Romance A Feel For The Ice

With her head in her hands, Anna Willis wondered how in the hell she was going to get through this. She couldn't concentrate for the life of her. Her son Riley was crying from his room; night terrors. After another agonizing minute, she pushed away from the kitchen table and walked down the hall to look in on him.

He was lying on his side, sobbing with his mouth open and one fist curled up by his head. Anna's heart caught in her throat and she covered her mouth with one hand. She knew the best thing was to watch him and make sure he didn't hurt himself, but it was very difficult. Given her current state of mind, she didn't know if she'd be able to hold back. Every part of her was crying out to comfort him. If she woke him, that would only upset him further and take that much longer to settle him and get him to sleep again. She'd had far too much experience with this sort of thing in Riley's three years of life to worry too much.

It still hurt to just stand by and watch.

Even as the thought crossed her mind, his cries dimmed and his face relaxed. He made a few more muffled sounds of distress before relaxing back into a deep sleep. Anna let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and crept forward into his room. Crouching down by his bed, she brushed his floppy brown hair back and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. Tears gathered in her eyes and she bit her lip to keep from making any noise. Sucking in a deep breath, she rose and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

She wandered back down the hall to the brightly lit kitchen and stared at the stack of paperwork before her. It had been a month since her parents had passed away and she didn't know what she was doing half the time these days. Between settling their affairs and trying to take care of Riley, she was completely exhausted.

Then a week ago, everything had gotten ten times worse; her husband of five years had left her. No explanations, no excuses. Just gone.

With a heavy sigh, Anna leaned over the kitchen table, moving the paperwork around. She'd been struggling with work and finding appropriate child care for what felt like ages. It had been six months since her husband demanded she get a job to pay for her frivolous expenses. She didn't consider children's clothing and food frivolous and maybe that should have been her first clue that something was going on.

Then came the accident, the loss of her parents and the staggering sadness that came with it.

With another sigh, she shoved the paperwork to the far side of the table and walked away. She flicked the light switch off, dumping the house into darkness and walked upstairs.

Sleep. Then maybe she'd find the energy to deal with her scattered life in the morning.
​

***​

FIVE YEARS LATER

"...And here comes Zimmerman," the announcer cried. "He's winding up, there's a shot and he scores! Hayden Zimmerman scores for the Red Wings!"

"Riley, can you please turn that down?" Anna asked her eight-year old, hockey-loving son.

"But Mo-om! Zimmerman just scored and now the game's tied!" Riley protested in a whiny tone.

Anna hid her smile before looking up from the dining room table. She fixed her son with a firm look and he scowled as he lifted the remote to obey her order. Dropping her head to focus on her work, Anna smirked as she listened to her son's grumbling. Her vices included working at home, eating raw cookie dough and sleeping far too late on Sundays. Her son's were much simpler; he watched hockey.

Well, we do live in Hockey Town, Anne thought as she made a tick beside one student's error. God, I hate grading essays.

The sound of the game's announcer filtered back through her thoughts. "This brings Zimmerman up to ten goals for the season," he said and Anna looked up in time to see the cameras pan towards the Red Wings bench. They zoomed in on a bearded man with bright eyes and a perpetual smirk. Anna stifled a sigh and looked away before her usual fantasies could take over.

She loved hockey almost as much as her son; at least he came by it honestly. Since living in St. Clair Shores, just outside of Detroit, she'd come to know most of the Red Wings by name and face. They rarely made it to a game though, a fact for which Anna was truly sorry. Riley talked about going all the time but she couldn't afford decent seats. She couldn't afford a lot of things and before the guilt could eat her up tonight, she pushed away from the table, leaving the essays to be graded later.

"Who are they playing?" she asked as she settled on the couch next to her son.

Riley didn't even look at her as he answered. "St. Louis."

Anna nodded as she lifted her feet and tucked them underneath her. She tugged on the blanket covering her son until he let some of it go so she could snuggle under it. Her eyes scanned the screen and she saw the score was indeed 2-2 and it was near the end of the second period. "Oh jeez," she breathed and smiled when Riley glanced in her direction. "There's still a whole period left, sweetheart. It could go either way."

