Page 90 of Silver Fox Puck

The worst part?

She’s not wrong.

Because I’ve done this before.

Made things bigger than they needed to be. Used excuses to keep my distance.

And for what?

To protect myself? From what, exactly?

A man who has done nothing but treat me like I’m worth more than a one-night mistake? A man who has given me every damn reason to trust him, even when I didn’t want to?

I exhale slowly, setting my untouched wine down.

This is not who I want to be.

A runner. A coward. A woman who gets close only to push away the second it stops being easy.

No.

Not this time.

I don’t realize I’ve made a decision until I’m already moving.

Until I’m grabbing my keys, slipping on my shoes, walking out the door before I can talk myself out of it. The drive to the rink is a blur.

My pulse ticks higher with every mile.

What if he’s not there?

What if he is?

What if I’m already too late?

I don’t have an answer for any of those questions. But I know one thing. I have to find him.

The rink is dark when I pull up. But the lights inside? Still on.

I take a breath. Then another. Then I push inside.

The chill hits first. The sharp bite of cold air, the faint scrape of skates against ice.

And then, him.

Grant, alone on the ice.

He doesn’t see me at first.

His movements are slow, deliberate—a man lost in his own thoughts.

But then, like he senses me, he turns.

Our eyes meet.

And that’s when I know—this isn’t over yet.

Chapter 20 – Grant

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