Page 82 of The Save

“I said I was coming back to coach. I didn’t saywhere.” He reached into his back pocket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to me.

I took it with shaking fingers and opened the flap. A single-page letter, printed on official letterhead.

Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club

Dear Coach Wilson,

We are pleased to formally offer you a position as an assistant coach with the Calgary Hitmen organization. Your experience as a player, your track record mentoring youngathletes, and your recent work with the Douglas University Outlaws make you an exceptional candidate . . .

I stared at the letter, then at him.

He cleared his throat. “You once asked me what I wanted.”

I stood, stunned, waiting for him to continue.

It took him a moment to gather his thoughts. “I thought I wanted to never hurt again. To never put my eggs in any basket so I couldn’t be disappointed. What I didn’t realize was that holding my eggs didn’t save me from pain or disappointment.” He winced. “That metaphor didn’t sound as good out loud as it did inside my head.”

I laughed, swiping another tear from my cheek, making sure that it didn’t land on the letter.

“Trying to accept my life without you in it or sitting back and waiting to see if it works out is making me miserable. So maybe you’ll tell me you don’t want this thing between us, or maybe you’ll go off to England and find someone or something better, but?—”

“I’m not going to England.”

Chase frowned. “You’ve already heard back? I thought applications just opened.”

I folded the letter and handed it back to him. “I’m not going because I’m not submitting my application.”

Chase’s frown deepened. “Maddie, I didn’t come here to convince you?—”

“If you would’ve read my damn letter you’d know that I let go of that dream before you ever showed up.”

Chase returned the letter to his back pocket. “Okay.”

“I was able to get this project approved through Lamont. It’s for credit, and I want to see it through. But this is all beside the point because you’re here and you’re not a faculty memberanymore, and I think what you’re saying is that you came back because of me, which I’m really hoping is true because the other bit of info I gave in that letter is that I love you.” I sucked in a breath, my head spinning. I couldn’t believe I just said it.

A muscle in Chase’s jaw jumped. His breathing quickened as he looked over my shoulder, then reached out and grabbed my wrist as he walked, pulling me with him. He pushed through the visiting team’s locker room door, and the second it clicked shut behind us, Chase spun and kissed me.

I melted into him like ice cream on a hot day as he eased me back against the first bank of lockers, one hand around my waist, the other bracing himself against the metal.

"What about Vancouver?” I breathed against his mouth.

“I never officially accepted. Went out for a tour and declined,” he rasped, already hunting for my jaw, my neck. “I never let go of my lease here. Couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

Warmth bubbled through me. “You wanted to stay.”

He smiled, his teeth brushing my collarbone. “I was in denial.”

I thought about the weeks that my Rhodes application had sat on my nightstand. I knew a thing or two about that.

His mouth found mine again, his fingers tangling in my hair. I tugged him closer by the front of his shirt. “While I would love to stay here all night, Idohave to get back to the league at some point.”

He sighed, his lips slowing. “How late will it go?”

“Two hours max.”

Chase lifted his arm and checked his watch. “We’re already twenty-five minutes in.” He breathed heavily, still clutching me against him. “Meet me in the lobby after?”

My heart skipped a beat. “Sure.”

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