His eyes narrowed into what he must think was a fierce scowl but it made Anna smile. "They're going to win," he muttered. "I know it."

"All right," she conceded and settled in to watch the rest of the game.

She supposed she had no one else to blame but herself for getting her son hooked on the sport. Her ex-husband had hardly been a sports fan and in any case, he'd been gone long before Riley was old enough to form any obsessions. She didn't mind that Riley enjoyed it so much. It gave her an excuse to watch as well, when both of them would be better served by doing their homework.

At intermission, Anna went to the kitchen and returned with a cookie for Riley and a cup of hot tea for herself. They snuggled under the blanket and watched the rest of the game together. By the time the horn sounded, Riley was fighting to keep his eyes open. He managed a half-hearted fist pump when the Red Wings scored in the final seconds, bringing the score to 4-3.

"All right, Riley," she murmured and set her mug on the coffee table. "Time for bed, love."

"No," he protested weakly and yawned.

Laughing, Anna stood up and yanked the blanket off. He cringed at the rush of cool air and scowled at her.

"Mo-om!" he whined but she only laughed again.

"Get upstairs and brush your teeth," she ordered and reached down to lift him to his feet. "I'll be up in a minute to tuck you in."

With a heavy sigh, he did as she asked, pausing to glance at the screen as an interview was conducted with his favorite player; Hayden Zimmerman. She allowed Riley a minute before shooing him up the stairs. Then she came back and stood in front of the TV in much the same position, watching and listening as the Red Wings forward spoke with the reporter.

"...Must be proud of the team this season?" the reporter was asking.

"Yeah, of course," Hayden Zimmerman replied and wiped at his face, brushing his sweaty brown hair back from his eyes. "It's great that we're doing so well and I think the team this year is really coming together."

"You do seem to be playing well," the reporter commented. "Do you think there's a reason for the change? Is it one of the new guys on the roster who's brought a new dynamic to the team?"

Zimmerman shrugged and wiped more sweat from his face. "I don't think it's just one guy. Everyone on the team is doing their job and we're just getting it all right for now." His accent was hardly noticeable after so many years in the country but for some reason when he spoke directly following a game, the accent came through a little bit stronger.

"That's great to hear. Congratulations on your goal and two assists," the reporter said. "Thank you for taking the time to do this interview, Hayden."

"Thank you," the player replied with a smile before the reporter turned it back over to his counterparts in the studio.

Anna blinked as the screen switched to show the anchors behind the wide studio desk. Sighing, she shook her head and lifted the blanket from the couch to fold it up neatly. Her little crush on the player was ridiculous. It wasn't the reason she loved hockey but ever since Zimmerman had joined the Red Wings, it had only enhanced her enjoyment of the game. Something about his smile and the glint in his eye during interviews made Anna smile.

Ridiculous, she told herself, just as she had for years since he'd started playing with the Red Wings. In the beginning she'd laughed at herself for having a crush on a player. Then she'd almost longed to disappear into her fantasies when she felt her husband growing more distant. Now she still thought she was silly for fantasizing but fantasies were all she had. I haven't been on a date in years, she thought and stared blankly out the window. Not since before I got married. Yeesh. Shrugging it off, she smiled to herself as another thought occurred to her; at least we're the same age and I'm not fantasizing about any of the young hockey stars.

The doorbell rang, bringing her out of her silent musings. Frowning, she glanced at the clock before making her way down the hall to answer it. On her doorstep, clutching his jacket around his body to ward off the bitter chill in the air, was her neighbor Kevin Granger.

"Kevin!" she exclaimed in surprise and smiled. "Come in, it's freezing out there."

He gratefully came inside and Anna pushed the door shut behind him. "I'm sorry to barge in on you so late, Anna," he said and shivered. "I didn't wake Riley, did I?"

Anna shook her head. "No," she replied. "We just finished watching the game and he's getting ready for bed now."

Kevin grinned at her mention of the game. "Ah, right. I'd forgotten the Wings were playing tonight. Since I don't hear cranky stomping, I assume they won?"

