Page 41 of Match Penalty

His laugh is hollow. "Let's just say being the son of a hockey legend comes with expectations. Especially when you're named after him."

"Is that why you go by JP?"

"Partly," he admits. "But mostly because Jon Paul Dumont Jr. is a mouthful, and I wanted something that was just... mine."

We find a quiet table in the corner, our pizza steaming between us. The conversation flows easier now, stories of growing up in the shadow of famous parents, of finding our own way.

"Sometimes I wonder," I say, wiping sauce from my lip, "if we can ever really escape our parents' legacy."

JP reaches across the table, his thumb catching a spot of sauce I missed. "Maybe we're not supposed to escape it. Maybe we're supposed to redefine it."

His touch lingers, and suddenly I'm very aware of how close we are. Of how easy it would be to lean forward, to close the distance...

A burst of laughter from nearby breaks the moment. JP pulls back, and I clear my throat.

"I should probably get back to the office," I say, even though we both know Penelope gave me the afternoon off.

"Let me walk you," he offers. "It's on my way."

The walk is quiet, comfortable in a way that scares me. The Seattle afternoon has turned grey, a light drizzle falling around us. JP pulls me closer under his umbrella, and I let him.

At the door, JP turns to face me, his expression serious.

"Thank you for today," he says.

"For what?"

"For giving me a chance to show you who I am now."

I swallow hard. "Jon Paul..."

"I know," he says quickly. "I know I hurt you before. But Cammy..." He steps closer, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. "If I could tell you why I left that night—why I had to leave—I would. But it’s not just my secret to share." His thumb brushes my cheek, and the vulnerability in his eyes steals my breath. "All I can ask is that you give me a chance to make it right."

I should step back. I should go inside. I should do anything but stand here, letting him touch me like this.

I don't move.

“The bet with my dad. It’s insane. Why did you agree to it?”

He stares back at me for a moment. “Because I’m here for redemption, Cammy. From him, from you, from the Hawkeyes.”

I never thought about it like this. That JP feels he’s here to prove himself.

"Bonne nuit, ma belle," he whispers, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before stepping back.

I watch him walk away, my skin tingling where his lips touched. This day carries the weight of possibility.

And I realize something terrifying.

I'm starting to believe him.

Chapter Twelve

JP

“So,” Aleksi says, his beer bottle halfway to his mouth, sitting on the armchair to the left of me in my living room. Hunter and I are going head-to-head on an old school fighting game that was popular in Finland years ago. “You coming out tonight to Ground Zero with us or what?”

“It’s the dance club the girls are going to tonight to cheer up Aria. Cammy’s going,” he says, waggling his eyebrows as if to encourage me.

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