A/N: We're back with a new story, everyone! This one has been in the works since November 2022, and after a long hiatus, I'm thrilled to be able to start posting! Everything is pre-written (although I won't say an outtake or two won't come to me) and will be posting weekly on Saturdays. To follow along with teasers and behind the scene info, come join us at hmerdan's fiction spot! As always, thanks to Kneon for her editing prowess and just being an amazing sounding board! And thank you to MarieCarro for her banner! And with that, here is Scoring Hearts!

BPOV

I should have gone to Cuba. When Jessica joined Angela and Ben on their spring break trip somewhere warm, I insisted it would be a better idea to stay home, pick up extra shifts at the bank, and save money. But watching the three of them frolic on the beach while I'm lying in bed looking out at the grey sky, I regret everything. While they're sipping cocktails in the sun, here I am sipping Cream of Earl Grey tea and wearing my favourite furry socks. Even my step-sister went away this week! Her professor handpicked Leah for a week-long research trip to Reykjavik. Of course, I was ecstatic for her, even if I was stuck at home with our parents and little brother. I should have used this time to work on my honours project, but really all I wanted to do was scroll through Instagram and feel sorry for myself while I bitterly sipped tea.

An unexpected knock at the door shook me out of my self-pity. The only people home were Seth and Charlie, and I figured they were upstairs getting ready to leave soon. "Come in!"

The door opened slowly revealing my dad Charlie, a staff sergeant for the Ontario Provincial Police, decked out in his uniform. "Hey, Bells," He greeted sheepishly. "You busy?"

I sat up and shot him a sarcastic smile. "Just feeling sorry for myself. What's with the get-up?" I gestured to his uniform. "I thought you and Seth had big plans today."

When I was a year old, my mom ran off to pursue her dream of travelling the world, which really meant working on a cruise ship out of Tampa, and we hadn't heard from her since other than a few postcards when I was a toddler. My dad struggled to raise me on his own but met a widow and single mom when I was in junior kindergarten - Sue, the mother of my senior buddy, Leah. It didn't take long for the two of them to fall in love, get married, and bring my little brother Seth into the world when I was nine, completing our little blended family.

"Yeah, about that," He cleared his throat. "I just got a call from the station. There was an accident at Seven and Heritage. A tractor-trailer rolled over at the intersection, and it's all hands on deck. It also means Sue's working late at the hospital."

"Oh, my God…" I sighed. "I'd ask if anyone was okay, but…"

"Yeah, not likely…" He breathed out. "And it means I'll be gone all night and won't be back in time to take Seth and his friends to the game."

"So, what's gonna happen? Can Sam take them? Or Jake?" Sam was Leah's longtime boyfriend and sometimes seemed like one of the few decent guys in our town. Jake and I went to high school together, and now he works for Seth's hockey league as equipment manager. Total dickhead to anyone with active brain cells but Seth seemed to tolerate the guy.

"Sam's working on site down in Grafton, and Jake?" Charlie snorted with derision. "Forget about Toronto, I wouldn't trust that bonehead to drive my son to Peterborough! I was actually hoping… you'd take him?"

"Dad!" I groaned. "I don't even like hockey."

"I know, Bells, but it's for your brother," He pleaded. "I already checked with the Fullers and Littleseas, and they can't make it. You know how much he's been looking forward to this. Not everyone gets chosen to be a Skater of the Game." It's true, as soon as Seth found out he had won a chance to actually skate on the Scotiabank Arena ice before a Toronto Maple Leafs game bearing the team's flag, he'd been more excited than normal. There was no way I could take that away from him. "I've already paid for the Airbnb, and I can let the owner know you're going in my place. I'll give you my card for food and gas and anything else you might want. Just think of it as a trip to Toronto. You can even take Seth and the boys to look at some neighbourhoods for next year! As long as they get to their game tomorrow by three, you can do whatever you want in Toronto before then. On me."

