Page 197 of The Maxwell Brothers

"Why?" Luke asked, sounding cautious.

"Well, now that he's back on the team, he's got lots on his mind."And I don't want to be trouble, a small voice said.

"He'll want to know," Declan said. Luke just nodded, drinking a swig of coffee. I suspected he was trying to weigh his words, and that was troublesome, because Luke didn't strike me as the type to do that. He usually just spoke his mind. "He doesn't like secrets. Remember when I didn't tell him about when Sam went missing because he had a big game coming up? That was a dark time in the Maxwell brotherhood."

“Your brother went missing?” I asked, stricken.

“It was a false alarm. Sometimes he’s located in dangerous areas. Once he was sent to a place that was under attack, and the entire unit lost signal. We all decided not to tell Tyler. He didn’t take it lightly.”

“This isn’t the same, though. I’ll tell him once things calm down. I just don’t want to distract him before his first game.”

"And by the way, if he gets mad that you didn't tell him before, we're on your side."

"Wait, what? Why are you picking sides?"

Declan smiled. "It's all about picking teams and making secret plans. Welcome to the Maxwell family."

“Thanks. Gentlemen, I’m going to the restroom. Be right back.”

“There she goes with ‘gentlemen’ again,” Luke said. “I’m kind of getting used to it.”

Laughing, I rose from the table, heading to the back of the coffee shop.

When I returned a few minutes later, Luke was looking particularly smug. Declan also seemed very pleased with himself.

“We paid the bill,” Declan announced.

“Wow. Damn it. When?”

“You’re good, but we’re better,” Luke said.

CHAPTER 23

TYLER

“Aaaaaand I giveyou TylerMaxwell. That’s right. Our favorite goalie is playing again,” the Blades’ longtime announcer screeched over the microphone, and the sound echoed off the arena.

It was my first time back on the ice, and it felt intoxicating—like I was on top of the world. Nothing compared to this. Absolutely nothing.

I was in the best shape of my life because I'd taken good care of my body during training. Our new goalie had made a few mistakes I wouldn't have made this season. But this game, Jett was struggling from the start, and though we were leading, Coach Benjamin decided to put me in during the last period. We only had seven minutes left on the ice, and I planned to make each of them count.

I drew in deep breaths. The ice-cold air pinched my nostrils. I skated to the left of the net and then the right.

Always stay in motion. An agile goalie is faster than a static one.

My first coach told me that in middle school, and it was the best advice I ever got.

My pulse thumped in my ears in the same rhythm as the cheering crowd. I zeroed in on the puck. When it passed center ice, the rhythm changed. My heartbeat was now in overdrive. It heightened and heightened until it drowned out the sounds of the crowd.

It was 3-2, Blades in the lead. If I saved this, we’d win.

I will save this.

I crouched forward, still moving but now in shorter bursts, only skating enough to keep my ankles in motion, ready to lunge in the right direction. Steve reached McLaren and Donnie—the top scorers from today’s opponent, the Giants—but I knew he wouldn’t be able to take the puck from them. They were just too fast.

I knew the moment McLaren would send the puck to me instead of Donnie before he even touched it. The stance of his shoulders changed—they were more rigid. He was bracing himself for the shot.

The next second, he swung the stick at the puck, sending it barreling my way.