Anna laughed and nodded. Kevin was a single father of two boys and a girl. Their mother had died when Kevin's youngest, Nick, was two. He was now Riley's age and the two of them spent almost all their free time together. Anna and Kevin also traded baby-sitting responsibilities and had a great schedule going between all the work, school, hockey practices, dance lessons and clarinet recitals. Anna had never thought she'd ever be so lucky as to find a friend like Kevin. He was kind, generous and fun to be around. Even his kids were great; well-behaved, smart and polite. More than once, Anna had found herself staring at Kevin, with his broad shoulders and thinning blond hair and wondered if she would ever find him attractive. After four years of being neighbors, they agreed it was just never going to happen. Anna was relieved most of the time; at this point in her life, friendship with Kevin was more than she could ever have asked for.

"What brings you by so late?" Anna asked.

"I just came to see if you and your offspring were free Friday night," he said.

"Yeah," Anna replied. "No plans so far."

"Great. I've got tickets to the Wings-Avalanche game and I was wondering if you and Riley wanted to go."

"Are you kidding?" Anna asked and laughed. "Of course!"

"Great!"

"How did you get tickets?"

"A guy at work couldn't go so he gave them to me."

"How many are there?"

"Four," Kevin replied and cringed. "I'll have to persuade Cassie to stay home and watch Bradley so Nick can come with us and then I'll have to explain to Bradley why he doesn't get to go this time." He was referring to his sixteen-year old daughter and his eleven-year old middle son.

Anna chuckled and smiled sympathetically. At least with one child, she didn't have to choose who to give certain gifts to. "Why don't you just take the three of them, Kevin?" she suggested. "It's very nice of you to think of us but it'd just be easier for you to take your own kids."

"Cass doesn't even like hockey and refuses to be seen with her father and brothers at this point in her life," Kevin replied and rolled his eyes. "Bradley might enjoy it but he's grounded at the moment, which is why you haven't seen him around much."

"Oh dear," Anna murmured. "What did he do this time?"

"Threw a snowball in Nick's face," Kevin replied and blew out a noisy breath. "I don't know what to do with Bradley these days."

"Well, being the middle child can be tough, Kevin," Anna said. "You should know that."

Kevin nodded ruefully as he met her gaze. He was the middle of three boys in his own family. For her part, Anna was mostly jealous of those with siblings. She'd grown up an only child and had spent years longing for a little brother or sister. When her parents had died, she'd felt the absence of a larger family even more.

"Well, if you're sure about taking us then," Anna said. "We'd love to go."

Kevin chuckled and rubbed his hands together. "Are you sure you don't want to run it by Riley first?"

Rolling her eyes, Anna shook her head. "No. And I won't tell him anything about it until after school on Friday. I don't think he needs anything to make him more excitable."

"Great. Well, we'll head down to the Arena after dinner on Friday. I think we should go a little early so the kids can watch them warm up."

"Sure," Anna agreed. "Sounds great."

"I should get going before Riley hears me," Kevin said.

"Thanks so much, Kevin," Anna said as she held the door open for him. "This is going to make Riley's month!"

Laughing, Kevin walked out the door and waved as he made his way across the yards to his own house. Anna shut the door and locked it before heading upstairs to make sure her little hockey fanatic was ready for bed. He was more than ready; he was passed out cold across his bed.

Ignoring the catcalls of his teammates, Hayden Zimmerman brought the puck along with him as he skated towards the net. The goalie, Carter Osbourne, waited in his customary position, pads large on his legs. He wiggled his glove hand and Hayden could picture the smirk behind the goalie's mask.

He angled his feet, cut to his right then back to his left, deftly keeping the puck in the same position in front of him. As he got even closer, and the jeers of his teammates behind him grew louder, Hayden dug his skates in, sending a shower of ice towards Carter as he darted left and shot the puck. He careened away from the net and the boards behind it as a resounding 'clang' echoed down the ice.

Looking back, Hayden grinned broadly when he saw Carter reach inside the net and toss the offending black disc away from him. An inch over and Hayden would have missed the net completely. Not this time though.

"How was that, huh?" Hayden demanded as he glided back towards his teammates.

