Page 113 of You Had Me at Hockey

“He made me think about if I hadn’t been traded—I wouldn’t have met him either. And he made my life better.”

“I’m so sorry.” I lay my palm on his cheek.

He nods, his mouth a tight line. I can see he’s fighting back emotion.

“I went through a lot of shit too, in the hospital, like Carter, but…I’m here. I have a chance. I was afraid I wasn’t going to play again…but I have. I battled hard, like a warrior, and I did it. And for Carter…I want to do more.” He pauses. “And for you. I want to love you and be here for you when you need me and even when you don’t. I want to go out and do unexpected things with you—”

“I’m going to a hookah bar next week!” I interrupt him.

He laughs, then frowns. “I’m not smoking a fucking hookah.”

I grin. “Okay, fine.” My grin fades into a soft smile. “I want that too. And I want to be there for you, always. I know now how much it hurt you that your friends weren’t there.”

“As Easton kindly pointed out, I centered myself in the tragedy, instead of thinking about what everyone else was going through. I didn’t get to go to the funerals. My coach came to visit me once, but other than that, I never went back to Swift Current. I should have.”

“Easton’s a smart dude.”

He lifts an eyebrow, then one corner of his mouth pulls up into a crooked smile. “I guess.”

“Remember what you told me, in our interview?”

“About what?”

“About pressure. You said that the best things you can achieve come from challenges.”

“Right.”

“And we all have challenges.”

“Yeah. When I was in the hospital they told me that life isn’t a book written by someone else. We have to create our own story line. I got it…but I didn’t really get it. And that poem you read me…”

“ ‘To a Mouse’?”

“Yeah. Stuff happens that we don’t plan. And when it does, we need to write our own story line. So…I’m writing mine. I sacked up and came here to apologize and tell you I love you and if you sent me away, well, I’d write a different story. But this one is happier.”

My smile must be bigger than Central Park. “I agree.”

He kisses me then, our mouths joining like we’re trying to inhale each other. I press myself against him. I can’t get close enough. I stroke my hands through his thick hair, kissing him back, deep, devouring kisses, our tongues sliding together, lips crushed against each other. A melting sweetness throbs inside me, every nerve ending in my body straining toward him.

He drops soft kisses on my nose, my forehead, my cheekbones, then my jaw…

“Josh…”

“Mmm?”

“If you kiss my neck, shit is going down.”

His body shakes with laughter against mine. And he brushes his lips over my neck.

Chapter 27

Josh

“Do you think you’ve learned enough about sex?”

Sara makes a noise. “Phhht. I’ll never learn enough. You’re going to have to keep teaching me for a long, long time.”

“You sure you’re not using me for sex?”

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