Summary:

Shane wasn't looking back at him. He assumed that Ilya would be paying attention to the game, not its spectators. Sofia was sat upright in his lap. He was moving her back and forth to follow the puck. Ilya could see his mouth moving, even at this distance- no doubt he was explaining the rules to her infant ears. Hockey would be her first language. Sofia was more interested in the person holding her than the game. She tipped her little head back, back, back until she was looking up at her dad. The two of them smiled, and then Shane leaned down ever so slightly. He was brushing their noses together in the softest little nuzzle Ilya had ever seen. When he was done, Shane pressed a kiss onto her forehead. At twenty-three, Shane Hollander was convinced that life after hockey would be empty. He couldn't imagine a world where he'd be completely happy without the focus and drive that came with playing a professional sport. By thirty-seven, Shane was convinced that life after hockey was better. Who needed skates and sticks when your daughter was looking up at you with such a perfect, tiny smile, and your husband was winning games for all three of you?