Leo inhaled a slow breath. Underneath his arm, Kelsey's shoulders stiffened. He met his captain's unreadable expression. "Is this a problem?"
"No. I'm just surprised, but no problem here." Dylan's seriousness shifted into a smile. "I guess as the older brother I should give the warning that I'll kick your ass if you hurt my sister, but Kelsey's tough. She'll kick your ass on her own."
"Thanks, D." She rolled her eyes, and managed to appear both pleased and exasperated.
"Why are you talking about Kelsey kicking someone's ass?" Rod appeared behind Dylan. He did a double-take of Leo and Kelsey and then his eyes narrowed. "I came to see if Dylan needed help carrying the food. But more important, whose ass do we need to kick?"
Heaving a sigh, Kelsey shook her head. "No one's, Roddy. Dylan was merely saying that I can take care of myself."
"You can. No doubt there." Rod's stare met Leo's. "But if anyone hurts her, they'll answer to Dylan and me anyway."
He nodded and rubbed Kelsey's shoulder. "I'd expect nothing less. You hurt one family member, you hurt them all."
"Exactly." Rod's forehead wrinkled. "So are you two, like, a thing now?"
Closing her eyes, Kelsey leaned her head back on Leo's arm. "Oh my goodness. If I say yes can we please go back to the table? We're blocking access to the bar."
"Sure." Rod took the plate of wings from Dylan. He let Dylan go first, then stepped in front of Leo. "Since we're now friends and you two are doing whatever it is that you're doing, I should warn you that she's not a morning person, and she doesn't like it if you hog the remote."
Kelsey smiled thinly. "Keep talking, Roddy, and I'll dump out your coffee supply."
At that, Rod clamped his mouth shut and mimed that he was zipping it closed. The goalie's love of coffee was known league-wide.
Laughing, Leo kept his hands on Kelsey's shoulders as they made their way back to the table.
More and more, he was convinced that she was something special. A once in a lifetime type of woman. A once in his lifetime type of woman. And that made him rethink everything.
CHAPTER SIX
THE SUN SHINED BRIGHT for her debut on national television, but the chill in the air made for red noses and frosty breaths. Kelsey had been up since dawn, preparing for the game. Getting the opportunity was a big deal. Working for the Bedlam, the team she'd grown up around, was very special, but she was always under the shadow of her dad and Dylan, and now Rod too since he'd joined the team at the beginning of the season. It was time to show the world—or at least the viewing audience—what she could do.
The city had constructed a temporary hockey rink in the middle of the pro football stadium for the outdoor game. With the cold air whipping over the rink and some players donning sunglasses or wearing eye black along with their helmets, and Celek and Vince briefly engaging in a snowball fight with a member of the opposing team, the atmosphere seemed was relaxed than a regular game at the arena.
She skated around the ice during the player warm ups, interviewing as many as she could as time ticked down to the one o'clock start time. Showing off her skating skills hadn't been her idea, but the producer had insisted. Being able to use the regular camera crew that she always used during the Bedlam games helped ease her nerves. They were like family.
Of course, having her real family there helped too. She interviewed Rod and Dylan and waved to her parents in the stands.
For her final interview before the start of the game, she flagged down Leo. "Outdoor games are popular with both the fans and the players. The players because it reminds them of the backyard rinks or pond hockey they grew up playing. Did you have a backyard rink in Philly?"
Smiling, he shook his head. "I wish. Our yard was tiny, maybe ten feet by ten feet." He grabbed Vince's arm before the player could skate past. "But Vince here had a huge rink to practice on."
The defenseman shook his head and laughed. "Just because my dad played for Philly doesn't mean that I got to live at their practice rink." Then he grabbed Dylan. "Back me up, D. You never had free reign over the Bedlam practice facility growing up, did you?"
"No, but Rod, Kelsey, and I were lucky enough to have a backyard rink. Our parents made us a great one." He waved into the camera. "Thanks, Mom and Dad."
"Great, you're making Rod and me look bad." She lightly elbowed him in the stomach. "Don't you have a game to play?"
During the game, she wandered the crowd, interviewing fans. The few hours passed in the blink of seconds, thanks to her adrenaline. At the game's end, she interviewed Dylan again, after he scored the winning goal.
She handed over her mic pack, thanked the producer, and hugged her camera crew, anxious to watch the recording to see how she'd looked and sounded, and how she could improve. But that would have to wait until later.
Once the fans cleared out, the players' families would be invited down to the ice for a family skate. As much as she loved taking part in those, her toes were numb, her stomach was empty, and her throat was sore from so much talking. She pulled out her phone, intending to text her family and beg off, but some of the players were already returning to the ice, with Leo leading the way. And heading right for her.
Her heartbeat quickened and her nerves tingled. "Hi."
"You were great out there." He bent and brushed her hair away from her face and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I knew you'd rock it."
Happiness lifted her higher, until she felt
