Page 23 of Much Ado About Hockey

She was still standing there, trying to make sense of her chaotic thoughts, when she heard it—the knock.

Her heart gave a nervous flutter.

She glanced down at herself. Her robe was barely tied, her hair was a mess, and she hadn’t even brushed her teeth yet. She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready forhim.

Drawing in a deep breath and trying to summon whatever courage she could muster, she stepped to the door. Her fingers hesitated on the knob for just a second before she pulled it open.

There he stood.

She barely had time to register the man behind the door before a McDonald’s bag was suddenly thrust in front of her, blocking her view. The greasy scent of hash browns and breakfast sandwiches hit her nostrils, and her stomach, traitorous as ever, gave an eager little growl.

Then, slowly, the bag dipped—and in its place, rising like something out of a dream, was a single rose. Just one. Delicate. Soft red. Fragrant. And behind it, Jett’s face, boyishly handsome and beaming with that smile she was already growing weak to.

“You wake up pretty decent looking,” he chuckled, flashing her that impish grin that somehow made her feel flustered and cherished all at once. “I look like a bad advertisement for hair gel with my hair all sticking up and smushed weirdly around my head.”

She ducked her head with a shy smile, heat rushing to her cheeks. “Be still my beating heart,” she murmured, her voice playful, tinged with affection. “I can only imagine.”

“Gimme a chance, and someday you’ll see it…”

“You don’t stop, do you.”

“Not now, not ever. I play hockey the same way – maybe you’ll give that a chance, too.”

“Might be a cool day in hell…”

“I’m already pretty awesome on the ice.”

They stood there, framed in the open doorway, a strange stillness between them—a charged moment neither of them seemed ready to break. Karen swallowed hard, suddenly hyper-aware of how she must look: sleep-tousled, unkempt, vulnerable. Her fingers rose instinctively to clutch the neckline of her robe, tugging it tighter, trying to hide the old pajama top beneath.

“Why are you here?” she asked, not accusing, just… confused. Unsure.

His eyes softened, and for the briefest moment, she saw the sincerity he kept trying to convince her of. The part of him that meant it when he said he wanted to “give his all to the marriage.”

“I thought you might like something to eat – and this week is going to fly by before we both know it. With us being newlyweds, I thought I’d take a chance at seeing you for a quick moment and see about sneaking a kiss – unless you have morning breath.”

Her jaw dropped slightly, and she let out a startled laugh, clapping a hand over her mouth. “I do… but thanks for pointing that out again.”

“Keeping it real, right?” he teased with a grin.

But then—to her surprise—he stepped closer and leaned in, his lips brushing a feather-light kiss against her cheek. His breath was warm as he paused just long enough to whisper against her skin.

“Maybe I stopped by because I missed you and was willing to chance the halitosis.”

Karen jerked back instinctively, covering her mouth again in mock horror as he burst out laughing. He was impossible… and somehow, impossibly sweet.

“See you later this week, Nutella,” Jett called over his shoulder, turning to walk away with that same casual confidence that had annoyed her the first time they met—and now left her oddly breathless. “Be ready to fly out when I book the plane.”

With a sudden, panicked burst of motion, she turned and slammed the door shut behind her. The sharpthudechoed through the quiet apartment, and she flinched. Clutching both the McDonald’s bag and the rose to her chest like lifelines, she bolted for the kitchen. Her heart thudded in her ears—too loud, too fast—matching the frantic beat of her thoughts.

Yanking open the cupboard, she didn’t bother being careful. Cans clattered, and boxes tumbled as she tossed them aside in a desperate search. Something, anything, to prove or disprove what she already feared from his casually tossed words.

Finally, her hand landed on the Nutella jar. Fingers shaking, she unscrewed the lid and brought it to her nose.

Once.

Twice.

The sugary scent was almost overpowering.

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