Several of them clapped him on the shoulder or patted his helmet. He grinned at each of them and shoved his teammate and friend, Nathan Langston when he came to a stop beside him. The big defenseman shook his head.

"Was that all right, Captain?" Hayden asked, shoving him again.

"It might not work during a game," Nathan replied. "Try to aim for more net and less post next time." He sounded serious but Hayden could see the playful glint in his blue eyes.

Hayden scoffed and turned to watch as his sole remaining competitor sailed down the ice towards Carter. They were at the end of their game-day practice and it was down to Hayden and Derek Hart in the traditional shootout. Hayden was often one of the finalists in the team shootout and as Derek sent the puck soaring over Carter's head, Hayden became the victor. Laughing, he skated forward with the others to give Derek a hard time. He was a good kid though, all smiles as they all started to make their way off the ice.

"Good shot, Z," Carter said to Hayden as they fell in line.

"Thanks, man," Hayden replied. "Thanks for letting it in."

Carter mock-glared at him. "I don't ever let anything in."

Hayden laughed and followed the rest of his teammates to the locker room. They all went about their routines, changing out of their equipment and showering before heading home to nap before the game. Hayden took his time, walking out of Joe Louis Arena long after the others had gone. He was in no hurry to get back to his big house. He hadn't been in a hurry to get home for several months now since his fiance had ended things before the start of last season's playoff run.

As he climbed into his car, Hayden tried not to think of the condescending look on her face as she told him she'd found someone who didn't smother her. Hayden would never understand Ellie, not in a million years. Most women were glad when their husbands and boyfriends doted on them. Not Ellie though. Apparently his daily phone calls while on the road and his desire to cuddle on the couch on his nights off was too much for her.

"Better off without her," Hayden muttered to himself as he drove through Detroit towards his neighborhood. The words had been repeated to him by his friends and family several times since April and he figured eventually they'd start to mean something to him. For now though, he just wasn't eager to go home to his empty house.

Later as he laced up his skates in the locker room, Hayden wasn't thinking of Ellie at all. He was focused on the game and was thinking of ways to get around the Av's defense. Leaning back for a moment, he scratched his beard and pictured several plays that Coach had gone over with them in practice that morning. Usually he didn't let his beard grow out during the season but without Ellie around complaining that it scratched her, he let it go from time to time.

"Come on, Z," Derek said to him and tapped a stick against Hayden's shin pad. "Time to show them who's house they're in."

Grinning, Hayden nodded. He rose to his feet and pulled his jersey on over his head. The red sweater fit comfortably over his padding and he touched the big 'A' as he did before every game, for luck. Then he grabbed his stick and headed out on the ice to join warm-up.

The crowd so far in the arena was small but they cheered for the players as they circled their zone. Hayden picked up his feet and raced past a few of his teammates, laughing when Derek whizzed past him, shoving Hayden with one shoulder. The younger player was well known for his speed but then, so was Hayden. Neither of them were exceptionally large as far as hockey players went, so they'd each learned to compensate with speed and accuracy.

As the players went about their practice routine, either shooting pucks towards the open net or stretching near the boards, Hayden continued to circle. His eyes scanned the thin crowd and he grinned when he saw a sign with his name on it. He slowed as he approached that spot in the crowd. About ten rows up behind the penalty box were two boys, maybe eight or nine years old, each holding a corner of their obviously homemade sign.

"'Zimmerman is King!'" he read aloud to himself and grinned.

When he stopped in front of the glass below them, the two boys went crazy, jumping to their feet and waving maniacally. With a laugh, Hayden waved back. A movement beside the dark-haired boy on the right caught Hayden's attention and he felt his breath catch when he saw the woman.

She was grinning broadly and had one slender hand on the shoulder of the dark-haired boy. Her hair was dark brown like the boy's, and fell in large curls to her shoulders. From this angle and distance, Hayden couldn't see much beyond her wild hair and smile, but it was enough. He hadn't felt such a strong, immediate reaction to a woman since before he'd met Ellie.

"Z!" someone called out to him and he started at the sound.

Turning, Hayden looked over to see Nathan skating closer. "Aren't you going to warm up?" Nathan asked.

Hayden blinked, coming back to the present. Right, he thought and nodded at his captain. The game. Warm up.

