Page 139 of The Wingman

My throat knots. I want forever with her.

A.R. Haddington sent me the signed advance copy because I told her I loved Darcy, that I’ve loved her for years. In a private note to me, she wished me luck.

Kit lets out another humorless, bitter laugh. “Well, that’s going to be a fucking disaster. What, you got tired of the puck bunnies?”

Adrenaline cuts into me, coursing through my blood, and my teeth clench.

“You slept with every chick in Vancouver, so now you’re messing around with Darcy?” He shakes his head, swallowing. “Is this an ego thing? Fuck my girl just to show you can?”

Shame hardens in my gut, but I remind myself I’m not that guy. He’s hurt and angry, but my head pounds with all the things he did, all the ways he made her feel like she wasn’t enough, and I want to hit him.

I won’t, though, because just like Darce, I’m putting him in the past.

“She’s not your girl anymore.” My teeth grit. “And it’s not like that.”

“Come on.” His lip curls. “Yes, it is. You’ll be done with her in a week, tops.”

Pain throbs behind my sternum. “Have you even stopped to wonder if this is what Darcy wants? Don’t you fucking see?” I shake my head. “She’s doing so much better now that you’re out of her life. She actually likes her life. She’s an analyst for the Storm and she actually enjoys her job.”

His face twists. “You can’t be serious.”

Rage thunders through me. He never believed in her. “Shehas the statistics background and experience for it, and she loves it. The team is lucky to have her.Iam lucky to have her. You never felt that way, though, did you? You felt like you were doing her a favor.”

Tension simmers in the air. He looks away, working his jaw.

“The difference between us,” I tell him, “is that I’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy.”

He breaks off in a laugh of disbelief, shaking his head. “You fucking snake. You always had a thing for her. You were just waiting to swoop in. I’m surprised you didn’t try this years ago.”

The insult burns—I would never go after my friend’s girlfriend—but he’s hurt and angry and trying to get to me.

I love her. My realization from the other day rings stronger than ever, but it feels wrong telling him before Darcy.

“You had your chance, and you fucked up.” My voice is low and firm. “You knew she didn’t want to get engaged, and yet you popped the question in front of everyone.” I lean forward, pulse picking up. “You pressured her into something she didn’t want to do.”

Kit’s nostrils flare. “Oh yeah, her life would have been so hard.” Sarcasm and bitterness drip from his tone. “Married to a professional hockey player who makes millions per year, living in a nice place, having the wedding of her dreams. Poor Darcy.”

Anger rises, because even now, even after she’s broken up with him several times and told him she doesn’t want that life, he doesn’t get it. He never will.

“I know how hard losing her must be, but it’s time to move on.”

A bitter smile twists onto his mouth. “I guess you think it’s your turn now or something.”

“No.” I swallow. “It’s Darcy’s turn. You never saw her. You never bragged about her. You didn’t know what you had.”

He laughs, shaking his head. “You think this is going to work. Unbelievable.”

His tone scrapes at me, and my muscles tense as I try to remember the way she tucked me into bed with an ice pack on my shoulder, lifting it off me after twenty minutes as I fell deeper into sleep, caring for me.

She cares about me. I know she does. She just needs time, and she’s shown me that I’m more than the guy everyone thinks I am.

Having said what I came here to say, I get to my feet. “See you at the game tomorrow.”

He doesn’t answer as I walk out the door.

The next evening, we’re winning by three goals, because Kit’s more focused on letting out his frustration on me than defending the Calgary net.

He slashes his stick against my shin, but Walker shoves him out of the way. That slash should have been a penalty, but the whistle doesn’t sound. A minute later, he’s back. Volkov blocks him, knocking him down, and the crowd cheers.

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