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FORTY-THREE

MADELINE

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN(DAMENTAL RIGHTS) AND GOOD SEX

Lexi

I didn’t think I could meet someone with a worse name than Beaumont, but then I went and matched with Axel.

Piper

Is he a musician?

Lexi

I wish.

Me

This sounds like a fun game. Is he a data analyst?

Lexi

That would be too obvious.

Axel is a mime. Something I learned halfway through dinner when he stared at me and wouldn’t speak.

Emmy

What the actual fuck? I’m so glad I’m married.

Lexi

Rub it in our faces, why don’t ya?

Me

I appreciate you taking one for the team and sharing your horrible stories. You’ve saved me from having to suffer too.

Lexi

Wait until I tell you about Basil. He was a horse guy.

Maven

I love horses!

Lexi

He literally thought he was a horse.

Emmy

You should write a book. Or host a podcast. The internet would love it, because there’s no way this happens to anyone but you.

Lexi

I’m a lucky, lucky girl.

Lucy takes her usual spot before the Stars’ game, her nose pressing against the glass and excitedly watching the players skate by. I love that she gets lost in the sport, and I love it even more that each guy from the team approaches her, pretending to bump their knuckles against hers through the glass.

I hang back with Lexi, laughing when she touches the sleeve of my new jacket.

“Get out.” She grins. “This is amazing. Where did you find it?”

“There’s a woman on Instagram who repurposes shirts and jerseys from different sports teams and turns them into outerwear.” I spin so I can show off the back and the name across my shoulders. “Is it cute?”

“It’s so cute. Nice number choice, by the way.” Lexi smirks. “I’m guessing you went back for round three with Hayes?”

And four and five and six.

Seven, too, last night.

“You could say that,” I admit, which earns me a high five from Lexi.

“Hell yeah. Go get that dick.” She bends to give Lucy a quick hug then grabs her clipboard currently leaning against the wall. “You two have fun tonight. I need to go work on Ethan’s ass before puck drop.”

“In any other profession, that would leave me with a lot of questions. With yours, I’ll say good luck and have fun.”

With a wave and a swish of her brown ponytail, she jogs down the tunnel to the trainers’ office. I smile, thinking about her comment and the dick I’m getting.

It’s been a week since Hudson and I slept together for the first time, and not a single moment that’s passed has been awkward.

It’s natural, almost, like the universe has been waiting for us to find each other.

We stayed up late talking last night about anything and everything. He asked me about Lucy as a baby, and I listened to him tell me about his early hockey days.

We fell asleep at some point, and I woke up in his arms, warm and happy, with his mouth on the back of my shoulder. He fucked me rough and fast when the stars were out, and again as the sun started to rise, nice and slow and with less urgency than our first time. I liked how he held himself above me. How he twisted our hands together on the sheets and said my name when he came.

He always sneaks back to his room before Lucy wakes up. He agreed with me when I said I wanted to wait before I told her the two of us were spending time together alone, and I appreciate that he’s not forcing me into sharing our relationship with the world.

We work , and even though there’s not a word attached to what we’re doing, I know with the utmost certainty I want to keep doing it with him.

I’m yanked from my thoughts of feet in tangled sheets and coffee in bed when Hudson skates up to the glass near the tunnel. He lifts his chin to my jacket. Mischief dances behind blue eyes, and he leans against his stick.

“Who are you wearing tonight?” he asks over the song blaring from the speakers overhead.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Hayes?”

“My guess is Grant.”

I spin and pull my hair away from my back so he can see the number stitched on the fabric. “Want to guess again?”

He doesn’t say anything else, and when I look at him over my shoulder, Hudson is gaping at me. His cheeks are pink and his eyes are wide, and I don’t know how to read this expression of his.

“It’s mine,” he says. “You’re wearing my number.”

“I told you I always liked being a good student.” I shrug and face him again. “How’s my spectating grade tonight, Hayes?”

His mouth stretches into a grin, and I give him one right back. “My name looks good on you, Galloway.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. Better than any of the other women in the arena. You’re the only one I want wearing it.”

It’s silly to feel so giddy, but I do. There are butterflies in my stomach, and I’m not sure how I got here: flirting with a professional hockey player, proudly wearing his jersey while thousands of fans watch, and wondering if he’ll fuck me while I wear this—and only this—later.

