Page 92 of Hockey Halloween
“Of course. Come on.”
I grab my coat, barely aware of what I’m doing. He follows suit, and together we push out the door into the cold. Just before it shuts, I glance back—one last look—and there she is. Maddy, wrapped aroundGunther like it’s exactly where she belongs.
“Oh, God,” I whisper as the door clicks shut.
Jaxon turns to me, his face softening. I shake my head. “I… I can’t go back to Gunther’s tonight.”
“You can stay with me. Or I’ll drive you to a hotel. Whatever you need.”
I look up at him through blurry eyes, guilt knotting in my throat. “I don’t want to put you out. You’ve already done so much tonight.”
He exhales hard, shoulders sagging. “I didn’t do enough, apparently.”
My chest aches. “What was I thinking?” I choke out. “Using you to make him jealous? I appreciate you going along with it and you did enough. But it was a stupid idea from the start.”
He studies me for a moment, then glances past me, a slow smile pulling at his lips. “Maybe not as stupid as you think.”
“What?” I turn to see what he’s looking at—and freeze.
Gunther.
Storming toward us, jaw tight, eyes burning with something wild and unspoken.
My breath catches.
Maybe this isn’t over.
“Paisley, wait. Please.” His jaw is tense, clenched like he’s wrestling something inside him. “What you just saw… heard…” He shakes his head, struggling for words. “She came out of nowhere. Surprised me. I wasn’t saying her name because I was thinkingabout her.”
His eyes flick between Jaxon and me, darting, uncertain. “She’s not the one I want,” he says, softer now. “You…”
I hold my breath, waiting for more. But he just stares at me, long, searching, like he’s trying to piece together something he doesn’t want to believe. Then, like a light fading, something shifts behind his eyes. Hurt gives way to heartbreak. And then… acceptance.
He exhales, voice rough. “I should go.”
He turns, but I step forward, reaching for him. “Wait. This isn’t what you think either.”
His brows knit. “What?” He leans in, his voice dropping low, meant only for me. “The act. The ruse…You got the guy you wanted, right?”
His words hit like a punch to the chest—not because they’re cruel, but because he meansthem. He’s letting me go, thinking that’s what I want.
I swallow hard. “I got the guy I wanted,” I whisper. “But only for a moment.”
That makes him pause. He looks at Jaxon again, confused. “I don’t get it.”
“It was you, Gunther. It’s always been you.” My voice trembles, but I keep going. “Melanie saw how we looked at each other. She told me to go for it. I didn’t believe you wanted me, that we had a future, until the fortune teller said something about my wolf howling. And I just knew she was talking about you.”
He’s frozen, gaze locked on mine.
“Melanie asked Jaxon to help, to play along,” I continue. “It was all just a game to make you jealous. So you'd see me as more than your best friend.”
He lets out a harsh breath, somewhere between disbelief and a bitter laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m not.”
There’s a beat, and then Jaxon gently claps Gunther on the shoulder. “Think I’ll head back inside,” he says quietly, then slips away, leaving just the two of us in the cold, quiet night.
“Paisley…” Gunther starts, voice low, rough. I step into him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders before he can overthink it.
