Page 114 of Facing the Line

Chapter

Fifty

HADLEY

I lose my breath as the tangled leash takes my feet out from under me. Jonas rolls, cushioning my fall, so I’m on top of him. Bilbo barks at something in the corner of the fenced-in yard. I glance out of the corner of my eye and confirm—it’s a leaf fluttering in the breeze.

I can’t help the giggle that escapes. “Maybe incorporating dogs into this was a mistake.”

Jonas’s chest rumbles underneath mine. “Nah, I love it.”

I pick myself up and brush dirt and leaves off my dress. His face falls. “I’m sorry you got dirty.”

“It’s fine.” I shrug. “But maybe we can sit and chat?”

“Okay.” Jonas leads us over to a park bench, and Bilbo loses interest in nature and flops at our feet. “Now, what were you saying?”

I clear my throat. “I don’t want to end up like my mom, having no identity outside of the guy she’s with. I still want to follow my heart and have adventures. But I’ve been thinking…maybe it’s not all or nothing? Maybe there’s a way to do that and be with the guy of my dreams.”

His Mona Lisa smile teases at the corners of his mouth. “And who would this guy be?”

I nudge him with my shoulder. I want to kiss him, but I need to get the words out first. “Oh, it’s just this hockey player I met.”

He pales. “Hadley, I should have been more honest with you. I was all in my head about it, and I thought maybe that’s what you wanted. But I’m not going to play professional hockey.”

“You thought that’s what I wanted?” I’m pretty sure my brows hit my hairline, and I blink at him.

“Well, yeah. At first. Your dad, and your mom’s boyfriends… I assumed that was part of your future. And I had some guilt to work through about the Frozen Four. But I really want to go into nursing. I’m not going to have a big salary or anything, but it’s where I’m supposed to be.”

And I still want to travel. Maybe love is not enough. Maybe we are incompatible. I’m too young to worry this much about the future. I’m?—

“Whoa, where’d you go?” Jonas asks, stroking his thumb along my jaw. “What I wanted to tell you was I’ve been checking out travel nursing.”

“What?” My voice comes out a croak. “What’s that?”

“It’s a short-term contract with a hospital. Usually three to six months. They can fill staffing shortages, and nurses can see the country.” His soft brown eyes glow and he takes a step closer to me. “Not to put too much pressure on us or anything. But I know how important it is to you to see London and then get to experience life in other places. I started thinking about it, too. It would be good to broaden my horizons. I don’t know if I’d want to do it forever, but it would be cool to try for a while. My point is, there are options.”

“You’d do that for me?” My voice breaks and emotion clogs my throat. He found a way to weave our dreams together, and my heart buoys with hope.

“I know you’re not ready to settle down, nothing has to be set in stone. But?—”

“Jonas, I could search the whole world over and never find anyone else I love as much as you.” I twine my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and move so there’s only inches separating our lips. “I’m still scared, but everything is less scary with you.”

“Love?” He raises a brow. “Did I hear you right?”

I nod. “I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out. Sorry I rejected you and pushed you away at the end of the summer. I’ve missed you desperately. But I’m head-over-heels, hopelessly in love with you.”

He shakes his head, a little smile in place. Butterflies take flight in my belly. “It’s not hopeless. The opposite, in fact. Thinking about being with you—it gives me more hope than anything else.”

Jonas cups my jaw and covers my mouth with his. His lips slide over mine, consuming me. If I wasn’t sitting, my knees would give out. I want to stay in this moment forever—and I can. There’s nothing stopping me from being with Jonas, and the warmth in my chest explodes into bright joy. I grip the front of his shirt, holding tight.

We’re interrupted by a bark, and Bilbo plants his massive paws on Jonas’s thighs, showing off a stick he found. Jonas ruffles the top of his head, praising him. He is a good boy, even if he does drool on Jonas’s jeans.

The dog settles at our feet, and Jonas turns to me. “So Hadley, will you be my girl?”

“For as long as you’ll have me.”

His eyes shine again. “I won’t talk about forever, because I know it freaks you out?—”

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