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From behind my sister-in-law, my baby niece says, “C’mon, Leo. I’m hungry.”
“Fine.” He clears the rasp from his throat. “Good game… Uncle Max.”
Beside him, my eldest brother nods. “Yeah. You played good, piccolo. Maybe I’ll make a poster with your jersey too.”
Leo glares at him. “Dad.”
“I said maybe.”
Maria, my other sister-in-law, engulfs me in a quick but hearty hug. “You were unbelievable.”
“For real, Max,” says Alessandro with a frown. “Why didn’t you tell us you were that good?”
I give him a deadpan look. “Would you have listened?”
“We’re listening now, son.”
The biggest surprise of the night comes right then, when my parents drape themselves around me on each side. And even despite our puffy coats or the massive bag hanging from my shoulder, neither let me go for a good while. I’m taller than either of them, and I can easily see my girlfriend beaming up at me like she had something to do with this.
And she must have. I can’t remember the last time my parents hugged me like this.
I’m still blinking like an owl as they pull away. Mom pushes my hair out of my face and says, “Now, let’s go home. I’m going to feed you the spaghetti bolognese you like. You’re too skinny.”
I end up ditching O’Malley’s for dinner with my whole family, which now includes my girlfriend.
CHAPTER 38
LUZ
My plans of sneaking a quiet, early skate, are thwarted the second I arrive at the arena and find some guy skating alone on the ice.
With a huff, I lean over the edge of the boards to watch him. He’s a pretty decent skater, with powerful thighs that his training pants can’t hide. They push him to speeds I couldn’t compete with even if my technique is better. I could maybe teach him a thing or two, but for now, I’d rather observe.
He handles the stick like an extension of his body, using it to make sharp turns while balanced on the inside foot. His black hair waves against the wind, clear away from his flushed face. I bet his freckles look stark against the paleness of his skin.
Ugh, he’s so beautiful it hurts to look at him.
Since the arena is empty except for us, I start catcalling. “Hey, sexy! Why don’t you give me a show, huh?”
Max brakes with such force the spray casts a quick rainbow under the light. He puts his gloved hands on that tiny waist of his. “Now that’s just disrespectful. Wanna come over and be disrespectful together?”
I don’t even wait to open the door. Instead, I slide over it and pump my legs until I slam against his chest. We slide over the ice, but Max is too strong to let us topple over.
“Good morning, Tinker Bell.” He places a little kiss on my nose, and I squeeze my arms tighter around him.
“Will you ever stop calling me Tinker Bell?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll call you S’more more often.”
He shrugs. “Didn’t you say that means I’m delicious?”
I choke on my own saliva. And after that, I can’t recover fast enough to bite back with a smart-aleck comment. Max throws his head back, laughing at his own joke with all his might. I’d mind it more if the motion didn’t give me a prime-time view of the thick chords of muscle up the column of his neck. A hickey just under the collar of his jacket reminds me of the last time I thoroughly appreciated that part of his anatomy too.
“Cat got your tongue, Tinker Bell?”
“No.” My voice comes out way raspier than it has any business being. “Just remembering the last time it was on your skin.”
