“They are. I’ll text.”
He shakes his head as I turn in his arms so he can hold me while I text our friend. I need a quick trip from Chicago to Philadelphia.
Immediately, the typing dots appear. Ash leans forward to kiss my neck. “Judd’s too close to his phone. Need to tell Richie to keep him busier.”
I elbow him as Judd’s response appears. Sure. When?
Tomorrow, I type back.
The phone in my hand rings. I connect with Judd, putting it on speaker, and Judd doesn’t even bother with a hello. “I’m not a magician, pretty girl.”
Ash rolls his eyes, and I grin. “Hey. Ash is here, too. And the ticket’s not for me. It’s for Cord Spellman and Griff. Cord is supposed to get married tomorrow night, and the Jaguars might get grounded in Chicago.” I pause. “He’s supposed to get married in Chesterboro.”
“What is it with you and that little town?”
“Aww, you know you love Chesterboro,” I tease.
“Best bowling alley in Pennsylvania,” he quips, reminding us of a time we bowled in the spring with the hockey team.
“Still beat your ass, Jones,” Ash adds.
“You wish,” Judd shoots back.
Ash blows out a snort, and I redirect our conversation. “What do you think? Do you know anyone? Maybe Richie does?”
“Let me think and make some calls. I’ll get back to you if I find anything.”
“Thanks. And thanks for helping us out. I know you guys are on vacation.” In the background, I hear Richie call out a hello. “Hey Richie. Drinks when you guys get back in the city?”
“And Ben and Jerry's.”
“Of course. Talk soon.”
We disconnect. I lean to press a kiss on Ash’s cheek. His hands wander to my butt, and he pulls me closer to him. He nuzzles my neck, but I squirm away. “My mom’s in the other room.”
“She knows we smooch, Cam,” he says, still reaching for me.
I grin as I lean up and kiss him. He tilts his head to deepen the kiss, and I allow us a long moment to enjoy the contact before breaking apart with a sigh, shifting toward the kitchen. “Come on. It sounds like we should get back to Chesterboro sooner than later.”
He snatches my hand to stop me. When our eyes meet, his are serious. “I love you so much.”
My stomach flips, the same way it has every time he has looked at me like that since we were in high school. I cup his face and drag his mouth to mine again. “I love you, too,” I say against his lips.
We fall back together, making out there in the corner beside my parents’ powder room.
Linc Reynolds
ThelampovertheProvidence Gladiator goal lights. Our goalie gazes at the ceiling, his shoulders hunched. I skate up to him and offer my fist. “Hang in there, Mark. We’ll get it back.”
He bumps my outstretched knuckles and nods, but I can see his frustration. I rejoin my teammates for the faceoff, pausing next to the center, Tank. “Win it back, okay?”
He nods, and I take my spot behind him. When the puck drops, he knifes it back to me. I go wide around our opponents’ winger. I drop the puck between the opposing defenseman’s skates. It’s a risk. If he saw the move coming, he might have gotten his stick on it and the momentum would shift. Instead, I pick up the puck behind him. Next to me, the other defenseman tries to recover and head toward his goalie, but I’m past him. By the time he catches up, he’s a step behind me. I pass the puck to Tank, who’s streaking down the middle. The goalie’s already committed to me, so the net behind him is wide open. Tank buries the puck, tying us up again.
I celebrate with my teammates, and Tank smacks me upside the head. “That’s the shit, Reynolds.”
He means it as a compliment, so I shove his shoulder. “Nice shot, dick.”
Before I skate to the bench, I meet Mark in our zone. He offers me his glove without a word. I nod as I bump into it, then head for my seat.