Sparkling Hope (The Eastburgh Devils Series Book 1)

I loved sex, and I loved Luna, and the two in combination gave me, first of all, the best orgasms of my goddamn life and, secondly, the warmest and safest feeling around my heart, which belonged only to her.

That’s precisely why I wanted to tell Luna today that I loved her.

This morning we had breakfast with Luna’s Mom on the floor in the living room after I bought fresh, still lukewarm bagels at the bakery. The dining table and chairs were still wrapped in boxes and just served as storage for Ruby for all her books and picture frames she wanted to put on the wall.

Before I said goodbye to Ruby at the front door, we agreed that I would assemble her dining room table and chairs tomorrow because she invited me over for dinner since Ethan would be coming over with his girlfriend.

I’ll also be assembling Luna’s bed because the spare was delivered this morning, and the mailman chased us all out of bed by ringing the front doorbell.

There was nothing wrong with sleeping on the mattress, but in the long run, it wouldn’t be for me, and having sex on it multiple times while almost lying on the floor wasn’t exactly the real deal.

I was glad that Luna and I worked everything out again, and after we had sex one more time, we talked about everything until she fell asleep in my arms first.

I couldn’t sleep this night because I was pretty nervous before tonight’s game.

We were playing in front of a crowd where every ticket for the college arena was sold out, and we’d never had that before. Also, the thought, or fear, had firmly planted in my mind that my Dad might not come after all.

It meant so much to me that he considered coming to this game, even if he wasn’t convinced of the New Jersey Devils’ interest.

Luna walked me to the car I parked in front of the house, and we said our goodbyes.

On the short car ride to campus, an even quicker drive from Luna’s home, I wondered if this would have been the moment to tell her I loved her. Something kept me from doing so. Not a doubt or anything, but rather the feeling that this wouldn’t have been the right moment.

‘You really want to tell her that? Why didn’t you do that when you guys were fucking?’ asked Carter as we kicked a puck at each other on the ice with our hockey sticks.

‘I don’t know. I want it to be the perfect moment when I tell her that, but how do I find this perfect moment? I mean I never told a girl that I love her,’ I told him my thoughts, looking at him in confusion.

‘You’ve become such a pussy in love,’ he patted me on the back and swiped the puck into the unoccupied net just as Henry talked to Coach Henderson.

That was a weird combination, too, even though he was our Coach and had to talk to us, but knowing that Henry had something going on with Coach Henderson’s daughter Aria after he specifically told us to keep our hands off her.

I couldn’t say I love her in the middle of sex, could I?

At least not for the first time.

It was supposed to slip out of me when my girlfriend standing before me.

While we continued to warm up on the ice, shooting pucks to each other or to the goal, where Henry was standing in front in full gear, the first people were preparing everything between the seats in the stands.

A dark blue cloth with our team’s name in red was placed on each seat. On the big screens, which hung on the high ceilings above the ice rink, the first scenes were streamed to see if everything worked technically and the light fixtures.

‘There’s a cell phone ringing here,’ the Coach yelled as he typed something on the iPad.

‘Weston, yours is ringing.’ Drinking from his water bottle, Charles held my cell phone out to me as I skated across the ice to the bench.

I took off one of my gloves to answer my phone when I saw Dad calling me. ‘Dad,’ I said as I pressed the green button with my thumb and held the phone to my ear.

‘I talked to the Coach, and there’s one seat left. You can even be in the front.’

Last night after practice, before I went to Luna’s, I talked to Coach Henderson, and even though the tickets were sold out, the Coach was able to arrange a seat for my Dad. I wanted to tell him yesterday, but my cell phone battery ran out, so I couldn’t respond to Luna’s messages either.

‘That’s exactly why I wanted to talk to you,’ his deep voice rang through the microphone on the cell phone.

I sat down next to Charles on the bench.

I was aware of what was about to come from my Dad. Some bullshit excuse why he couldn’t come to my game.

‘I won’t come,’ he said monotonously.

His words pierced my ears and sent a shiver of disappointment down my spine.

Silence.

Neither of us said anything. I only heard the sounds which indicated that he was sitting in the car.

What was I supposed to answer?

My heart beat fast against my chest, and I bit my lower lip with my incisors. I didn’t realize how hard I was biting on the thin skin until I tasted the iron in my mouth.

‘Should I ask why, or can’t you think of any of your bullshit excuses?’

‘Weston, please watch your choice of words.’

Anger came over me at his words because I was right. My Dad didn’t have an excuse ready. He wouldn’t come only because he didn’t feel like it.

I wished I had a father like Charles.

Not only was Theodore Whitfield one of our team sponsors, but he was also a living legend on the ice. This man was at every game, and when he wasn’t on the same continent as Charles, he was watching the liestream.

I didn’t require my Dad to be exactly like that and watch every game, whether live or streamed, but some recognition from him is something I’ve wanted to feel for so long.

What It must feel like having your Dad watch you play hockey and jump up from his seat when you shoot a puck into the opposing team’s net.

