Page 109 of Pucking Tangled
And if that makes you uncomfortable, ask yourself why love offends you more than cruelty does.
I won’t explain myself or my relationship again.
May you all have the day you deserve.”
She resisted the urge to flip the middle finger and hit post.
Her hands shook a little, but her chest felt lighter. Her breath came easier. She didn’t look up right away—but she didn’t need to.
Because the second she clicked the button, Casey’s hand landed on her shoulder, grounding and warm.
“Proud of you,” he said, his voice rough.
Waylon stepped forward, leaned down, and kissed the crown of her head. “That’s our girl.”
Owen took her hand and squeezed it. “You didn’t just reclaim the story,” he murmured. “You rewrote it.”
“We have something you’re going to want to see,” Luca said, taking her hand.
They all walked into the living room with her.
Waylon sat on the sofa and tugged her into his lap.
Luca sat right next to them and pulled her feet onto his thighs.
Owen and Casey sat on the opposite end, with Casey in Owen’s lap. Owen grabbed the remote and turned on the tv.
“Should I be nervous?” she teased, feeling slightly uneasy. Honestly, she wasn’t sure she’d feeleasyabout anything for quite some while.
The screen blinked to life, and then paused on a video of Luca sitting in his room, his face unreadable to Mia, but also so achingly familiar in a way that made her heart lurch.
“What is this?”
Instead of anyone answering, Owen simply pressed play.
“Hey. It’s Luca Blackford. You all know me as the rookie defenseman for the Barn Raisers…”
It didn’t take long for her to figure it out.
Her hands covered her mouth. Tears filled her eyes.
“Luca,” she glanced over at him.
“Keep watching.” He nodded toward the TV.
Owen’s face filled the screen next.
“If you came here for gossip, I’ve got nothing for you. But if you’re looking for a man who’ll protect the people that he loves, you found him.”
“When did you…” she trailed off, unable to finish her question.
“We couldn’t wait for the world to figure out how wrong they were,” Waylon said as he popped upon the screen next.
Mia laughed through a sob. “Of course, you’re shirtless.” She playfully smacked his chest. He kissed her cheek.
He also looked like he was about to climb through the screen and kick anyone’s ass who dared to disrespect what they had.
His voice echoed from the speakers:
