Page 18 of The Love Comeback (Glaciers Hockey #3)

Chapter Fifteen

Kade

I skate out onto the ice, my eyes searching for the two people that I care about the most at the game tonight.

“Let’s focus, boys,” Coach Wilson calls out. “This is a big one.”

I join the whooping and hollering, but my eyes divert to the stands once more.

Finally, I see Colton and a redheaded kid, along with Ella and a redheaded woman who seems to match the other kid.

Both of the boys are wearing my jersey. I can’t hold back my smile or wave, and Colton jumps to his feet, waving both arms dramatically.

I chuckle beneath my helmet, shaking my head as Ella gives me one of her infamous little waves.

She has no idea how spectacular she looks—even if it’s not in my jersey .

My stomach knots up at that thought, my mind diving into the depths of the past. She wore my name well before I was ever anything worth writing home about. She supported me before I made money or achieved the status of one of the best goalies in the country.

She was there before I mattered.

And I left her cold.

Now, I have fame and fortune … but nobody to even share it with.

I never should’ve let her go.

I clear my throat and do my best to focus on the game. If I let my mind wander, I’ll end up in a mess—and then I won’t play well. The last thing I want is a bad game for Colton in front of his friend. So, I put my physical and mental blinders on and play the absolute best I can.

“Congrats on the win,” Ella says as I step out of the locker room, happy to see that she accepted my offer to meet Colton’s friend.

“You were so sick out there!” Colton declares, giving me a fist bump and then gesturing toward his friend. “This is my best friend, Aaron. He’s super big into hockey like me, but his favorite player is Cameron Hastens because he’s super-fast. ”

“Yeah, but you’re cool, too,” Aaron says, his face turning red.

I give him a fist bump. “Hey man, I’ll take what I can get. Is this your mom?” I point to the redheaded lady standing with Ella.

“Yep.”

“This is Valerie,” Ella chimes. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve introduced her. That’s on me.” She gives me a bashful smile and gestures to Valerie, who sticks out an eager hand.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Kade.” The woman beams. She’s eccentric and a little nerdy, and I can tell right away that she’s probably one of Ella’s teacher friends.

It’s fitting. Ella has always had loud friends.

It’s the opposite of what she is, and I have to admit, I’m a little jealous of anyone who gets to be this close to her.

I mentally shake myself. That’s not healthy. I’m better than that.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” I say, shaking her hand. “Do you guys wanna meet the rest of the team?” I gesture to the rest of the guys, now slowly filing out of the locker room.

Colton and Aaron both nod, and I give a slight wave to Cam, who immediately knows what’s going on. He calls out for Colton, and the two boys rush over to the rest of my teammates, shaking hands and eagerly asking questions. It gives me a chance to talk with Ella and her friend.

“So, what did they think of the game?” I ask, trying not to be boastful .

“It was great,” Valerie answers, her eyes diverting to the group of men behind me. “You all played so well…”

I chuckle and then gesture to the team. “You can go meet the rest of the players if you’d like.”

“Okay,” she squeaks and slips past me, clearly having her eye on one of them.

“I think she has a crush on one of the rookies,” Ella says with a sigh. “There’s just something about you hockey players that gets to women like us, I guess.”

“Like you ?” I can’t help but play into it. I have to take the bait.

“I mean…” She immediately slows down, shaking her head. “I just mean that we’re a little nerdy and, you know, jocks always seem out of our league. I don’t know, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Right,” I say, letting my chuckle die.

“Can we get pizza?” Colton interrupts suddenly, his eyes bright with excitement. “I told Aaron that we get pizza all the time after skate lessons, and it would be so cool if we could get pizza together!”

I grin. “I’m in.”

“Will you come and play the racing game with me, Kade?” Colton asks, while Aaron shoves pizza into his mouth. “I bet I can beat you!”

“Sure.” I chuckle, pushing back from the table where Ella and Valerie are conversing about the robotics team. I give them both a smile that I’m pretty sure neither of them see and then follow Colton over to the car racing game.

I slide into one of the seats while Colton climbs into the other.

I wait for him to adjust his chair, and I navigate through the menu and choose my car and avatar.

Colton navigates his as well, and I note that he’s very particular about what he’s racing with.

I find that quality endearing about him.

Everything Colton does is intentional. “Okay, are you ready?” Colton wiggles his eyebrows at me, flashing me a wicked grin.

“I’m ready to whoop you,” I shoot back, keeping my competitive tone playful.

Colton smashes the go button, and the countdown begins.

As soon as the light turns green, I slam the gas pedal and shift, since I chose the manual mode.

I quickly realize that Colton has done the same—and he’s way better than I expected him to be.

Without even burning out, his car flies off down the course through some fake city.

My jaw drops. He’s actually going to be a challenge to beat.

And here I was, thinking that I’d have to let him win .

His giggles erupt as he gains multiple car lengths on me, and I’m left groaning and gasping as I race to catch up to him. “I’m gonna beat you!”

