Kelsey's eyes softened. She skated past the pile of pucks and wrapped her arm around his waist. "I'm sorry you both went through that."
"It was hard. He had a lot of injuries and recovery took a long time. My dad, Shane, Xavier, and I worked out a schedule so one of us was with him at all times." He drew comfort from her embrace, then remembered he was supposed to be comforting her. "So if you need to vent or talk or cry or scream into a pillow, I'm the guy to call."
"Thank you. You do get it. You're as close with your family as I am with mine."
"Family is everything." At least he'd always thought so before.
"I really like yours. I'm glad I got to meet them."
"They loved you." They had. He'd received phone calls from every member telling him how much. "I'm hoping they can come up here for some of the playoff games."
"You miss them a lot."
"I do. I've been away for about eight or nine months a year for the past fifteen years. I miss my family. I want to be close to them again."
"Close as in you wouldn't even consider signing a new contract with the Bedlam if they offer you one in the off season?" Her voice was high and tight and her expression unreadable.
He cradled her sweet face with his glove. "Up until recently, I'd have said no. The thought was play for Philly or retire. But now, honestly, I don't know. Buffalo has ended up giving me a lot of surprises I hadn't expected."
She leaned into him. "I hope they've been good surprises."
"I'm looking at the best one." He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers.
Together, they took turns hitting the remaining pucks into the net. With a grin, Kelsey took off with the last puck, handling it from one side of the stick to the other, speeding up the ice.
Leo laughingly zoomed after her, grateful for a moment to play.
She twisted, skating backward. "Thinking about checking me into the boards, Mr. Enforcer?"
He snorted. "Right."
She slowed her pace and he followed suit, pacing her. She came to a stop in front of the bench. Leo skated closer and then dropped his stick. He caged her in, resting his arms on the boards on each side of her body. Then he lowered his head until his lips nuzzled her neck. "I might have been thinking about getting you here like this. Holding you close. Breathing you in."
She dropped her hockey stick next to his and wrapped her arms around his torso. "And then what?"
"And then," he dragged his lips along the column of her throat, up to her soft lips. "This."
He lost himself in the taste of peppermint lip gloss and the feel of her body curling closer into his.
Salvation.
The word echoed in his head.
Serenity.
The feeling settled deep in his bones.
Home.
The knowledge clicked into his heart.
He'd never felt this way before. Overwhelming warmth and happiness just by being in her presence, and the desire to be with her and do anything he could to make her life better.
Love.
Rather than hitting him like a blinding check into the boards, the word whispered in his mind.
His heart beat wildly and his body tingled. He raised his head, needing to see her face. The sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her lips made breathing difficult.
One of her hands framed his cheek. "Are you okay?"
He needed to get himself together, to give himself some time to get used to the idea. He couldn't even begin to think about how to tell her. Forcing a smile, he nodded. "Sure."
"Let's get some coffee and take a walk along Canalside. I always do that when I need to think."
He'd found the riverside path while exploring his neighborhood but he'd yet to experience it with Kelsey. Walking hand in hand with her was something he could imagine doing over and over again, day after day, month after month, and year after year. Mentally slapping himself, he shook his head. He needed to stop jumping so far forward.
"Sounds good. We can visit Dylan after that." He leaned in for another kiss. He knew that she cared about him. But could she ever love him? Could he even be that lucky?
The goal siren wailed, jolting him into Kelsey. Leo whipped his head around. Three of his teammates stood behind the glass, doubling over in laughter.
Assholes.
Slater skated onto the ice, grinning. "Time's up, lovebirds. I need to practice my scoring. Looks like you're fine on that front."
Laughing, Kelsey picked up her stick and fired a shot to the redhead. "The ice is yours."
Leo flipped off his teammates and then wrapped his arm around Kelsey. The guys were cool with him, friendly, even in the face of Dylan's new injury. He'd warmed up to the team and the city far more than he'd expected. The chemistry of the team was just as strong as the bond he felt with her. That should have made him ecstatic, but it just made everything that much harder. He was torn between two cities, both pulling on his heart.
KELSEY SPENT MOST OF Saturday with Dylan. Her brother was still combating dizziness, still getting headaches, and still sensitive to lights and sound. His positive attitude wasn't quite so positive this time around. He was frustrated with himself for not healing quicker, and angry that his body was keeping him away from the game he loved. The guys were in Toronto for a seven-thirty game, and he wasn't happy about not being there. Nothing she said or did helped. When he'd dozed off around dinnertime, she bid Arielle goodnight and headed home.
An hour later, as she sat down to watch the Bedlam game, her best friend