He fought the urge to look up at the woman and two children again and skated away from the boards. Just as he moved away, he heard a shout; "You're the best, Zimmerman!" Glancing back, he saw the same two boys jumping up and down. Avoiding looking at the woman, who was presumably their mother, Hayden moved further away.

This was a game night and she was a complete stranger. Time to focus, Z, he told himself.

The game passed by in what felt like no time at all. Anna, Riley, Kevin and Nick were sitting in absolutely amazing seats behind the penalty box on the first level. From there they could see most of the action on the ice and they had a perfect view of the player's bench. By the time the third period rolled around, all four of them were hoarse from screaming and Anna was dreading the effort it would take to get Riley to bed that night.

As the horn sounded to announce the last minute before intermission was over, the players emerged from the tunnels. Five of them from each team, plus the goalies, skated out onto the ice and circled their respective zones. Anna found herself looking for the number 40 and her breath caught when she spotted him slowing near the boards right below them. He was facing away from them and lifted his stick over his head to stretch his upper body.

"Hey, that's Zimmerman!" Riley exclaimed, noticing the player for the first time. He leapt to his feet and screamed at the top of his lungs. "Zimmerman! You rock!"

Even though he probably couldn't hear Riley over the roar of the entire crowd, Zimmerman turned in place and looked up into their section. Anna sank back into her seat, blushing while Riley jumped up and down on the spot. Nick joined in a second later and Zimmerman grinned before moving away.

A minute later, he was at center ice, facing off with an Avalanche player in the beginning of the third period. It was a fast-paced period, each team working hard for the win. The Red Wings were leading by one goal and had been for most of the game. When it came down to the final minute, the Av's pulled their goalie and the players met in frantic scrambling near the Red Wings goal. Carter Osbourne was in top form tonight and Anna found herself gasping out loud several times as the Avalanche forwards peppered the Wings' goalie with shots.

Then the play shifted. Number 15 on the Avalanche fumbled the puck and Derek Hart scooped it out from under him before he could recover. Suddenly the Red Wings were pushing the Avalanche back into the neutral zone and one red jersey broke away from the rest. Anna and the boys were on their feet with the rest of the crowd as Zimmerman accepted the pass from Hart and maneuvered around an opponent. Someone collided with Zimmerman and he stumbled to one side, off-balance. He snapped his wrists, flicking the end of his stick and sending the puck down the ice as he fell. The puck was beyond everyone's reach by then and slid unimpeded into the empty Av's net, sending the crowd inside Joe Louis Arena into a frenzy.

"Ah!" Riley screeched from Anna's side and she felt his arms clamp around her middle a second later. "Did you see that Mom?" he screamed. "Did you see it?"

Laughing, Anna nodded, one hand around her son's shoulders and the other in the air in celebration. Down on the ice, Zimmerman was being pummeled by his teammates as he got to his feet. The grin on his face was noticeable even across the distance and Anna couldn't stop smiling and laughing as he and his line-mates headed towards the team bench.

A minute later it was all over. There was a late scramble by Colorado but Detroit was leading by two goals so it didn't matter. The horn sounded and the crowd cheered outrageously for their team.

A short while later, Anna and the boys rose to follow Kevin as they joined the throng of people climbing the stairs from their section. As they paused near the top row, someone called Kevin's name. He turned and looked over to see a man leaning over the row of seats in front of him.

"Gerry?" Kevin said and laughed. "Hey, man! How are you?"

"I'm great, Kevin and how are you doing?" Gerry replied.

Kevin made his way across the steps to the row Gerry was in and Anna pulled the boys aside, out of everyone else's way while they waited for him. Anna could hear bits of the conversation from where they stood but not enough to know what they were talking about.

"No! You're kidding me!" Kevin exclaimed and laughed. "Holy crap, I am definitely in!" He spun around and met Anna's eye. Waving one hand, he beckoned them closer.

Since the crowd had thinned even more in their section, Anna moved the boys across the aisle and up the steps to Kevin and his friend.

"Anna, this is an old college buddy of mine, Gerry Anderson," Kevin introduced them. "This is my neighbor, Anna and her son, Riley. And this is my youngest, Nick."

