All in due time.

I swallow hard, and Markus looks back at me, grinning. “Ready?”

“Born ready, brother,” I say as we tap gloves and his name is announced. Heading out of the tunnel like a rocket, he skates onto the ice, his hands up in the air as the cheers get louder. It’s almost my turn, and as the butterflies go nuts in my belly, I feel like I’m on top of the world, especially when my name is called.

“And now, your captain, number thirty-two, Jace Sinclair!”

The roar of the crowd is overwhelming as I take off out of the tunnel and onto the ice with ease, going the short distance to the blue line with my boys. Lifting my head, I look up, searching the crowd for my family. I see my mom first, jumping up and down, a sign in her hands that says, “That’s my baby!” It’s her signature sign. I’m pretty sure it’s the same one from when Jude and Jayden played, not that I mind. I love it. Next, I see Angie, then Lucy, along with Jude and Jayden, Claire and Baylor standing below them, all of them screaming and clapping loudly. Sucking in a deep breath, my face breaks into a grin as I look toward where the rink doors are open and Avery takes the ice.

When Avery told me she was singing tonight, I couldn’t wait. And as she holds the mic to her mouth, I can see the nervousness in her eyes. Closing her eyes, she starts, and I swear she sounds like an angel. Looks like one too, with my hoodie on and a pair of jeans. She sings with all the gusto she can manage. It’s amazing, and when she hits the climax of the song, her hand coming up as she holds the note, I’m blown away, along with the rest of the crowd. I tap my stick to the ice, my boys following as she finishes. Looking right at me, she blows me a kiss, and all I can do is grin. I’m so proud of her, and I’m ready to make her proud of me.

As I skate around, keeping my legs warm while the rest of the team takes the bench and we get ready to start the game, I look around for my dad. When I find him, Ellen is sitting next to him and that bothers me. It’s bad enough he’s here, but he had to bring her? Damn it. But no, I can’t let that bother me. I have to focus.

One-track mind.

Winning.

Lining up, Markus and Gordon on either side of me, I feel my heart pounding in anticipation. I look to Markus and he nods, and then I turn to Gordon, and he does the same. We are ready. Sucking my mouthguard back into my mouth, I meet the gaze of my opponent and grin.

Let’s do this.

When the puck drops, though, Ohio State takes it with ease, which pisses me the fuck off. I hate losing the face-offs, but I don’t have time to dwell on it before I’m poke-checking the puck out of the guy’s possession and right onto Gordon’s stick. Gordon carries the puck into their zone quickly, dekeing around the offense before sending it back to Drake. He only holds it for a second before he sends it to Markus as I rush the net. Moving with the puck, hoping to block the goalie’s view, I watch as Markus sends it to Drake, who sends it to Marty, who then shoots. It rebounds. I try to get to it, but the defense beats me to it, trying to clear it out, but Drake is there, stopping it and shooting once more.

But it’s batted away right onto Gordon’s stick. He shoots; it’s blocked to my left. Markus shoots, and the goalie moves to the left. But it goes over him and the bar, hitting the glass and bouncing right onto my stick.

And I have a wide-open goal.

Sending it to the back of the net with ease, I throw my arms up in the air as our fight song sounds and my team wraps me up in a big hug.

“That’s one!” Markus yells happily as we tap helmets.

“Let’s do it again!” I yell and they all rally as we head to the bench for the next shift to go on. When I look up to my family, they are all losing their shit. And in the middle is Avery, with a huge grin on her face and a sign that says, “My boyfriend is better than yours!” in her hands.

For some reason, that sign is better than the goal I just scored.

We win the first game four to one, but it should have been a shutout. Unfortunately, one of our guys tipped the puck in over Trevor’s shoulder, which I hate. No big deal, it happens, but at least we won. After showering and rallying with the boys, all of us hoping to continue kicking ass, I head out into the tunnel leading to the lobby where my family is waiting. As excited as I am to see them, and Avery, I’m worried about seeing my dad. I blocked him out of my mind when I was on the ice, but now that I’m heading down the tunnel, uneasiness is settling in the pit of my gut.

This is probably going to be a shitshow.

Markus walks with me, a grin on his face because we both scored two each tonight. “So I’m pretty sure I’m going to out-goal you this year. Just a warning.”

I grin. “It’s good to believe in yourself, bro. Just keep doing that.”

He grins back. “Keep on, bro. And when I bypass you and get my own banner, we’ll see who’s encouraging the other to believe in themselves.”

I punch him playfully in the arm, and he laughs as we make it into the lobby. “I’ll come over and say hi to your mom in a minute. Let me go keep my mom and dad from killing each other.”

“May the force be with you.”

He shakes his head ruefully as he goes left toward where his parents are ignoring each other. Being the only child in that family has to suck, but Markus takes it in stride. He shouldn’t have to, though. But I do envy him, because instead of just two people hating each other, I have to contend with six, eight if you add in my sisters-in-law. Oh, joy. My stomach is in knots as I head to where my family usually stands. When I reach them, they are all talking, joking around. But when I get there, Jude puts me in a headlock while Jayden drops an elbow in my back.

“You think you’re good, hot shit,” Jude says, squeezing my head as Jayden’s hard-ass elbow digs into my back.

“Scoring like an asshole. Give the rest of the team a chance, puck hog,” Jayden teases before dropping both his elbows into my back.

“Mom! Make them stop!” I complain, but all I hear is laughter as they continue to beat me up. When I finally get away, my mom pulls me into her arms and glares at them.

“Leave my baby alone,” she scolds before kissing my head. “You did great, sweetie.”

“Yeah, sweetie, you did great,” Jayden chortles.

“I wish I was you, baby,” Jude teases and Claire smacks him.

“Leave him alone. You did great, Jace.”