He was really pulling out the big guns if he was pretending to be enthusiastic about grad school. When I started my undergrad twenty minutes away from home, he was thrilled. When I got accepted into my Masters in Financial Risk Management in another city? Less so. "Okay, if you can force a smile on your face while you say that, this must be important," I sighed and threw my legs over the side of my bed. "I'll take them. Just forward the information to my email while I get ready."

"Thank you, Bells!" He ran over to my side and kissed me on the head. "You don't know how much this means to your brother. Here." He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out his wallet, handing me his card. "You know my pin number, right?"

"Yes, Dad," I smirked. It's hard to forget - his kids' birth months and his anniversary month. "Don't worry, I got this."

"I know you do, Bells. Now, get ready and get packed. I need to tell Seth and get up to the site. And be careful on the road!"

"I will! Now, go!" I pushed him out of my bedroom and closed the door behind him. Well, it may not be my first choice, but an overnight in Toronto with my little brother is better than wallowing in my room. While I threw what I needed overnight, I got an email from Dad once again expressing his gratitude, and giving me the information for the Airbnb and check-in. There was a pool in the condo we were staying in, so I threw my swimsuit in my bag hoping to get a few laps in. He also told me that Brady and Collin were meeting at our house in an hour, which didn't leave me much time to take a shower. I washed as quickly as I could and tied my hair into a simple messy bun before throwing on some leggings and a hoodie for the long drive, along with a pair of Converses before running down to join my brother with minutes to spare.

"Bella!" He yelled enthusiastically. "Can you believe it? I get to skate on the same ice as the Leafs in less than seven hours!"

"I know, bud. But if you don't calm down, I'm gonna have to tie you to the roof of the car," I chuckled and looked at his bags. "We're only going one night, what's with the luggage?"

He pointed to each piece one by one. "These are my clothes. This is my gear. And this is my jersey because there's no way that's going in my duffel bag."

"Heaven forbid," I snickered as he eyed my single bag.

"Did you stuff your jersey in there?"

I shook my head. "I don't even own a jersey."

"Bell!" He whined. "We're sitting behind the bench! You need a jersey! Hold on." He ran upstairs, mumbling as he went.

I couldn't help but laugh to myself at his reaction as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" I offered and threw open the door. "Hey Collin, hey Brady. You guys excited?"

"Hell yeah!" Collin yelled. "We'll get to see Jasper Whitlock in net in person!"

"No way, man! It's all about McCarty!" Brady argued. "He's the best enforcer we've had in years."

"You're both wrong!" Seth added, coming back down the stairs. "The real star's Masen. That guy's a gift to the game." He passed me the jersey in his hands in emphasis.

I had been expecting one of his blank jerseys but noticed the back said MASEN 18. "And I'm assuming it's an honour to be wearing his number."

"It's also the only one I thought would fit. Other than my custom one, but that's the jersey I'm wearing," he shrugged. "Just don't spill on it. Come on, we gotta go!" He bounded out the front door with his bags and friends, talking enthusiastically about the game.

"Lord, give me strength," I muttered to myself, grabbing my duffel bag and setting the alarm before joining the boys at my car, ready for an exciting night.

If I'm ever asked if I would rather get a root canal without anesthesia or be trapped in a car with three thirteen-year-old sports nuts on their way to a hockey game for two hours again, I'm calling my dentist without question. I don't think any of them shut up once during the trip. About an hour into the trip, they all started whining and went from talking about hockey to bugging me about McDonald's. I was so tempted to pull a Chip Mulaney and get one black coffee, and I don't even like black coffee! But I realized that would make them more unbearable. So now, my little Honda Civic smelled like teenage boys AND fast food. I'm not one to use my dad's money frivolously, but I'd already sent him a text letting him know I was getting the interior detailed. The arena was within walking distance of the condo we were staying in, so I could avoid that disaster for now. Thanks to Charlie's due diligence, I could check in at the security desk easily and we were now settled into the condo. I laid down on the bed in the smaller bedroom, hopeful I could get a little peace before we headed out for dinner before the game.

"Bell?" Seth asked, knocking on the door to my bedroom. Guess not. "When can we head over to the arena?"

I groaned and sat up in bed. "Dad said we needed to check in at fan services by six, no earlier than that. We'll go grab dinner around five. So, in two hours."

