“I love that you understand me already.”
* * *
The team captain, Shane, is the first player to come out of the Peacocks’ locker room to the family room. A little dark-haired girl wearing a pink Donahue jersey, her curly hair in ponytails, shouts “Daddy” and starts running toward him. Shane embraces her, and a collectiveawwwfills the space.
“Damn, my ovaries,” Haisley whispers loud enough that Em and I can hear her. “Seeing these big, strong hockey players with their kids always gets me.”
I nod my head in understanding. “It’s too sweet—”
And that’s when I spot him, Jasper, the rest of my words forgotten. He’s walking toward me, his hair still damp, but with a huge smile on his face.
“Hey there, Muru,” he greets me, pulling me in for a quick kiss. “Having you watch me play is one of my new favorite things.”
“You were so amazing out there.”
Jasper grins. “Not as amazing as you, cheering me on from the stands.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be.”
“That’s great to hear because I really do love you, Vivian.”
I’ll hopefully never get tired of hearing those words from him. “I love you, too, even though I can’t make a public announcement like you did.”
“You hated it?” he asks, looking pensive.
“No, it was exactly what you needed.”
“Good. It surely feels lighter now.”
“And that’s all that matters.”
Haisley and Em appear next to us, interrupting our moment with their excited chatter. I can’t blame them, Jasper played fantastically tonight.
“Congratulations on your first game as a Peacock, Viking,” Haisley gushes. “You killed it out there. No wonder my dad was excited.”
Em nods in agreement. “You guys were on fire tonight.”
Jasper beams at them. “Thank you, ladies. I couldn’t have done it without the support of you, the team and fans.”
“Anytime. Are you two up for some post-game drinks at Drunk Moose with the team?” Haisley asks.
“Sure, why not?”
Speaking of Jasper’s team, Felix comes over to greet us. “Hey, we haven’t met yet. I’m Felix,” he offers his hand to me.
“Vivian. It’s lovely to meet you—I’ve heard many wonderful things from Jasper,” I introduce myself and shake his hand.
“Same here,” Felix says and turns to Em. “Um, thanks for coming tonight.”
She blushes as all the attention turns to her. “I couldn’t miss seeing you and Jasper together on the ice, playing for the same team for the first time since college.”
“That’s right. Well, are you coming to the bar with us?” Felix asks her.
“Yeah, I don’t have to fly to Boston until tomorrow morning.”
“Good,” is the only reply Em gets.
We stand there awkwardly, waiting for one of them to speak more. When nothing happens, Haisley grabs Em and me and starts walking toward the exit.