“No kidding,” I mutter, my brows now furrowed in determination. “I had no idea what I was getting into, obviously.” I laugh as I ram into the sidewall, slowing my pace and dropping back a few places in the ranks.

Colton bursts into laughter, and I can’t help but join him. It doesn’t matter that I’m terrible at video games. It doesn’t matter that Aaron, Valerie, and now Ella are watching us as we race down the straightaway.

“Go, Colton!” Aaron exclaims, practically bouncing beside him. “It’s gonna be so cool to say you beat an NHL player!”

“Hey now,” I say playfully, shooting him a funny look.

Aaron bursts into a cackle. “You gotta quit smashing the gas. You’ll just keep running into things.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’d choose to ride with you,” Valerie quips. “I think I’d rather ride with Colton.”

“Same,” Ella agrees, resting her hand on the back of my seat.

There’s something about her being so close that causes my heart to jump in my chest. In fact, I become completely distracted once I catch a whiff of her perfume.

It hits my nostrils in a way that takes me all the way back to the past—back to when she and I used to do everything together.

I need to tell her that it hasn’t changed for me .

The thought bothers me. It truly does. I don’t know if it would ruin everything that I have going with her and Colton now. I don’t want to lose my relationship with either of them. But…

But especially Colton.

I know he needs me. I know that I needed my dad more than ever when I was Colton’s age. That need only grows as a boy gets older. He doesn’t really have anyone to be there in his life like that—and maybe that’s me overstepping, but I can’t help it. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be a dad.

“Go, go, go!” Ella’s voice erupts from behind me, and I glance over at Colton’s screen long enough to see him flying across the finish line and taking first place. I’m still five places back, and I forget about my own loss as pride swells in my chest for his win.

“Nice job!” I call out, letting my car wreck…

And burst into flames.

Colton’s eyes grow wide as he points to my screen. “Dude, you’re wrecked .”

I shrug. “I was never good at video games. Besides, I was totally going easy on you.” I say it in a teasing tone, and Colton’s face flickers with competitive determination.

“Then let’s go again!”

I shake my head as I slide out of the booth. “No, I think you should play Ella. She was always so good at video games. I bet she could beat you. ”

Colton makes a funny face. “No way. She never even plays video games.”

“That’s because she’s busy being a parent and teacher now,” I say, noting the blush creeping across her cheeks. “You gotta play her. I bet she’ll win.”

“I will not,” Ella gasps, looking mortified as everyone stares at her in curiosity.

“Come on,” I urge, gently grabbing her shoulders and guiding her to the seat. “You gotta show Colton where he gets his skills from.”

“No,” she protests, leaning into my hands. I feel the warmth under her thin sweater, and my mouth grows dry at the simple touch. There’s something about it that makes me feel so many things.

I clear my throat. “Nope, you’re going to play.”

She lets out a cute little groan in frustration and then huffs as she plops down in the seat. She adjusts her seat before eyeing Colton.

“I’m not going easy on you,” she says, her voice gentle yet stern. “So, you can’t get upset when you lose.”

Colton grins. “Bring it on.”

She sighs, clicking through the menu with the same intention that Colton had before her. “Okay… Well, here we go…”

Nerves bubble up in my chest as I watch the countdown flash across the screen. I have no idea why I’m so hung up on this race—like it’s going to matter at all. It doesn’t matter if Ella beats Colton. Honestly, I’m cheering for them both.

But … I just want to see Ella win in one way or another. She deserves it more than anyone else I’ve ever met. I want Ella to win in every single way possible.

They take off down the track, and Ella shifts like she’s been racing cars in real life.

Aaron gasps. “Holy moly! She’s really good!”

Valerie bursts into a giggle as Ella’s purple car soars to the front, flying right past Colton’s black-and-gold race car. Everyone is left in awe, except for me. I knew she had it in her.

And I just smile right along with Ella, who is grinning ear to ear with a determined look in her pretty hazel eyes.

“Ella, you’re too fast!” Colton cries out as Ella just keeps shifting gears and braking through the curves like a pro. “I don’t think anyone can beat you!”

“No one ever has,” Ella says, her voice flat with concentration. “It’s all about strategy.”

“And being able to drive like a pro,” I point out, shooting her a wink as she takes a moment to glance up at me. Her cheeks blush again, and I wonder if I have any kind of effect on her the way I used to. Honestly, it’s all I want now.

I want to be the reason Ella Smart smiles.

There’s nothing more I want in the entire world, and as she crosses the finish line before anyone else, I cheer louder than I should. Plenty of people shoot me an annoyed look, but I don’t even care.

“Way to go, Ella!” Colton throws his hands up in surprise. “I can’t believe you’re so good at this! Will you play with me more?”

Ella beams, and for a moment, I see the old Ella—the one I fell head over heels for all those years ago. I don’t even know how to react to it, but I have a sudden, overwhelming feeling to grab her face and kiss her.

To somehow make her mine … again.