‘Give it a rest, Dad. I get it. Fuck you!’

‘Wes,’ I heard my name called by Dad through the phone, but my finger touched the red button on the screen before he could fully pronounce my name.

I threw my cell phone back into my black, open gym bag.

‘Isn’t he coming?’ asked Charles, who removed his helmet and ran it through his sweaty hair.

‘Of course not,’ I replied flippantly, and just as I was about to re-enter the ice, Aria came around the corner with several paper bags and set them down on the ice. Coach Henderson had ordered food for the whole team at the café to celebrate this night’s game.

The whole team gathered around and waited until Aria called out the food we had pre-ordered last night.

‘Wes,’ Charles nudged me with his elbow.

‘Huh?’

Charles nodded toward Aria, who was already wearing a Jersey. The funny thing was that it was Carter’s last name, Rhodes, with his back number thirteen and not Henry’s last name, thirty-four.

‘Toast Hawaii and a cocoa,’ she said, holding said items as I looked up.

‘Thanks.’

I accepted the sandwich and the paper cup of cocoa and placed both items in front of me, between my skates.

The boys spread out and ate their lunches until it was just Carter, Henry, Charles, and Aria sitting behind the bench.

‘Weston’s a little absent right now,’ Charles said.

‘Short night behind you?’ laughed Henry.

‘Shut the fuck up, Henry.’

‘His Dad’s not coming to the game,’ Charles explained.

‘Asshole,’ Carter muttered with his mouth full after eating his bagel with bacon and scrambled eggs.

‘Doesn’t matter. Didn’t expect anything from my old man anyway,’ I unwrapped the sandwich from the transparent foil and took a bite.

‘You do have Luna,’ Aria said, standing beside Henry.

‘At least she’s wearing his Jersey,’ Charles laughed, and the others joined in, except Henry and Aria, who rolled their eyes.

I absolutely did not feel like laughing right now.

‘You better stuff your mouth with your fucking sandwich,’ Henry hissed.

Shortly after we ate and there was still time left from lunch, the four of us joined Aria outside, who kissed Henry goodbye after her Dad, Coach Henderson, was out of sight.

He looked after her, and I followed his gaze as joy was written all over his face. Aria pulled the jersey with Carter’s back number over her head, exposing another jersey with Henry’s number and last name, which she wore with a sweater underneath.

‘This girl is absolute madness,’ he said, cheering after Aria until she disappeared around the corner.

It was as cold, and I could feel the goosebumps spreading across my skin. We all still had our gear on but no jersey, let alone skates, the blades of which were currently being sharpened in the arena.

‘Holy shit,’ I grumbled as I saw Luna’s Dad walking around campus and headed our way.

‘I tend to react like that when I see his team, but he sucks too.’ Carter and the others looked in the same direction as I did.

‘His team?’

‘Coach Baker? The Coach of the Chicago Polar Bears?’ Carter looked at me with raised eyebrows like I was stupid.

Henry smothered the glowing cigarette tip on the grate above the trash can as we watched Coach Baker, or Luna’s Dad, get closer and closer to us. ‘I wonder why the Bears Coach was coming toward us.’

‘Weston, right?’ he shook my hand, and I nodded in response to his question.

‘Nice to see you again.’

I forced myself to put a quick smile on my lips at his statement.

‘I’ll see you in the arena later then. Looking forward to it.’

Not me.

‘My pleasure,’ I said forcedly and with so much irony that it almost oozed out of my pores. I’d love to punch that fucker in the face, and that wouldn’t come close to what he did to Luna a year ago.

‘Meet Luna’s Dad,’ I introduced my friends to the man who entered the ice arena through the glass doors.

‘Well, this is better than any action movie,’ Henry commented.

‘Don’t get carried away. Fast and Furious remains better than this,’ Charles said.

‘I agree, but nothing tops the greatest showman,’ Carter joined in, while only one thing was going through my mind.

I had to see Luna before this game started.

‘God, you’re just as scarred for this movie as Paisley is,’ Charles  hissed and rolled his eyes.

‘I love being a fangirl.’

We were all sitting in the locker room, and we could hear the noise from the distance from the arena.

The atmosphere in the locker room was tense. The Coach was pacing up and down the rubberized room, and whenever he changed direction, the soles of his shoes squeaked on the floor.

I hadn’t seen Luna yet, and inside me, the urge to see her was growing more and more because there was so much I needed to tell her, and something inside me wanted to make sure she was really here.

After his powerful voice filled the room, the Coach discussed something else with the staff, and he was done with the announcement. Knowing that it was about to start and the pressure from the Coach, my anger grew again that I would not find my Dad among all the people.

But I had Luna sitting there for me.

It was for her that I was playing today.

‘What’s wrong, Wes?’ asked Trevor, sitting at the booth exit, tapping his right leg on the floor.

‘I need to see Luna.’

‘Now?’ he asked in shock, looking me up and down to show me this would not work, especially in full gear. The only thing missing was the helmet and a hockey stick in my hand.