"Nice to meet you," Gerry said with a wide grin.

"Gerry just offered to take us to meet some of the players," Kevin announced.

Nick and Riley's mouths dropped open and both of them stared disbelievingly at Kevin. Laughing, Kevin reached out and ruffled their hair.

"No fooling?" Nick breathed.

"No fooling," Gerry answered with absolute seriousness.

Riley and Nick looked at each other before screaming at the top of their lungs. Anna laughed as she moved forward to shush them.

"You need to calm down if you want to meet them," she ordered. "And promise not to hurt them."

Kevin and Gerry laughed while the boys jumped up and down on the spot, unable to contain their giggles of excitement. Gerry and Kevin chatted for a few more minutes before Gerry disappeared at the top of the stairs.

"How can he get us to meet them?" Anna asked as the four of them sat down in the now empty seats of the row they were standing in.

"He works on the staff apparently," Kevin said. "He can take us 'backstage' after the press corps has left."

"Won't the players be gone by then?" Anna asked, assuming none of them would stick around for very long after a game.

"Some might be gone but Gerry says some of them don't leave right away after a game," Kevin replied and grinned. "Especially after a game like that. I bet Zimmerman will be held up for hours with that goal he scored at the end."

Overhearing the adults, Riley piped up and began chattering about the empty net goal Hayden Zimmerman had made. Nick joined in and Anna could only watch with a bemused expression as the two of them jumped up to reenact the whole thing. Gerry reappeared at the end of the row a short while later and Anna and Kevin gathered their hyper sons to follow him.

Down below the main concourse, Gerry led them through a few tunnels and hallways until they emerged in the hall containing entrances to all the locker and equipment rooms. Quite a few people were gathered in spots; family members and staff mostly. Then Riley spotted one of the players and pointed while his mouth opened and closed in excited silence.

"Come on, kids," Gerry said and took them by their hands. "Come meet Nathan Langston."

Anna and Kevin stuck close, grinning and laughing alternately as the boys met the captain of the Red Wings. The players gradually filed out of the locker room, all damp and fresh from showers and most of them were gracious enough to stop by Gerry and the kids. Anna could see how impressed Riley was with everyone and his face was positively glowing. It pleased her to no end to see her son so happy and she was beyond grateful to Kevin for making this entire night happen. She could see Riley's eyes wandering often to the locker room door and she knew he was still waiting for his hero.

"I can't thank you enough, Kevin," Anna said as she watched Riley watching the locker room. "This has been an unbelievable night."

"All I did was take some tickets from a friend," Kevin replied with an easy smile. "And meeting Gerry here was a complete fluke. We haven't spoken in years!"

"That's crazy," Anna said and shook her head. "But I'm so glad this has worked out."

"Me too. Have you ever seen the two of them like this?" He nodded his chin towards their eight-year old sons and grinned.

Anna shook her head again, unable to call any memory to mind where she'd seen her son so ecstatic. Then he took it to another level as his hero at last emerged from the team locker room.

"Zimmerman," Riley breathed and the hockey player paused by Gerry.

"I didn't know you had kids, Gerry," Hayden commented with a smile.

Gerry laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, right. These are friends of mine and they're big fans. Right, guys?"

Both boys bobbed their heads in agreement and gazed up at Hayden Zimmerman with equally awestruck expressions. Hayden leaned close and spoke to them quietly. Anna couldn't hear what he was saying but the boys were both listening with an intensity she didn't know they had. Satisfied that her son's dreams had all just come true, Anna let her gaze wander over the man speaking to him.

He was even more impressive in person. His longish brown hair was swept back from his face and was still damp from his shower. In his plain clothes and without padding or skates, he looked smaller but he was still an imposing figure. Standing close to six feet tall, he was broad through the shoulders and chest and his muscled legs strained the dark jeans he had on. His jacket hung open in the front, revealing a snug maroon sweater underneath that showed just a hint of muscular contour beneath. He had a few day's growth of beard on his face but Anna didn't mind. She was a sucker for a man with facial hair. There was something so innately masculine about it that she couldn't help her physical reaction.

