Page 99 of Lucky
“Yes,” she says dryly, “and that’s exactly why I said it.”
The door shuts behind her, and I feel the weight of everything—every hard practice, every lineup shift, every time we doubted ourselves—settle into tangibly fulfilling.
We’re in.
We made it.
I flop down beside Penn, still grinning, my hair soaked and helmet hanging from my fingers.
“You really had to go full dramatic-hero mode in the last ten seconds, huh?”he says.
“Would you expect anything less?”I smirk, unwrapping tape from my wrist.
“Not from you,” he admits.“You love the clutch spotlight.”
“I love that it means we’re in,” I say, and it comes out softer than I expect.“No stress.No what-ifs.No breaking my playoff streak.”
Penn nods.“You earned it.”
I nudge him lightly with my shoulder.“Speaking of things I want to earn… any chance you and Mila might be up for a double date sometime?”
Penn turns, one brow raised.“Double date?”
“Yeah, you know,” I shrug, playing it casual.“Dinner.Drinks.Maybe bowling if we want to feel wildly uncoordinated.”
Across the room, Atlas yells, “Lucky Branson requesting a double date?Who even are you?!”
Kace joins in, singing, “He’s in looooove…”
“Shut up,” I mutter, but I’m laughing too.
Penn watches me for a second, then says, “You’re serious.”
“I am,” I say, more firmly now.“I just… I like Winnie.A lot.And I don’t want to miss any of it.I want to experience all the normal stuff.Group hangouts.Weekends off.Holding her hand in a restaurant.All of it.”
Penn doesn’t tease.Doesn’t smile.
He nods.
And when he speaks, it’s quiet, but it cuts to the center of everything.
“Then trust a man who knows something about this and don’t waste a single minute of it.”
I blink, caught off guard by how deeply that lands.
He’s the guy who almost lost everything—his career, his peace and the woman who brought him back to both.He knows what it’s like to love someone and nearly lose the chance to tell them.
“I won’t,” I say, and I mean it.
Penn holds out his fist and I bump it.“And yeah… we’d love to go out with you and Winnie sometime.”
Across the locker room, Stone somehow ends up with a bottle of champagne.He pops the cork and starts spraying everyone.We’re heading back on the red-eye flight tonight, but I’m sure there will be plenty more celebration on the plane.I’ll toast the win, laugh with the guys—but my head’s already spinning on to what comes next.
Quality time with Winnie.
CHAPTER 32
Winnie