“You know this means you have to play well tonight, right, Hayes?”

“I plan on it.” He glances at Lucy, lifting his gloved hand in the air. He gives her a wave with a big smile on his face, and she matches his enthusiasm.

Did you show him the pictures we took with Gus and Millie today ? she asks, and I’m quick to pull my phone from my pocket.

I scroll through the photos I snapped of her with the dogs earlier in the afternoon, the ones of the three of them looking at the camera while wearing matching HAYES jerseys, and I hold it up to the glass so Hudson can see.

“Lucy insisted we order the dogs jerseys to wear on your game days,” I explain. “It took me thirty minutes to wrangle everyone into the shirts, but I think it turned out okay.”

“Is this what y’all were doing before you left for the arena?” He smirks, cute and cocky. “Why you weren’t answering my texts?”

“Maybe.” I laugh and wrap my arms around Lucy. “The meal-prepping I was working on for you went out the window when Lucy put her jersey on backward. The dogs, surprisingly, were easier to dress.”

“Send that to me. I love it.”

“Will do.” I smile and slip into SimCom. “ Have a good game tonight. ”

“I’ve got my girls in the crowd wearing my jersey, Galloway.” Hudson’s face shifts from playful to something soft. A truth he’s declaring in the middle of the sold out arena. “I could miss every shot I take. We could lose by twenty, and it’d still be a damn good night.”

I’m on the edge of my seat.

I have been for the majority of the game.

It’s the most physical matchup I’ve seen since I started watching hockey. Every time a player gets slammed into the boards, Lucy gasps and covers her eyes. I wince and cross my fingers, hoping our guys are okay.

I’m still trying to figure out how some aggressive plays end up as penalties and some don’t. The hit Maverick took in the second period definitely seemed rougher than the call Ethan got against him at the start of the third, but I’m clueless.

At the end of regulation, the Stars and the Longhorns are tied up, 2-2. After a five-minute sudden-death overtime period where neither team scores, we’re headed to a shootout. I’m grateful to have Google handy to learn the rules for what happens next so I can explain them to Lucy.

Each team is going to have a chance to shoot , I tell her, and she nods. One player goes against the goalie .

That must be scary for the goalie. She points at Liam who is skating back and forth in the blue circle in front of the net. He’s talking to himself, and I wonder what he’s saying. Does he look scared ?

I don’t think so . This is his job , remember ? He practices for it .

Who is going to shoot for the Stars ?

I crane my neck, trying to read the jerseys of the three players huddled together near the Stars’ bench. Their arms are draped around each other, and they’re deep in conversation.

It looks like Maverick, Hudson, and Ethan .

I’m nervous .

So am I.

It’s not a line I’m giving to placate her. I’m stressed out. I never thought I’d be emotionally invested in a sports team, but here I am, biting my thumbnail then clasping my hands together.

The Longhorns have the first shot, and the enthusiasm in the arena deflates when their player scores on Liam with a hit that’s just out of his reach.

Maverick lines up for the Stars’ first shot. He’s like a bullet flying across the ice. I blink, and he’s pulling his stick back. He’s hitting the puck into the top corner of the net and sending the crowd into an absolute tizzy.

The Longhorns player misses on the second attempt, but so does Ethan. The internet told me if the teams are still tied after the three attempts, they’ll keep doing rounds until someone scores.

The third Longhorns guy whacks the puck with a shot that looks like it’s headed straight between Liam’s legs, but he dives for it at the last second. He stops it with his big glove and holds it in the air.

He got it! Lucy jumps up and down as the crowd screams around us. They can win!

I’m so nervous, I can barely watch Hudson skate twice around the puck before lining up with the goal. He scans the crowd. I swear he looks our way and gives us the quick flash of a smile before he taps the puck with his stick and glides over the ice.

“Come on,” I whisper. Lucy clutches my side. It’s so quiet in here, you could hear a pin drop. “You can do it.”

With footwork far more advanced than anything he displayed at Friends and Family night, Hudson maneuvers across the line at the center of the ice. He keeps his eyes up, his attention trained on the goalie, and I know firsthand how distracting that attention can be.

The Longhorns’ goalie tracks his motions. He shifts left then right, and I have no clue what Hudson has planned. I’m not sure I’m breathing, and when he pulls his stick to his waist and launches the puck forward, I use everything in my power to will it into the goal.

