Page 26

Chapter

Twenty-One

My mother and I talked in the parking lot for over a half an hour, but I couldn’t give her a satisfactory explanation for why I hadn’t said anything about Chase.

Finally, I’d been forced to admit that I had a crush on him in high school. Embarrassment was finally a motivation she was willing to accept. That meant our conversations were likely far from over on that topic, but at least they were on hiatus.

Shar, Crystal, and I couldn’t find a way to make the rest of the games for Canada West, and they weren’t being broadcast. That meant we waited at Shar’s after each game for Rob to call, and when all we heard was a roar over the phone on Friday night, we screamed and danced around Shar’s apartment until her roommate threatened to call the cops.

The boys were exhausted Saturday morning, but we were going to have the weekend in Banff together before they started preparations for Nationals in two weeks.

They had an automatic bid with five other teams around the country and would enter one of the round robin pools.

Only the winner of the pool would advance to the finals, so they had to be on their game right from the get go.

Rob’s truck sat idling when I arrived, exhaust curling into the chilly morning air. Axel tossed his duffel bag into the truck bed, sporting a backward hat and a six pack of pop under his arm. “My contribution.”

Coach Blakely had been crystal clear. We could celebrate this weekend, but there was no drinking. The guys knew they had to be in tip-top shape next week, so none of them even thought about breaking that rule.

“How’s it feeling?” I asked, pointing at his shoulder. Thankfully, it had only been a sprain the other night and not a full separation.

“Good as new.” Axel grinned. “You saw my unit score, right?” he called when he saw me, grinning from ear to ear.

I laughed and dragged my bag to the truck. “You emailed it to me three times.”

He hunched like he was celebrating a goal and mouthed, “Eighty-seven percent!” then cupped his hands around his mouth and made the sound of a crowd roaring.

I reached out and cupped his face, pouting my lips. “I’m so proud of you, little guy.”

He snorted, then reached for my bag and put it in the truck.

Shar ran down the steps with a pillow tucked under one arm and a tote bag full of snacks. “Let’s go!”

We piled into the truck, Axel between me and Crystal in the back, and the doors slammed in chorus.

The city fell away quickly, replaced by long stretches of highway and mountains that grew with every mile.

We stopped for gas somewhere outside Canmore, piling out to stretch and complain about Axel insisting on sitting with his legs at forty-five degree angles, crushing us against the windows.

“My boys need to breathe!” He said, then bought a bag of red licorice and made us answer stupid “Would you rather?” questions before he’d share.

It took another hour before we reached the turnoff. Axel leaned forward. “Okay, we’re looking for a sign with a hand-painted falcon on it . . . yep! That’s it.” He pointed excitedly.

“Have you been here before?” Crystal asked.

“When I was a kid.” Axel directed Rob up the dirt road.

We bumped along for what felt like forever until suddenly the woods opened up and there it was.

A two-story log house with faded teal shutters, wide wooden steps, and a porch swing.

Moss crept along the edges of the stone chimney, and the lawn had a dozen planters overflowing with wildflowers even though it was barely spring.

Shar let out a low whistle. “Wow. You weren’t kidding. It’s gorgeous.”

“I told you. My Great Aunt Sylvia knows what she’s doing, eh. This place didn’t have indoor plumbing when she bought it.” He hopped out of the truck after Rob parked. “Now we’ve got heat, running water, and a hot tub out back.”

Axel and Rob unloaded our bags, and we carried them up to the porch. It was still mud season up here, and the driveway was a bit of a mess.

“You have the key?” Rob asked.

“Do I have the key?” Axel scoffed and reached under a rock next to the porch. He pulled out a rusted metal box. Inside there was a key with a heart-shaped top and a little hand-written tag: Welcome home, kiddo.

He smiled at it before unlocking the door and swinging it open with a theatrical flourish.

The inside was even better than the outside, if that was possible. High ceilings with exposed beams, mismatched furniture that somehow worked perfectly together, and a fireplace made of river stones. A stack of board games sat in the corner.

“I’m calling dibs on a room.” Rob grabbed Shar and dragged her laughing down the hall.

Axel flopped onto the biggest couch with a groan of satisfaction. “I’ll take whatever bed, but I’m claiming this spot for the rest of the trip. You can fight me, but I will win.”

By early evening, the rest of the crew had arrived. Tim and Nick showed up with Emily in the back, then Rory pulled in with Kelsey. Bear sat crammed in the backseat next to a guitar case.

Everyone tumbled through the door at once, carrying duffels, mini hockey sticks, and enough food to feed a small army. After determining bedrooms by a rock-paper-scissors competition, we all ended up back in the main room off the kitchen.

