Page 47 of Something to Prove

Don’t be fuckin’ ridiculous. That’s never gonna happen.

Did I mention I was on fire?

Check it out.

The Bears were up four to three against North Falls with less than a minute on the clock in the third period. I skated up the right lane, flipped backward and signaled to Brady with a brief nod. We’d become adept at communicating on the ice over thepast year. A slight hand gesture could mean anything from pass the puck to dump it or watch your weak side.

We had an opening now. North Falls’ D-man was a burly brute with Viking berserker energy who leaned heavily to his left as he blocked or shoved, leaving his right side unprotected. I had a feeling he was playing injured and that had to suck, but reading weakness and strength and knowing when to take advantage was part of the job.

Brady faked a pass to Gus, then raced to the goal as if on a one-man mission to score. At the last second, he flicked the puck to me. The big Viking was on my tail, but I was ready for him. I deked to his left, pulling him off center as I changed course. Now it was me and the goalie. There was no overthinking this. I had to be quick and wily to get past this last line of defense.

I aimed for the corner andbam!The lamp lit. Score for the Bears. My teammates swarmed as the arena exploded with a collective whoop, cheering and screaming their heads off.

God, I loved hockey.

I pumped my fist triumphantly, my gaze scanning the crowd for a familiar shock of red hair. Walker was on his feet, clapping along with everyone. His smile mirrored mine—wide and carefree.

I didn’t wave or do anything that might draw attention or speculation. It was an ingrained default where guys I was attracted to were concerned. But for a fleeting moment, I wondered what it would feel like to publicly acknowledge that I had a thing for the redhead.

The locker room practically vibrated with laughter and music. Someone had connected their cell to a portable speaker andturned the volume so high, the lyrics were muffled by the bass. Communication was reduced to yelling or miming while tape and rank jerseys flew overhead. This was celebration ground zero—the PG-rated warmup. There’d be booze, weed, and lots of pretty girls at the main event across town at Langley’s place. He’d made sure everyone knew. Loudly.

“Get your ass there early, Ty. No showing up late and bailing early bullshit. It’s Saturday night and we’re partying, baby,” Langley bellowed in my ear.

Yeah…that line about ducking out early was accurate. Maybe I should have felt bad about it, but lately, getting shitfaced and stumbling around campus with a hangover from hell the next day hadn’t appealed to me. And if I had to choose between naked hot-topic conversations in bed with Walker or drunken yammering with a girl whose name I’d never remember followed by meaningless fumbling in the dark, Walker won…hands down.

I couldn’t tell Gus that, though. He was bi too and I knew he would never judge, but he couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. Not that there was anything to tell. Whatever Walker and I were doing was casual, remember?

“My parents are here, man,” I yelled. “They drove for two hours, and they’ll probably want to grab dinner.”

Langley gave a perfect impression of a thwarted child, complete with a dramatic eye roll. “Fine. Come late, but you better be there. My roommate is out of town, so we get to rage for real.”

I snorted. “I feel bad for the guy.”

“Fuck that. Rafe is a grade-A pain in the ass. And get this…he listens to classical music. Sho-van and Vardy.” Langley grumbled, scratching his nuts through his towel.

“Chopin and Verdi?”

Langley bugged his eyes out. “Are you goin’ nerd on me? How’d you know that?”

“I know things.”

“You don’t know shit,” he joked. “That sounds like something you learned with our neighborhood reporter. Hey, I saw Walker in the stands. Invite him to my place.”

Langley’s attention was already drawn to something over my shoulder. He threw his hands in the air and danced to an ancient Prince song someone had turned on while I wrestled with my skyrocketing pulse. I literally rubbed my chest, wondering if I’d eaten too much garlic or something. I didn’t think so, but it made more sense than having a reaction to the casual mention of Walker’s name in a crowded locker room.

I showered and changed, hurrying to meet my folks in the corridor. I knew they’d want to get on the road after dinner, and I didn’t want to keep them waiting. Dad loved the Chinese restaurant on Mattson Street, and they didn’t take reservations.

“There he is!” Mom waved, her short dark curls bouncing as she enveloped me in a familiar floral scent that smelled like home.

I lifted my mom up and spun her in a circle, laughing at her halfhearted squawk. My parents were former athletes and high school sweethearts in their early sixties. My dad liked to say I got my height from him and my looks from Mom. Truthfully, they were both tall and good-looking.

Dad’s hair had gone mostly white recently and he had a bit of a beer belly, but he was as robust and active as ever. He had to be to keep up with my mom, who was famous for volunteering for every cause that touched her heart from Lab rescue to sports for underprivileged youth. They were amazing. Six kids, a couple of grandkids, three dogs, fuck knew how many cats, demanding jobs, and community work would exhaust anyone, but not these two. I was lucky and I knew it.

“You made it.” I kissed Mom’s cheek and set her down before greeting my dad—and the redhead who just happened to be standing next to him.

I was already smiling, but now it was a full-fledged megawatt grin.Fuck me.I had to get my face under control, or my mother would start asking questions and jumping to all the right conclusions.

My dad hugged me and tipped his chin at Walker. “We just bumped into Smithton’s local celebrity. I think you know this guy.”