Page 48 of My One & Goalie
Miraculously, Xander somehow hears and glances up into the crowd. Jett flails his arm and Xander grins, winking at us.
Heat creeps up my neck into my cheeks and I’m warm all over, smiling and waving back at him.
I love this man.
All six-foot-six of him. His body, but also his huge heart and protective nature.
The game begins, with Detroit winning the face-off. Xander shifts in the goal, singularly focused on the puck. Jett’s watching raptly and every inch of me is tense and ready, as if I’m in the game.
I want this win for Xander.
The puck flies toward him and he crouches down, stopping it with his stick. He slaps the disc to his left defenseman.
“That’s it, Axl!” Molly cheers for her son and Jett joins in.
“Let’s go, Boston!”
Axl and the other defenseman get the puck over to the wings and they take it from there, scoring the first goal of the night. Everyone around us whoops and hollers, Jett hugging me.
“Yes!” Molly high-fives Jett and a shiver of excitement ripples through me. I can’t believe how much fun it is watching a professional hockey game, especially now that I’m dating the goalie.
The first period flies by with no more goals. Xander stops everything that comes near his net, staring down every puck. I take Jett to get food during intermission and by the time we’re back the second period’s started.
“Did we miss anything?” Jett asks Molly.
“Not really. We made an attempt, but their goalie stopped it.”
“Shoot.” Jett’s lower lip juts out, his eyes glued to the ice. The puck flies by, heading straight toward Xander. He gets wide and I hold my breath as the black disc hurtles toward the net.
“Yes! Go, Xander!” Jett pumps his hand into the air, screaming, as Xander hits the puck away from the net.
“He’s playing great tonight.” Molly smiles at us, and heat flows through me. I’d love to believe it’s because we’re here, but I doubt it. Xander always plays well.
Neither team manages to score during the second period and we roll into intermission. After a quick bathroom break and more snacks, we’re back in our seats for the end of the game.
Jett munches popcorn happily while I stare at Xander, marveling at how fantastic he is. Strong and powerful, he’s in his element out on the ice.
He was right—he is a protector. And right now, he’s defending his house.
Boston scores two more goals in the last three minutes and Xander makes four more saves. The final score: Boston three, Detroit one.
“We win! We win!” Jett hops up and down like a jackrabbit on speed and I pray he’ll be able to sleep tonight.
“Well done, boys.” Molly packs up, giving Jett a quick squeeze. “It was great meeting you both. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other from now on.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Jett says in his most polite voice.
“Oh, call me Molly. You be sure to tell Xander what a wonderful job he did tonight, okay?”
Jett nods and drinks the last slug of his fruit punch from the concession stand.
“It was nice to meet you, Molly.” I smile at the woman and she leans in, hugging me as well.
“Likewise. We’ll have you over for dinner next time you’re in Boston. You better get down there—I think someone’s waiting for you.” Molly points at the ice, where Xander’s still skating laps, cooling down after the game.
“Oh, right. Come on, Jett.” I take his hand and follow the signs down to the lower level.
We walk through the nearly empty rows, heading over to the glass partition. Xander spots us and skates over.