Time stands still. I swear someone hits pause on the next four seconds, but when the puck soars into the bottom right corner of the net, just past the goalie’s pad, everything speeds up.

Confetti falls from the rafters. Pandemonium ensues as the entire team piles on Hudson. After they’ve smothered him in congratulations, they line up to shake the Longhorns’ hands before celebrating again.

That was amazing! Lucy claps enthusiastically. I want to play hockey just like Hudson.

It was such a good play, wasn’t it?

It’s going to be hell to get her to bed and up for school in the morning, but the joy on her face is infectious. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her this happy, and I’m not going to be the one to dampen her glee.

I take Lucy’s hand, but before we can walk down the steps that lead to the exit, Hudson is skating up to the glass in front of our seats. He’s ditched his gloves and his stick, and I watch while he scribbles something on a whiteboard he’s found. When he holds it up, it’s impossible to fight back a grin.

COME TO THE TUNNEL, it says. Hudson points to his right and I nod, way too excited to leave without saying goodbye. He erases the words with his sleeve, writing again. MEET U IN 20 . MEDIA, SHWR, THEN I’M URS.

I’m yours .

That sounds unbelievably nice.

Lucy practically pulls me down the stairs again, and by the time we fight through the fans leaving the arena and make it to the much quieter hallway away from the music blaring over the speakers, Piper is waiting for us.

I’m so glad you got to see that. She squeals, hugging Lucy tight. Wasn’t that fun ?

I’m going to learn to score like that too! Lucy tells her proudly.

I can’t wait to see , Piper signs. “Hudson said something about giving her a quick arena tour. I think he wants to see you. He should be out in a minute.”

“Sure. Text me if you need me?” I say, and she nods.

“We’ll be back soon!” Piper holds out her hand and Lucy takes it, and they disappear around a corner.

I wait patiently, smiling at some of the staff who pass me with stacks of papers in their hands. I try my best to stay out of the way, and when a door to my left opens, I jump.

“Hey,” Hudson says, and I spin to find him grinning at me with wet hair.

“Hi,” I answer, my breath catching when I get a good look at him.

The suit he’s wearing must be made of sinful thoughts, because I’m imagining unknotting his tie. Letting him wrap the silk around my wrists to keep me from moving and maybe adding a second and third to my ankles so he can tie them to the bed posts.

“Sorry it took me so long. I know it’s past Lucy’s bedtime, and I hate to keep you waiting.” He steps toward me, his hand finding my waist instinctively. “I wanted to see you before I got on the plane for Toronto.”

“That’s okay. Piper is giving her that tour of the arena you suggested. I’m sure she’s going to ask when she can apply for a job with the Stars.” I smile and look him up and down. I make a show of it, admiring the cut of his jacket and how his pants fit him in a way that shows off the toned muscles of his thighs. “You know, Hayes, the social media comments got it right. You really are a bombshell.”

“Means the world coming from you, Mads.” He cups my cheeks, stroking his thumb down my jaw. “I’m glad y’all got to come tonight. I know it ’s a school night, but I like having you here.”

“You were unbelievable. That shot? I got goosebumps , Hudson, and I don’t know a damn thing about hockey. I can only imagine how excited you must be.”

“It’s called a slap shot. It’s not really effective so close to the goal—I’ll save you from a statistics lesson—but it’s what my brain told me to do, so I did. It paid off.”

“I’ll say.” I tug on his tie, his mouth near mine. “Is that why you wanted me to meet you down here? So you could give me a hockey lesson?”

“Maybe.” He drops a kiss to my forehead and smiles. “I also wanted to say goodbye before I head to the airport. I’ll be gone for a few days, and I’m going to miss you.”

“You mean you didn’t ask the league to schedule a two-game road trip immediately following us sleeping together?” I joke, and he laughs. “I’m going to miss you, too.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” He sighs, the ghost of his breath tickling my cheek. “I’ll let you know when I land.”

“We’ll be waiting for you. Me, Lucy. The dogs. Hurry home, okay?”

“I will.” One more kiss to my cheek, and I think my feet have come off the ground. I’m floating, some giddy version of myself I never thought I could be because this is far more fun than my cynical approach to attraction. “Be good while I’m gone, Mads.”

I nod and pull away. I watch him go, painfully aware of how empty I already feel without him by my side.