. She stands from her chair for the third bite, having to take an even bigger one in order to win. I watch her carefully, ready to jump up and pound her back if she starts fighting for air. Her little mouth is stretched to the limit as she tries to keep all the food in.
She’s got one massive bite left. There’s no way she can fit all that crust in, but she pauses to take a swig of my beer, and then Casey starts to clap. “Come on, lil’ mouse!”
The guys join him, cheering her on as she climbs onto the chair, standing above us all while she forces down the last bite. At one point, I don’t think she’s going to make it. Placing her fist against her lips, she leans forward, and I jump up to make sure she’s okay, but she holds up her hand to stop me and I sink back into the chair, watching her with a beaming smile as she works her way through that last bite, then punches her arms into the air. Sticking out her tongue and opening her mouth wide, she shows us all that she’s done.
