Page 177 of Jaded

My stupid heart swells all over again. The thought of Olli staying here . . . with me? I can’t help how much that makes me feel whole and full in a way I haven’t in a very, very long time. Maybe ever.

And then Jess’s gaze falls on me. “You looked great out there.”

Like Olli, I can’t find the proper response to his praise. Honestly, I’m more shocked that he recognized me than anything else. So I just offer a curt nod. “Thanks.”

“I’m serious. I’m guessing Coach made you an offer?”

“Well, sorta.” I puff out a long, slow breath. Sydney’s gaze homes in on me like a damned laser. Everyone’s looking at me now. “He made Forty-Seven an offer.”

“And?” Syd asks.

“Haven’t decided yet,” I admit, though I think, just like Olli said, that something inside me already knows. “Though in the very least, I'm done with repoing.” Already tendered my resignation with JB.

To my surprise, it’s Jesse who speaks. “It’s a big decision. You’ve got so much more than hockey in your life now.”

“Right.” I’m smiling, I realize. Genuinely smiling. “And I don’t want to miss any of it.”

After dinner, Brenda makes hot cocoa while Syd and I clear the table, Avery and Jess nestle dishes into the dishwasher, and Olli wipes down the countertops.

“You gonna stick around for a while tonight?” Brenda asks, and my gaze slides automatically to Olli.

“I’m tired.” He shoots me an apologetic smile. “Like, beat tired.”

“Me too,” I admit, because I am. It’s been an interesting handful of days, and on top of all that, the tournament was a special kind of hell. My body’s feeling the mental and physical strains of it all, and I truly want nothing more than to retreat into the dark, warm cave of my bed.

“I have a lot of work to do for my project,” Syd admits. “Wouldn’t mind going home a little early.”

“Avery?” I ask. So then we’re all looking at him. Mary should be home—but that doesn’t mean he’s not in danger. “You know you got a place with me, kid.”

He nods, and then he and Syd head out to the car.

“I’ll head out too,” Jess says. “Think there’s some kind of crazy afterparty happening at Andy Everton’s house, might go check it out.”

And there’s another awkward moment where we wonder what the protocol is—and then he sticks out his hand for Olli to shake.

They shake, and then Brenda gives Jess a stiff hug, and then his handshake’s extended to me. I clasp it, and without warning, he pulls me in for a rough hug that leaves me a little shocked, a little breathless.

I don’t think my brother’s ever hugged me.

He pulls back before I can fully process it. But what follows is perhaps the most shocking part of the night. “Would it be all right if I called sometime?”

I stare. Jaw probably hanging. Can’t find any words to respond to that, so I nod, or at least, I think I do.

And then he’s gone.

“Guess that’s our cue too,” Olli says, his gaze on the now-closed door.

“Don’t be a stranger, Olli.” Brenda smiles. “Nat, take out the trash, would you?”

“This isn’t equal treatment,” I protest. But Olli follows me out the back door and it’s just us. Me and the boy I’ve come to need.

We walk along the side of the house, the cold nipping at my cheeks and lips, turning our breaths to pale, dancing specters against the black night. He stops beside the bin, and when he turns to face me, I can’t help the way I’m drawn to him.

The way he calls to me.

The way my body needs his, needs to feel the warm, hard press of his lithe form. I nestle into him, weave my fingers into his hair, and plant a kiss against his soft mouth. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“I had fun.” He tucks another kiss to the corner of my mouth. “You have a devastatingly beautiful family.”

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