Page 9 of Heart Checked By the Hockey Heartthrob

I swallow, hard. I don’t want to feel this. Don’t want to remember the way he used to hold my hand when I was nervous, or the way he looked at me like I was the only thing holding his world together.

“I would’ve waited,” I whisper. “If you’d just talked to me. You could’ve told me everything you just said right now, two years ago. We could’ve figured it out.”

“I didn’t think you’d want to wait.”

“Then you didn’t know me at all.”

The silence that follows is heavy. I close my eyes, wishing I could erase this moment, but also knowing I’ll remember it forever.

A low buzz kicks on above us. The emergency lights hum to life, flickering with a faint yellow glow. I blink against the sudden brightness.

And that’s exactly how Beckett and Abby find us.

We’re both standing still, faces flushed, breaths uneven. Not touching, but close. Too close.

“Everything okay?” Beckett asks, stepping into view with a flashlight in hand.

Wes takes a quick step back. My arms are already crossed.

“We’re fine,” I say tightly.

Abby raises her eyebrows. “Looks like something more than fine.”

“We were stuck,” I offer. “The toolbox jammed the door.”

Beckett bends down to check and gives a short nod. “Yeah, you weren’t getting out that way. Power’s back in some rooms. Fuse box tripped.”

“We’re good now,” Wes says.

I’m not so sure.

Just then, my phone buzzes in my back pocket bringing back from wherever my mind had taken me. I dig it out and glance at the screen.

“Ugh. Of course.”

Beckett tilts his head. “What’s up?”

“Hospital’s short-staffed. Emergency incoming. They need me to cover the late shift.”

“You want me to tell Jake that you can’t take him for the overnight?” Abby asks, instantly shifting to big-sister mode.

I nod. “Yes, please. You’re a lifesaver. I promised him an overnight at my place but tell him we will do it another day when I'm not called in to work.”

I find Jake curled on the couch with a blanket, one hand tucked beneath his cheek, the other gripping a plush hockey stick. My heart aches a little as I kneel beside him and gently brush the hair from his forehead.

“Hey, buddy,” I whisper.

He stirs, eyes fluttering open. “Aunt Abby?”

“I’ve got to go to the hospital, sweetie. Emergency. But you get to have a sleepover with me another night soon, okay?”

He yawns and nods, not even bothering to lift his head. “Can I have pancakes for breakfast?”

“You bet,” Abby says behind me. “Chocolate chips and whipped cream.”

That earns a sleepy smile from Jake before he drifts back off.

I stand slowly, and Abby squeezes my hand.

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