Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
When we separate, I start gushing. “I cannot thank you enough for all the help you’ve given my dad—through Boone, of course. I’ve been so lost about what to do and between you and Boone… well, you set us on a path that feels like we can see some light at the end of the tunnel.”
“I’m so happy to have helped,” she says, taking me by the elbow and leading me over to a grouping of chairs in the corner. She nods at one for me to sit in and takes the adjacent one.
God, she’s beautiful, wearing a pair of black dress pants, a dark purple silk blouse and high heels. She’s an angel in my book for all the help she’s bestowed. I feel frumpy next to her in my black sweater, faded jeans and a pair of slip-on Chucks that were once white but are now sort of dingy brown because they’re so dirty.
“Boone’s told me all about you and Aiden. And your dad, of course. I know that he feels very protective of you and your brother.”
“I honestly don’t know how we got so lucky to have him drop into our lives the way he did. He’s made such a positive impact on Aiden.”
“He’s a great guy. As genuine as they come.”
“Who’s a great guy?” a female voice says just before a curly-haired blond flops into one of the other chairs. She’s wearing a Highsmith jersey, and I only know this from the number. Aiden was gifted one of his jerseys.
Coen Highsmith is actually Aiden’s favorite Titan.
“Boone,” Harlow says and then nods my way. “Tillie… this is Lilly Hoffman. A friend of Boone’s. Lilly… this is Coen’s wife.”
Tillie’s eyebrows shoot up, a smile gracing her pretty face. “I didn’t know Boone was dating anyone.”
“Oh, we’re not dating,” I rush to assure her. “Just friends. Boone visits my brother Aiden at the children’s hospital and he got me a ticket for tonight’s game.”
Tillie nods effusively. “Yes! Boone is getting the other guys on the team to visit too. Coen went last weekend with him.” Her expression softens, her gaze jumping between me and Harlow. “Those poor kids. He came home after and was just shook.”
Harlow reaches over and touches my arm. “Boone said Aiden has leukemia.”
Tillie’s hand presses against her chest. “Oh,” she laments.
I smile at both women. “It’s been a long battle but he had a bone marrow transplant and by all appearances, it seems to be working.”
“That’s wonderful,” Harlow exclaims.
“Science is freaking amazing,” Tillie murmurs.
“So amazing,” I agree.
“Has Aiden been to a game yet?” Harlow asks.
I shake my head. “He’s not been able to while getting treatment but as soon as he’s well, I’m bringing him. I FaceTimed him a few times tonight so he could see everything. I honestly feel guilty being here without him but I’ll admit, this was an amazing experience.”
“Your first time?”
“Is it that obvious?” I ask with a laugh.
“You look flushed like you just came off a roller coaster,” Tillie says with a grin.
“That’s what the entire game felt like. Back and forth, up and down. Absolute nonstop excitement. I didn’t come tonight being that big a fan of the sport, but I’m walking out one.”
Both women laugh but Tillie more than Harlow. “I didn’t know anything about hockey until I started dating Coen.”
“How about you?” I ask Harlow.
“Oh, I was a total fanatic before I met Stone.”
My eyes catch on a group of players coming into the family lounge, and Boone is among them. He’s laughing at something one of them says, but his gaze sweeps the room at the same time, stopping when it lights on me. He says something to his friends and veers over. Harlow and Tillie both turn that way, watching silently as players spill into the room.
I smile as Boone approaches and the smile he gives back is practically blinding.
“Well,” Tillie says in a low voice. “Someone’s happy to see someone.”
I’m not even sure what that means, but I can’t put forth any effort to figure it out because I’m spellbound by Boone’s gaze.
CHAPTER 7
Boone
I’m not exactly sure what it means that I feel like my cup is overflowing when Lilly smiles at me, but it takes the high I’m floating on after winning a hard-fought game and launches me into the stratosphere.
I didn’t look at her often during the game but I did sneak a few peeks when I could, and I fucking dug how much she seemed to be enjoying herself. She screamed and cheered, watched the big center-ice screen at the replays and booed along with the crowd when they got cranky after a perceived bad call.
I came off the ice and onto the bench one time after we scored—Coen caught a rebound and did a backhanded scoop of the puck right over the goalie’s shoulder—and Lilly was jumping up and down and high-fiving the people to her left and right. As I swung my legs over the wall, our eyes connected and she put her fist right up to the glass. I gave it a quick bump with my gloved hand before sitting down right in front of her. It’s not the first time I’ve had friends or family members sit behind our team’s bench but it’s the first time I’ve ever actually acknowledged someone so blatantly. It was a quick move, nothing more than a two-second tap of our hands with plexiglass between and yet it seemed like such a monumental action.