Page 120 of The Maxwell Brothers

HOLD ME FOREVER

CHAPTER 1

TYLER

I was screwed.I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her hair fell to the middle of her back in dark waves that sparked my imagination.

Focus, Tyler. You're here for the kids, nothing more.

Yep, I was here to meet the kids I was going to coach for a couple of months until my team allowed me to play again—long story. But I looked forward to it.

What I hadn't counted on was the program coordinator, Kendra Douglas, being such a distraction. A smokinghotdistraction.

"I'm so happy that you're going to spend time with the kids this season. Believe it or not, we've never actually had a hockey player before," Kendra said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think that's going to be super exciting for them."

"How long have you been working as a volunteer coordinator?" I asked her.

"Four years. I honestly love it."

I could see that from the way her green eyes lit up.Damn, she’s beautiful.She was curvy and tall, but at six foot two, I still towered over her.

"I love pairing up volunteers with the right program for them. My boss says I have a knack with people.”

“You certainly found the perfect activity for me.”

Her smile widened at my comment.

Volunteering had always been part of my job as a goalie with the NHL's hottest hockey team, the Chicago Blades. And I'd enjoyed doing it, but I didn't like it one bit that the team’s management had put volunteering as a condition for rehabilitating my image after the scandal and letting me back on the ice. I was benched because of a video that went viral. I also had a shoulder injury to deal with, so the extra time to heal wasn’t such a bad thing.

So here I was, at the Chicago Sports Center. Every year, they offered kids from low-income families an opportunity to meet and play with some of the sports stars of the area, which was a really cool thing. I had no idea why it was the first time I’d heard of it.

“Do all your volunteers work with kids?” I asked Kendra.

“No. It’s all wildly different, to be honest.”

“You don’t actually work at the Chicago Sports Center, right? I got confused reading the email from management.”

Kendra laughed. “Sorry for the confusion. No, I’m employed by The Illinois Volunteer Society. My job is to find placements for people who want to do volunteer activities. We often collaborate with the Chicago Sports Center. I’ve brought a few professional athletes here to the center, and it always makes the kids so happy. Most of them don’t come from well-off families, so it’s a treat for them, and I also think a bit inspiring.”

She was obviously proud of her job and probably doing it because she wanted to. I'd been around plenty of people doing all sorts of volunteer stuff for public relations, but Kendra was genuine. I liked that about her.

"Anyway, the circumstances might not be ideal for you, but I'm still happy that you're here,” she continued. “I hope I can make this more enjoyable for you."

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her exactly how much more enjoyable she could make it, but I caught myself in time.

Damn, Tyler, what's wrong with you?

"It won't be a hardship,” I said instead. “I like working with kids. I’m good with them."

Her eyes widened, and I went on to explain. "I have a niece. She's ten years old, so I have some experience. It's different than this, but I think I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that the kids will enjoy." I finished with a wink.

"I'm looking forward to seeing that," she said with a challenge in her tone.

I flashed her a grin. “I look forward to proving myself to you.”