‘I’m serious about this. I’m not going to step on that fucking ice, let alone go out there if I don’t see Luna first,’ I said nervously, and I could feel my palms getting sweaty in my gloves.

‘Are you stupid or something?’ hissed the Captain.

‘You can tell her whatever you want after the game, Sinclair,’ my Coach interjected as he finished discussing something with the staff member who wore a headset and was in charge of technology in the ice arena.

‘No, he can’t,’ Carter joined in, and I looked at him as he nodded to me through the helmet he was already wearing.

‘I’m going to leave this locker room now for five minutes and not hear any of this.’ Coach looked at me seriously before leaving the locker room.

‘Thank u, Sir,’ I called after him.

I walked through the locker room to the exit, which led to the arena. It got louder the closer I got to the door, the last one separating the arena from me.

I knew Luna was sitting right next to our locker room exit, a little higher up, because Henry, Trevor, and I were getting tickets for  our girls.

‘Luna?’ I called out to her, whacking the metal fence with the hockey stick I had with my arm outstretched.

She turned to me as Lucy tapped on her shoulder, and I waved her off as she looked at me in confusion. I waved her over to me, and she pushed through the people and ran down the stairs to the people standing in the front row, very close to the ice in front of the clear plastic panels and barrier.

The security with the neon yellow jackets let her through a gate, and she stood before me.

She was even shorter when she stood before me while I wore skates.

‘Hey,’ I kissed her briefly.

‘What are you doing here? Don’t you have to be in the locker room with the others?’ she asked me, still with the same confused and surprised look she had just given me.

‘I have something to tell you.’

My heart raced and pounded through my entire body.

‘Me too,’ she grinned.

‘Your Dad’s here,’ we both said simultaneously, looking at each other in surprise.

‘What?’ I muttered in shock, looking out into the noisy crowd.

‘He’s sitting there.’ I followed Luna’s finger as she pointed to the front row, where my Dad looked at the rink.

My Dad was here.

My Dad was sitting in the front row, and he was going to watch me play.

‘How?’

‘Aria told me that she overheard that your Dad canceled. So I came by your house, and then I talked to him,’ Luna started to say.

‘I love you.’ It slipped out of me.

This was the perfect moment, and I realized it when she looked at me, smiling broadly, and her eyes sparkled.

She fell around my neck and kissed me.

‘I love you too,’ she breathed against my lips. ‘I know my Dad is here. He ran into me earlier, but it doesn’t matter now,’ she said.

The sirens went off, and the people in the stands cheered.

‘Get ready for Eastburgh Devils Game against the Chicago Polar Bears in ten minutes,’ a male voice blared through the speakers, and it was a mix of loud cheering and clapping.

‘I want you to get on that ice right now and fuck the opposing team,’ Luna muttered in a firm tone, looking at me with her brown, sparkling eyes.

‘I’m going to make that team lose and fuck you later until you see stars,’ I whispered in her ear.

The game was over, and we won.

The atmosphere in the arena was better than ever, and no matter what my Dad said after this game, I was sure I would give everything to make it to the New Jersey Devils.

I scored two points for the team, and both times I looked to my Dad, who didn’t react at first until just before the last minute when I shot the puck into the net of the opposing team, and Dad jumped up from his seat.

As I left the ice arena with Luna and the others, my Dad stood outside his car.

Most of them were already carpooling to the Sigma Devils, where there was about to be a party for the athletes because Game Week was over, we won, and Eastburgh Sport University averaged better this year than the last ten years.

I ran up to him alone, and before I could say anything, my Dad wrapped his arms around me and hugged me.

I was overwhelmed, but I wrapped my arms around him as well, and I had never been so happy as I was right now.

‘I’m so goddamn proud of you, Son,’ he mumbled through his beard.

We broke away from the hug, and I looked at him wide-eyed. I couldn’t get a word out. It felt like his words had tightened around my neck like a scarf.

‘Thanks, Dad,’ were the only words I could get out.

My Dad grabbed my shoulders with his hands. ‘You will do everything possible to get a contract from the New Jersey Devils. Do you understand me?’

‘I promise,’ I smiled, and my Dad grinned.

‘I’m so fucking sorry, Weston. For everything I said. I just envisioned you taking over this company one day because your Grandpa didn’t give me any other choice back then, and I thought that was the only right way, but I understand what you want now, and I’ll support you in it.’

I never thought he would say something like that to me, and now that he did, I haven’t felt this close to my father in a long time.

‘Now go to your girl, okay? I like her because she doesn’t let anyone tell her anything. Keep her,’ he nodded to Luna, who waved at us with my gym bag in her hand.

‘I will.’

I walked back to Luna, who was already looking at me with a grin. I dropped my sweater, put her face between my cold hands, and kissed her.

‘I love you so fucking much, Hazel Bug,’ I breathed against her lips and nudged the tip of her nose with mine.

‘I love you too, Wes.’

God, I can’t wait to say those words to her again every day.