Shifting her stance and clearing her throat, Anna tried to halt the flow of blood and moisture to the middle of her body but it wasn't something she could control. When Hayden lifted his head and his dark eyes met hers, she thought she might be imagining the sexy grin that immediately split his handsome face.

"Is that your mom and dad?" he asked the boys in front of him, nodding his head in Anna and Kevin's direction.

"That's my mom," Riley said.

"And that's my dad," Nick added with a pointed finger.

Hayden nodded, his eyes flicking briefly to Kevin before settling back on Anna. She flushed to the roots of her hair but couldn't look away from him.

"I'm Hayden Zimmerman," he said and stepped close with his hand held out.

"Kevin Granger," Kevin introduced himself and shook his hand. "Very nice to meet you, sir."

Hayden smiled and inclined his head towards him. His eyes went to Anna and he moved his hand to her. "Hi there," he said. His voice was deeper than it sounded on television and she felt herself leaning forward ever so slightly.

"Anna Willis," she said. "You played great tonight." She wanted to smack her head for such a lame comment. 'You played great?' she thought as his warm fingers closed around hers. That's the best I can come up with? Then his fingers tightened around hers and she sucked in a breath at the sensation.

"Mom, have you got a pen?" Riley spoke up from Hayden's side.

Tearing her gaze away from the hockey player before her, she glanced down at her son. "What? A pen?"

"Yeah," Riley said with a nod. "I want Mr. Zimmerman to sign my shirt."

She winced when she heard that; he was wearing a brand new grey T-shirt with the Red Wings logo on the front. Still, she wasn't about to ruin the evening for her son. "Sure," she said and dug around in her purse until she found the black marker she carried.

"Thanks," Hayden murmured and took the marker out of her hand.

The contact of his hand on her skin again was warm and as he crouched down to sign Riley's shirt, she took a very deliberate step back. Glancing up, she saw Kevin giving her a strange look. Then he grinned and winked at her, drawing yet another blush to her cheeks. She looked away, wishing she wasn't so transparent.

"Dad, can he sign mine, too?" Nick asked.

Kevin nodded and Nick excitedly hopped on the spot until Hayden turned to him. When he was done, Hayden straightened and held the marker out towards Anna, that playful grin on his face again. At the last second, he pulled his hand holding the marker back. "Don't you have anything you want me to sign?" he asked and glanced at Kevin. "What about you?"

"I'm not into clothing signatures, thanks," Kevin replied with a laugh. "And I've got nothing else."

"Me either," Anna said, unconsciously pulling the ends of her open jacket together even though the thought of Hayden's hand sliding over her body as he signed her shirt was more than appealing.

"What about your ticket, Mom?" Riley piped up.

Blinking, Anna's hand went to the back pocket of her jeans where she'd stuffed the strip of paper after arriving at the arena. "Uh, sure," she said and drew it out. "I guess you could sign this."

Hayden took it from her and turned to the wall to write on the ticket. Anna flushed when Kevin winked at her again and she narrowed her eyes at him in warning. She knew without asking that he was going to tease her relentlessly for this, possibly for weeks. Hayden finished a few seconds later and handed the marker and ticket back to Anna.

"It was very nice to meet you all," he said and crouched down in front of the boys again. "You two behave yourselves, all right?"

Riley and Nick nodded, matching expressions of adoration in their eyes.

"Be on time for school and always try your best at hockey, all right?" he added and pointed to each of them in turn, ensuring they were listening to him.

Again, the boys nodded, still in awe over meeting their idol. Hayden rose and shook hands with them all again, adding a clap on the shoulder for Gerry before heading away down the hall.

"Well!" Kevin exclaimed a moment later, startling all of them. "I can't thank you enough, Gerry. This was amazing."

"Anytime, man," Gerry replied as they shook hands. "Here's my card. Give me a call. We should meet up for lunch. You can meet my wife."

"Sounds great," Kevin agreed as he accepted the business card from his friend.

"To get out to the main parking lot, you just head up those stairs," Gerry said and pointed the way before leaving them as well.

