Page 159 of The Wingman

Her jaw is set. “No. I want to talk to Ward.”

“I want to talk to him first.” I swallow past the knives in my throat, barely keeping my shit together. I’m so fucking mad at Kit, but more than anything, I need to protect Darcy. “Please?”

“No.” Her eyes flash with determination.

I sigh. She can be so stubborn when she wants something, which I still find cute, even if it’s inconvenient. “We’ll go in together.”

After knocking, we hear a mutedcome in, and open the door to a tired-looking Ward behind his desk.

He waves us in. “Let’s tackle this.”

We take a seat, and I rest my elbows on my knees, watching him. This is my fault. I pissed off Kit. I kept my feelings for Darcy from him for years. He’s retaliating againstme, but she’s getting caught in the crossfire.

I love her, and I’ll protect her forever. I don’t want to do this, but I don’t see any other way.

“Once playoffs are over, I’d like to formally request a trade.”

Trades are allowed again as soon as playoffs end. She’s worked so hard for her dream, and I won’t be the reason it’s over. I won’t compromise her happiness.

“What?” Darcy pitches forward to look at me, jaw dropping and eyes flashing with anger. “No.”

Behind his desk, Ward’s eyebrows lift in surprise.

“Yes,” I tell her before turning back to Ward. “Trade me. I’ll go anywhere, and I don’t care if I play defense or offense.”

Not the complete truth. I’ve come to love playing offense, and I’m good at it. My whole way of playing has changed in the past few months, my personal life mirroring it, but I’ll take whatever I can get and I won’t complain. This way, Darcy can stay in her dream job.

I’m not thinking about how things were so perfect until this morning. I’m not going to dwell on how things could have been. How it could have been forever.

“You can make the announcement today,” I add, but Darcy’s shaking her head. “Darcy can keep her job. There’s no conflict of interest, and the whole thing goes away.”

Every part of me revolts at the idea of moving out, leaving her, not seeing her for long stretches during the season, but I can’t see another solution.

“No.” I’ve never heard Darcy use this stern, commanding voice. She looks Ward dead-on. “Let me go.”

It’s my turn to look at her in shock. Ward starts to say something, but I cut him off. “That’syour solution, Darcy? To leave the job you’re perfect for, after years of hating your career?”

“I can easily find a new job in Vancouver,” she tells Ward, ignoring me. “The media shitstorm goes away, and you can hire another analyst. There are plenty of us out there.”

I stare at her, furious. How could she think this was an option? I’d never agree to this. “You’re finally happy again.”

“So are you,” she shoots back.

Ward clears his throat. “Can I just?—”

“That’s because of you!” My voice is loaded with urgency and frustration. “I’m finally happy because we’re together, and I’d do anything for you.”

When our eyes meet, she looks at me with such love and care that my heart cracks in half. “You love this team. You love living here. You’ve finally found your spot. I’d never let you go to a new team just for me.”

“I would. For you, Darcy, I’d do anything.”

“Iknow.” She presses her lips together and sucks in a tight breath. “And that’s why I can’t let you do it. I can find a job in Vancouver and we can stay together, but if you get traded”—she swallows hard, frowning down at her hands—“it’s a death sentence for us.”

“It’s not.”

“It is. It’ll be so hard, Hayden. Eight months apart, with both our schedules? We’ll barely talk on the phone or text, let alone see each other.” She looks so fucking sad. I want to kill Kit for doing this. “You have years left in your career. How long can we really do that for?”

Within her words, I hear her actual question. All those things we saw at Streicher and Pippa’s wedding, the life we want together, that’s all on hold until we can be together again.

---