Page 87 of Butterfly

“It does.”

“Then I’ll learn to accept it,” he said.

My shoulders released, tension I hadn’t realized I’d been holding flowing out of me. I hadn’t been lying when I said that if he tried to get in between us, I’d take Leslie far away. But it would make her unhappy, and that was unacceptable.

“Thank you,” I said.

My father looked up at the clock. “You only have a few minutes, you should go talk to your team. But Mason?”

“Yeah?”

“Nice work out there.”

It was the closest he’d get to telling me he was proud of me. In the past, I wouldn’t have let it affect me, but Leslie hadsoftened me up like a teddy bear, and so I felt the praise, and I’d be lying if it didn’t make me glow, just a little.

That glow grew when our goalie shut out Cornell from scoring, and we beat them, 15 to 3—and I scored the final goal.

And it turned into a supernova when Leslie forgot herself and ran out onto the ice after the game and jumped into my arms.

I skated around in circles with her long legs wrapped around my hips, not caring who was watching.

“You were amazing,” she said excitedly.

“Did you have any idea what was happening?” I teased.

She shook her head, hair flying every which way. “No freaking idea. Sportspuckball, you know.”

I laughed. “I need to teach you hockey.”

She kissed me, giggling. “I love when you teach me things.”

I stared into her dark eyes, feeling like I could conquer the world. And I would conquer the world, with her at my side.

She was the most beautiful woman I’d seen in my entire life.

And I loved her more than I loved anything.

“Oh, butterfly,” I said. “We’re just getting started.”

THE END

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