Crystal and I ended up in the cozy upstairs room with the slanted ceiling and the antique floral wallpaper.

Shar and Rob claimed the main floor master and won the challenge brought by Bear and Kelsey.

Rory and Axel ended up in what we quickly dubbed “the bunkhouse,” a room with two twin beds, mismatched blankets, and walls covered in crocheted woodland animals.

The other couples took the bedrooms in the basement.

Now the guys were playing mini hockey in the living room. Shar had wisely moved all the lamps.

“Your goal is too narrow.” Bear pointed at a dining room chair, and Nick nudged it out a bit.

“Fine, happy?”

“Still a little to the right.” Bear grinned, and Nick flipped him the bird.

I followed Crystal into the office where Rob was geeking out over the computer. “This is better than what they have at Douglas.”

I marveled at the beast of a desktop with a CD-ROM drive and a monitor the size of a microwave. There was even a printer, complete with a stack of fresh dot matrix paper. It made me want to do homework. Which was a thought I kept inside my body.

I was grateful for the distractions because anytime my brain had downtime, I circled back to Chase. What was he doing this weekend? Was he pissed that I still had his sweatshirt? Was he thinking about me at all?

We ended the night with frozen pizza, hot chocolate, and way too many bodies crammed into the backyard hot tub under the stars. Someone brought out a boombox, and Axel gave us a striptease to Bryan Adams. We truly didn’t need alcohol to act like idiots. It was probably my favourite thing about us.

_____

We woke early the next morning for a hike—Axel’s idea, fueled by a map he found in the drawer next to the Trivial Pursuit board game. The trails were half-frozen and half-slosh, and my boots were soaked through in minutes. But the views?

Breathtaking.

Towering pines gave way to sweeping vistas of the Rocky Mountains, their jagged peaks dusted in late snow, lit gold by the rising sun.

A frozen lake shimmered below, the surface fractured like stained glass.

Birds cut through the air, and we crossed over not one, but two waterfalls churning with snowmelt.

By the time we got back to the cabin, our legs were aching and our socks were soggy, but our spirits had never been higher. After showering and putting on loungewear, I showed up in the living room to find nobody there.

Voices wafted from the office, so I followed my ears and found nearly the entire group huddled around the computer. I wormed my way into the mass. “What’s going on?”

Sharla yanked me closer, pointing at the screen. “Rob got an email. From the scout that held that exhibition.”

My eyes flared. I leaned over the chair, squinting at the text on the screen.

“Okay, okay.” Rob waved his hand to quiet us.

“Here’s what it says.” The room stilled.

He cleared his throat. “‘Rob, great to see you on the ice last week. Your speed and composure caught our attention.’” He grinned.

“Obviously,” he added, then continued on, summarizing.

“They’re assembling a development squad for a three-month travel intensive.

Starts June first. Fifteen players. Three coaches.

Two scouts. Exhibition games across Quebec and Ontario with NHL feeder team staff in attendance. ’”

Crystal let out a low whistle. “Holy. Shit.”

“Keep going.” Tim rocked his chair.

Rob scrolled. “Accommodation, gear, and travel provided. Training will be full-time. No part-time schooling or employment permitted.”

“Does it roll into next semester?” Axel asked.

“If it starts in June, yeah. It would, eh?” Rory mused.

“Coach Wilson was telling us some of those scouts work with the Mooseheads, bud,” Nick said.

“Mooseheads, IceDogs, even the Marlies,” Rory added. “I know two guys who went through that dev squad and got signed to the AHL.”

The weight of it hit all at once. Shar pursed her lips. “This is incredible, babe.”

Rob turned, searching her face. “I’d be away for a bit.”

She blinked quickly and smiled. “Hell yes, you will.”

Rob stood from the chair and hugged her. Rory and Bear joined in, slamming them against the wall.

“Shit! Careful with my Auntie’s house, boys!” Axel laughed and yanked them away from anything breakable. Rob made the rounds, getting hugs all around.

That’s when I noticed her. Shar. Escaping through the doorway into the hall.

I gave it a minute—just long enough for the chaos to spike again—then slipped out after her and wound my way to her bedroom past the kitchen.

The door was cracked. I knocked softly, waited a moment, then pushed it open.

Shar sat on the bed, legs curled beneath her, facing the window. One hand was pressed over her mouth. Her shoulders shook.

“Shar?” I rushed to her, sitting on the bed and wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

She didn’t turn. Didn’t speak. Just reached to her side and held something out without looking. It took a second for my eyes to focus, but when my brain processed what I was looking at, I gasped.

A pregnancy test. With two pink lines staring up at me.