Page 120 of For the Win

“Yeah.”I hold her gaze steadily.“Is this too soon?”

“It should be too soon.This all happened so fast.”

My heart knocks, but it’s okay.I’m prepared to wait and be patient.

“But no.”Her eyes go liquid.“It’s not too soon.”

I close my eyes on a wave of relief and elation.Thank you, thank you, Jesus.“I love you, Arya.I think I did the first time I saw you.”

“You were such an ass.”A tear slides from the corner of her eye and I catch that with my fingers and brush it away.“Knocking me into the water really created a good impression.”

I choke out a laugh.“I know.I’m still an ass.I’ll probably do things that piss you off or make you wonder what the hell you’re doing with me.”

“It’s possible.”She’s trying not to smile, I can tell.“But I’ll probably do things like that too.I think that’s all part of it.I love you too.”

I gather her up against me and press her face to my chest.“Please tell me when I’m being an idiot.The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you or scare you.”

She nods.“I know.But we’ll both screw up.Remember?”

I caress her hair.“Remember what, sweetheart?”

“Unalome.The journey isn’t a straight line.We make mistakes and go sideways and sometimes backward.”

“Right.”I press her closer still.“Now, we’ll do it together.”

27

HARRISON

I walk into the house.Ash is on the couch with his laptop on his knees, the TV on to the Montreal–Ottawa game he must have recorded.He glances up at me.“Hey.Where’ve you been?”

“At Arya’s.”

“Ah.”

He doesn’t even know what happened, and I don’t feel like telling the whole ugly story since things are fucking fantastic now.

“Good game in Vancouver.”

“Thanks.”I grin.“I had my ass kicked by a few women.”

He arches an eyebrow.“And yet you’re smiling about it.”

“I know, weird, right?First Mom told me I was a coward.Then Everly laid into me about Arya.And Arya gave me a sweet little hoof in the hiney too.”

“Uh, wow.”

I sit in an armchair and meet Ash’s eyes.“Why didn’t you ever try to go pro?”

Ash’s eyes widen, then narrow.“You know why.I wanted to be a journalist.I wanted to write about hockey.”

“Yeah?Is that the truth?”

He shakes his head slowly.“Of course.”

“Because Mom suggested that maybe the reason I’ve never tried my hardest is because I’m afraid I can never be as good as Dad.”I purse my lips.“I think she might be right.”

Ash is silent.

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