Page 147 of The Wingman

His mouth tips up, and something wavers in his eyes. His hands come to my elbows, holding me. “Is this how you normally introduce yourself, Darcy?”

I shake my head. “Just to you. Don’t think you can fool me with your good looks, Hayden Owens.”

His eyes glint with amusement. “Oh, yeah?”

“Uh-huh. You may be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, but I can tell you’re kind and funny, and you have a good heart. You’re an incredible hockey player, not just because of how fast and strong you are, but because you care about your team and making your coach proud. And you probably like fantasy romance, don’t you?”

“I do, actually.” His mouth tips higher, and my chest feels so much lighter. “Incredible how you know all of this and we’ve just met.”

I smile. “And I bet you always make sure everyone feels included at parties and stuff.”

“My mom says that people always remember how you made them feel,” he adds quietly, stroking a thumb over the back of my hand.

“The way people treat you is a reflection of them, not you.” Emotion clogs my throat—anger that Hayden’s felt like this for so long, guilt that I contributed to it, and the overwhelming need to make it better. “Would you ever tell me that I deserved how Kit treated me?”

“Never,” he bites out, frowning. “That was on him, Darce. He’s the asshole who didn’t deserve you.”

I give him a patient smile.See?my expression says.

Something settles in his eyes. He believes me, I think. My heart tugs, and I lean forward to kiss him.

“Maybe some people say you’re a player,” I whisper against his lips, “but I know the truth. You’re so much more.”

CHAPTER 69

HAYDEN

That afternoon,we walk through a stretch of the park where trees line either side of the sidewalk, bursting with petals in shades of white and pink.

The park isn’t too busy—a few people taking photos under the cherry blossoms, someone throwing a ball for their dog, a couple picnicking on the grass on a big plaid blanket. Some kids playing street hockey.

A breeze sweeps blossoms off the trees and they swirl around us. She stops and tips a serene smile to the sky, watching them flutter. A few fall in her hair, and I take a mental picture. I want to remember this forever.

“You’re beautiful, Darcy. I ever tell you that?”

Darcy turns her smile to me, staring up into my eyes. I’ve never felt so connected to someone.

“Once or twice. Let’s sit,” she says quietly, gesturing to an empty bench, and we take a seat against the cool metal.

You’re so much more, she said this morning, and my heart does a weird thump.

I can’t believe I told her all that stuff, but I’m weirdly relieved that I did. An urgent, insistent rush hits me.

“I don’t want this to end, Darce.” Adrenaline coursesthrough my veins as I spill my heart to her. “I don’t want to go back to being just friends after the wedding. There’s no one like you, and I’ve never had this”—I gesture between us, swallowing thickly—“with anyone else. Have you?”

Her tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip and she shakes her head. Worry threads through her gaze.

“I’m not asking you to get married or to have kids or make any commitments you’re not ready for. We’ll always go at your pace. I just want you to keep living in the apartment and sleeping in my bed and letting me take you on dates.” I shoot her a playful smirk, even as my heart pounds. “And I want you to keep wearing lingerie.”

She chuckles.

“The choice is yours.” He never gave her the choice, but I’m not him. “I will always give you the choice, Darcy. I promise.”

The three words I want to say are on the tip of my tongue, but I hold them back.

And there it is, my heart placed into the palm of her hand. She could crush me. She could toss me aside and break me in half with just a few words or a facial expression. But she’s worth the risk.

I’m asking her to be brave, so I need to be, too. I need to trust that my best friend and the woman I love sees me for more than a fun time, good fuck, and pretty face. That I’m not just the life of the party to Darcy; I’m the guy she wants to wake up with every day, the guy she believes when I tell her she can do anything. The guy she can’t wait to talk about books with and share hockey models with.

---