Page 18 of Pucking Tangled

EIGHTEEN

Luca

Luca skated around the rink again, trying to keep his emotions in check.

Mia was here.

She was really here.

Dressed in Casey’s hoodie that they all knew she stole, she was sitting next to someone he vaguely recognized but couldn’t place.

She didn’t know it but Luca had tipped off one of the event staff members who were assigned to the section she was in, just in case. If anyone messed with her tonight, they’d be taken care of.

A sense of pride washed over him.

Her eyes were glued to the ice.

Not scrolling on her phone or distracted by something else.

She was laser focused on what was happening right in front of her.

On him .

On Casey, Owen, and Waylon too.

It seemed stupid—how excited he was that she showed up.

But for the first time in his life, Luca was brave enough to ask for something he wanted and it happened.

Mia did that for him.

She put on her brave face. Confronted her past and showed up.

Casey caught the flicker of his gaze while they skated and gave him a knowing smirk.

Owen tried to be more subtle when their paths crossed, but he read the hint of amusement in his captain’s expression.

Waylon? He’d been impossible to read. That wasn’t new.

He’d been closed off since he spotted Mia holding his hand back at the house.

Luca didn’t miss the way they all looked at them when it happened. He fully expected an inquisition when they got in the car.

No one said a word.

Sooner or later they would.

They’d have to.

But first, they had a game to win.

The buzzer rang. Warm-ups were over.

Luca tapped the ice and grabbed a puck to toss into the stands.

He wanted to throw it in Mia’s direction but hesitated. He knew she was nervous about being there. He damn sure didn’t want to draw more attention to her and make her uncomfortable.

As he headed toward the tunnel, he locked eyes with her and held up the puck—silently asking if she wanted it .

A childlike smile spread across Mia’s face, and she nodded excitedly.

Fuck yeah!

Luca tossed it to her, beaming like a fool when she caught it and mouthed ‘thank you’.

It was going to be a damn good night.

Waylon

The rookie invited her to watch them play. He held her hand. And he asked her to come to a game.

Something Waylon wouldn’t have dared to do.

He remembered what happened the last time Mia caught a game live.

Casey told them all about the fans talking shit. It pissed him off then, and he was still pissed off about it now.

Pulling off his helmet, he ran one hand through his hair with a scowl on his face. He needed to fucking focus on hockey and not Mia in the stands. Vulnerable.

At least she’d brought Casey’s cousin, Brooke, with her.

He met Brooke a few times and knew she was solid. Feisty. A force to be reckoned with.

Waylon hoped that she would watch out for Mia and see to it that she was safe.

Jealousy pumped through his veins when he watched Luca toss her a puck.

Another thing he should have thought of first.

For a man who swore he didn’t do complicated, he sure as hell felt like he was making shit more complex than it needed to be.

Mind made up and desperate to regain his focus, Waylon vowed that tonight he’d sit down and talk to the guys about everything. Whatever happened after that was a worry for later.

Now it was time to put on a show and play his best game of hockey yet.

All for Blondie, sitting in the stands.

Casey

“Someone got Mia to come out tonight,” Owen teased as soon as they made it into the locker room for the last pep talk and strategy session before the game started.

Waylon grunted and tightened his pads.

“Luca,” Casey called out with a playful smile. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

The rookie shrugged. “I just told her there would be two tickets waiting for her if she wanted to be here.”

Casey whistled. “Impressive. I didn’t think it would be that easy.”

“Why not?” he asked.

Waylon gave Luca a side eye. “I don’t know, jackass. Maybe because last time she was at a game, a bunch of puck sluts said some nasty shit. Taunted her enough that she left early.”

Luca’s eyes widened. “That’s what happened. That’s why she stopped coming to games? ”

“Yeah.” Owen blew out a breath. “She brought Brooke with her tonight, though, so she should be okay. Honestly.”

Casey nodded in agreement. “My cousin doesn’t take shit off of anyone.”

“I let the event staff know to keep an eye out too,” Luca added. “I didn’t know the full story, but I wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be any issues.”

Casey clapped Luca on the back. “Don’t sweat it. If anything, we all should be thanking you,” he said, giving Waylon a pointed glare.

Waylon snorted.

Oh yeah, they would all need to talk after the game. Before one of them laid claim on Mia and everyone else lost their minds.

“Alright everyone, listen up,” Coach Michaels called out, walking into their locker room and promptly ending any more talk of Mia.

Adrenaline pumped through Casey’s veins and he bounced on the balls of his feet.

Everything about this game felt heavier now that Mia was here.

He sent up a silent prayer that they all played their best and made her proud.

Owen

The game clock ticked down, but Owen refused to let himself fully believe it until the final buzzer sounded .

Three…two…one?—

BZZZZZZT.

The crowd went wild. Cowbells rang as sticks flew into the air and gloves scattered across the ice. They’d done it.

Game 4 was in the bag with a 3 to 1 win over the Firebirds.

He slowly blew out a breath, letting all of the tension finally roll off his shoulders. He wasn’t just relieved that they won. He was proud.

Everyone on the team played their hearts out tonight.

The guys were disciplined. Focused. And ruthless when they needed to be.

Tonight they played playoff hockey exactly the way they should have been playing all along.

A switch had flipped somewhere and it felt like suddenly the Barn Raisers were in it to win.

The guys crashed together at center ice, hugging, back-slapping, shouting over each other. Waylon grabbed Luca in a headlock, shaking him like a younger brother, all his earlier frustration and grumpiness gone in the moment.

Casey skated over to Owen, his grin splitting wide as they bumped gloves.

“That’s three down,” Casey said, breathless.

Owen smiled. “One more in this round to go.”

The weight of it wasn’t lost on him. They had to win the next one to end it. But tonight—tonight they could savor this.

His eyes flicked up instinctively toward the seats. He didn’t have to search long.

There she was.

Mia.

Bundled up, face glowing, caught mid-laugh as Brooke shouted something animated beside her. Mia’s hands clapped together as she watched them celebrate .

It wasn’t just him who noticed.

He’d caught each one of the guys reacting to Mia’s arrival tonight—subtle, but telling.

Waylon’s gaze drifted toward the glass more than usual. The way his jaw tightened after every shift, like he was barely holding something back.

Luca—hell, the kid had played lights out tonight, skating with a kind of quiet fire Owen rarely saw from him. All because he had the balls to ask her to show up. All because she was there. Watching him. Cheering him on.

And Casey…

Casey was the one Owen kept circling back to.

He saw the faint shadows behind Casey’s smiles every time he looked Mia’s way. The protective aura projecting off of him the entire game. Owen could read Casey like an open book and he knew…Casey was finally coming around to the idea of there being something more there worth pursuing.

Owen wondered if Mia even realized the power she held. The gravity that she possessed, pulling them all into her orbit.

They could dance around the obvious all they wanted.

This wasn’t just playful flirtation anymore.

It wasn’t harmless fun between roommates.

They needed to talk. All of them. Before it got messy.

Tapping his stick against the ice one final time before turning to follow his team off toward the tunnel, Owen found Mia again and gave her a heartfelt smile.

Yeah. We’ve got some shit to figure out, boys.