Hockey Baby 🏒

••• THREE •••

••• THREE •••
Ashton

    When I walked inside my childhood best friend's house, I was not prepared to run into the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She looked familiar, and it took me a second to recognize her. It was little Sophie-Lophie. But she definitely was not little anymore, I thought as I studied her face.

    Sophie still had that adorable smile that made her look like she was hiding the most interesting secret in the world, and her eyes were still a bright caramel color that reminded me of honey. But everything else was different. It had been three years since I last saw her, and she was a completely different person.

    The last time I saw her was the day her family dropped us off at the airport when Patrick and I moved to Boston to play for the Bruins, and she was barely eighteen years old. Now, she was a woman and drop-dead gorgeous.

  "Is that who I think it is?" Patrick's Mom, Naomi Lincoln, gasped as she noticed me in the entryway. I quickly looked away from Sophie, hoping no one noticed how I stared at her, and grinned at Naomi and Patrick.

  "Did you tell them yet, Lincoln?" I asked eagerly and tried not to look at Sophie when I felt her eyes on me. I was afraid if I looked at her again while Patrick was watching me, he would be able to see how attracted I was to his little sister.

    I looked down to avoid her gaze and remembered I was carrying two bouquets for them. I smiled as I handed one to Naomi and tried to think of a way to give them to Sophie without my tongue falling out of my mouth because I had no idea what to say to her.

  "We got signed to the Chicago Blackhawks!" Patrick exclaimed. Naomi gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands, and stared between us in disbelief.

  "Oh my gosh, Patty! You're moving home?" Naomi threw her arms around Patrick as he nodded and hugged her tightly.

  "Yeah, we just found out yesterday." He smiled at me, and I grinned widely. I couldn't wait to move back home and play for the Blackhawks, our favorite team. That team was the reason I started to play hockey and how Patrick and I became best friends. We played for the Blackhawks youth hockey team growing up, and our dream was to grow up and play for them one day. Now that dream was finally coming true, and it still felt surreal.

  "You got signed to them too?" Sophia asked in surprise, breaking me out of my thoughts and reminding me she was here. I tried to keep a blank face as I turned to look at her, but it was no use. Having her beautiful eyes meet mine nearly knocked the breath out of my lungs, and her beauty took me by surprise all over again.

  When I finally remembered that she asked me a question, I smirked at her as I walked up to her and handed her the bouquet of daisies. "Don't act too surprised, Soph. You know Patrick and I are a packaged deal." I teased as she took the flowers from my hands.

Her fingers grazed mine, and an electric current flowed through me from where our fingers touched. I tried to act like nothing happened as my heart raced against my chest, but that touch was the moment Sophia Lincoln stole my heart.

  "Thank you for the flowers. Daisies are my favorite." She smiled shyly as she sniffed them, and I gave myself a mental high-five that I remembered. I could feel Patrick and his Mom watching us, so I shrugged and ruffled Sophie's hair playfully. Trying my hardest to act natural and not like this girl didn't take my breath away.

  "I remember." I smiled, then turned my attention away from her and walked over to the kitchen island where Patrick and his mom talked about where we were moving.