Page 112 of You Had Me at Hockey

I’m sitting very still, my heart thudding, barely breathing.

“The best surprise,” he adds. He lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses it.

A hot tear leaks out and slides down my cheek. “Really?”

He closes his eyes briefly. “Don’t do that.”

“D-do what?”

“Belittle yourself. I know why you do that—all the self-deprecating jokes.”

I can barely get out a whisper. “It’s because I’d rather belittle myself before someone else does.”

He nods. “Yeah. But don’t. You’re amazing. Strong and smart and talented. Look what you’ve accomplished. You’re a warrior, baby.”

A warrior. My heart squeezes. “So are you.”

“I’m trying.”

“I’m going to try too. I know I’m a lot…I’m screwy and weird and impulsive. I’ll try to be better.”

He shakes his head. “No. Don’t change that. I…love you for those things.”

My throat closes up and my heart nearly leaps out of my chest. “You love me?”

“I love you.”

My bottom lip quavers. “I love you too.”

He pulls me into his arms, up against him, his body hot and trembling and so, so strong. Our mouths meet in a long, fraught kiss…desperate, grateful, relieved, and hopeful. I open to him and let his tongue slide inside, kissing him back, my hands holding on to his shoulders like I’m drowning.

Ifeellike I’m drowning. Sinking. Falling. Surrounded by shimmering light and muted sounds. I’m breathless and dizzy and floating.

I pull back and he rests his nose alongside mine, his hands in my hair.

“I love you,” he growls again. “Christ. I love you so much. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

I gulp in air through my constricted throat. “It hurt that you never told me about Easton.”

“Ah shit.” He sighs. “Yeah. I didn’t want to talk about that.”

“You told me you had a friend who betrayed you. I figured out it was him after Lilly told me you two used to be friends and you played for the Warriors together. Was that why you weren’t happy about being traded here?”

“That was part of it, yeah. But being traded anywhere would have been a nightmare for me.” He pulls back and peers into my eyes. “Except…I have other stuff to tell you, but I realized that if I hadn’t been traded, I wouldn’t have met you. So really, it was the best thing that could have happened to me.”

“Oh.” My wet eyelashes flutter again.

“I should have told you about him. Because that’s what partners do…right?”

I pull in a shaky breath. “Right.”

“I need to tell you about Carter.” He pulls me onto his lap and presses my face to his chest. I snuggle in, loving how I fit there perfectly. “He’s…dying.”

My head snaps up. “Oh no.”

His face wears a taut, tormented expression. “I saw him Monday afternoon. His mom called and said I should come. Fuck.” He closes his eyes. “That guy…he’s so fucking brave. And life is so fucking short. And fragile. I knew I had to fix things with you, or at least apologize to you for hurting you. Carter went through a lot of shit, and he did it so courageously, and I was being a big weenis.”

I choke on a laugh.

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