"Do we have to wait until five for dinner? The guys were saying they're hungry." Seth begged.

"You guys had McDonald's an hour ago. How are you hungry again?"

"We're growing boys," he shrugged.

"I've noticed. You're already taller than me." I couldn't help but hit his laughing ass with a pillow. "Fine, give me a few minutes to put my shoes back on, we'll run down to Longo's for snacks and drinks." It was probably for the best that they had those anyway, even if it was only one night.

"Okay," Seth grinned and turned to leave, but stop. "Oh, and Bella? Thanks for bringing us. It means a lot." He ran back into the room to give me a hug before going back to join his friends.

"Stupid little charmer," I grumbled with a smile on my face as I pulled on my shoes.

---

"When's Seth gonna get here?" Brady asked, his leg jiggling.

"He needs to stay there until after the anthem," I answered, even though this was all explained to us. "Remember? He does his thing with the flag and waits for the player to come out and the anthem to be sung. Then they'll introduce him. THEN he'll come to join us."

"Man, these seats are awesome! They'll be sitting right there!" He pointed enthusiastically at the bench.

"If you're this excited to see an empty bench, I can't imagine what you'll be like when you meet the team," I giggled. As annoying as these boys were, it's actually great to see them all so happy. Especially Seth, that annoying booger means the world to me.

Suddenly, all the lights went down in the arena other than the dramatic blue lights on the ice. On the jumbotron was a thirty-second countdown until all the lights went out altogether. We sat in darkness for a few seconds until the blue lights came back up along with a couple of spotlights on a far door. "Look! There's Seth!" I pulled out my phone and pointed the camera at Seth as he stepped out on the ice, making his lap around the rink as he waved the Toronto Maple Leafs flag like a pro. I couldn't help myself and started cheering for him just as loudly as Collin and Brady, especially when he passed by us. It was all too soon that he was making a stop at the door and stepping off the ice.

Once he made his way off the ice, there was a dramatic light and video show that seemed to get everyone amped for the game. Heck, it even made me excited!

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Scotiabank Arena!" The announcer enthused over the PA system. The opposing team, the boys made a big deal because it was a huge rivalry or something, and came onto the ice with very little fanfare before the announcer spoke up again. "And now, please welcome your Toronto Maple Leafs!" The boys didn't stop cheering as they watched all the players circling the ice as they warmed up. "And here's tonight's starting lineup! From Brentwood, Tennessee, number thirty-three, Emmett McCarty!" Looking up at the screen, I saw the word Forward written above a short video of what appeared to be a large, intimidating man. The screen continued to introduce the starting lineup of players, none of whom sounded familiar until the one whose name graced my borrowed jersey. "From Chicago, Illinois, number eighteen, Edward Masen!" On the screen was a gorgeous man with a cocky crooked smile on his face. I wonder how many of those teeth are even real.

"That's Seth's favourite player, right?" I asked the boys, yelling above the crowd.

"Yeah!" They answered simultaneously, with Collin hushing me.

"And starting in goal - from Dallas, Texas, number sixty-three, Jasper Whitlock!"

I squinted, trying to discern the design of his mask. "Why is his mask covered in bite marks? And are those fangs?"

"Yeah, he's a beast!" Collin crowed. "Those marks are his battle scars!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, will you please rise if you are able to, remove your hats, and please join Kachiri Alvarez in the singing of our national anthems."

The singer was really talented, starting with a polite version of the American national anthem, followed by a rousing rendition of O Canada, where most of the arena joined in unsurprisingly. As the last note came to a close, there was a loud round of applause as she left the ice. "Please welcome our Scotiabank Skater of the Game!" The announcer finally said, and I held my phone up to the jumbotron to record this moment for Dad and Sue, along with the earlier video of his skate. "From the Otonabee Wolves, please welcome Seth Swan!"

I kept the camera on the screen the whole time until his image faded into the advertisement encouraging other parents and kids to apply. With my phone back in my purse, there was nothing left to do but enjoy my first-ever hockey game.