Anna and Kevin herded the star-struck eight-year olds up the stairs and outside. As soon as the boys were put in their sleeping bags on Riley's bedroom floor, Kevin sat down at Anna's kitchen table with an expectant expression on his handsome face.

"What?" Anna demanded as she put water on to boil.

"You know what," Kevin replied in a playful tone. "There were some serious sparks bouncing around back there."

Anna fixed him with what she hoped was a serious look but she couldn't be sure because Kevin chuckled.

"Nothing happened," Anna muttered and turned away, unsure why she was even defending herself. Nothing had happened apart from being introduced to her and Riley's favorite player.

"I didn't say anything did," Kevin replied mildly and Anna glanced over to see him casually leaning back in her kitchen chair. "But there was certainly the desire for something."

Anna's face flamed and she pulled open the refrigerator door to both hide herself, and cool her steaming head. Kevin laughed and she could have died of embarrassment. Thankfully, he didn't say another word about it all night. They chatted for almost an hour while sipping their tea and Kevin went home shortly after midnight.

Anna dragged her tired ass upstairs and checked on the boys before heading to her own room for the night. She yawned as she pulled her shirt off. Her hands mindlessly searched the pockets of her jeans a minute later before she pulled them off and for a second, she wasn't sure what she'd tucked in her back pocket. Then it all came back in a rush and she pulled the signed ticket out with a grin on her face.

Instead of finding just his signature, she was greeted by the sight of a short little note. Her blush returned full force as she read it and she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her giddy laughter.

"'Boyfriend? Or husband?'" she read aloud in a whisper. "'Call me and let me know my odds. Hayden Zimmerman.'" The signature was completed with a telephone number.

Staring in wonder at the ticket in her hands, Anna couldn't believe her eyes. She read it repeatedly, running the pads of her thumbs across his signature so many times she was surprised it didn't rub right off. With a sigh, Anna placed the ticket on her dresser and walked to her bed. She buried herself beneath her cool sheets, still half-dressed. Her mind was gone though; unable to perform even the most basic duties.

As the landscape of Phoenix rolled by beyond the bus, Hayden stared blankly out his window. He was thinking about her again, for probably the thousandth time in two weeks. When he'd walked out of the locker room after the Avalanche game at home, he hadn't noticed her at first. He'd seen Gerry with a couple of starry-eyed kids and gone over to talk to them. It was later when he'd asked who they belonged to, that he'd noticed the brunette standing nearby.

Even then, he hadn't recognized her from the crowd. She'd blushed under his gaze and he'd been completely smitten. His teammates had accused him in the past of always liking the models, the tight bodies and the carefully made-up faces. Sure, he found those types of women attractive but he'd be lying if he said no one else turned his crank. One look at Riley's mom, Anna, and he'd wanted to get to know her better.

She was short, probably five-two, maybe five-three and her hair was as unruly as he remembered seeing when she'd been sitting in the stands. Her smile was lopsided and the tiny glimpse of her teeth that he'd seen when she'd smiled had revealed uneven teeth along the bottom. Her face bore a few recognizable scars, probably from teenage acne, and she was wider around the middle and in her arms than Ellie had been. Not surprising, considering the fact that she was a mom. All together though, Hayden found her incredibly attractive. Throw in those sparkling hazel-grey eyes and he was sold.

But she hadn't called him.

In two weeks, she hadn't once even tried. He kept track of all his phone calls. The only calls he'd had since that night that he didn't recognize were from a pay phone when Derek had called for a ride one evening, and another from someone trying to reach 'Jimbo.' He was beginning to think she might never call.

God, what was I thinking? he wondered, scowling at his reflection in the window. She must think I'm crazy for giving my number to a strange woman.

Either that or she thought he did it all the time. Maybe she just hadn't been attracted to him.

Maybe I imagined the entire thing, he thought, and cast his mind back to that evening. He remembered the pink glow in her face when he'd approached and he'd more than felt the weight of her gaze as he spoke with her son. His mind conjured up the image of the man who'd stood beside her and he frowned again. Maybe she's married to that guy and thinks I'm a jerk for hitting on her in front of him.

"What's up, Z?" Carter asked as he plunked himself down in the seat beside Hayden.​