Page 109 of The Love Dare
Good for them.
They deserve each other.
She can’t hear what her brother is saying, but by his facial expression and the way he propels Liam back toward the front door, she can imagine it’s along the lines offuck you. Herformer tormentors are friends with some of Alex and Tyler’s old teammates, so they probably heard about this through them and decided to come in search of drama or clout. Honestly, Winnie can’t be bothered to find out which. Alex can handle it. She’s not letting any of these people get in the way of her happiness for one second longer.
Winnie finds Tyler through the crowd. He’s talking to his mom. She approaches casually, trying not to interrupt. But the moment Ms. Briggs sees her, she clutches Tyler’s arm and they both turn. Winnie offers a little wave as she closes the distance, suddenly unsure.
“You look divine,” the older woman says.
“Oh, thanks.” Winnie shrugs and gives the dress a little swish, just to do something with her hands. For all the time she’s known Tyler, his mom is somewhat of a mystery. “It’s quite literally entirely Tyler’s doing.”
“Yes, well…” Ms. Briggs trails off with a soft laugh, hinting at discomfort. Winnie can’t help but notice how her fingers are also twisted in her skirt. She swallows anxiously, glancing quickly up at Tyler before turning back. “I can’t tell you how much it means for me to be here. I hope it’s okay— I hope you don’t mind?—”
“No,” Winnie cuts in, all of a sudden realizing what this is. “Never.” His mom is worried—that Winnie knows too much, that Winnie won’t give her a second or third or fourth chance the way her son has, that Winnie won’t want her around after everything she’s done. And yes, Winnie can’t say she adores the woman, knowing how she treated her son and the environment he was forced to grow up in. But that’s not her decision to make. It’s his. So she takes his mother’s hands. “I’m so happy you could come. I’m so happy you were a part of this.”
And she is, for Tyler’s sake if not fully her own.
“Thank you,” Ms. Briggs says, her voice thick with emotion. Moisture gathers in her eyes as she pulls Winnie in for a tighthug. “Thank you,” she whispers again, for Winnie’s ears alone. “For this, and for all the times you were there when I wasn’t.”
Ms. Briggs eases away, but Winnie clutches at her forearms to stop her, holding her there for a second, not sure what to say as she looks into those blue eyes that are so similar to Tyler’s. There’s so much more to this conversation than what can be said right now, in this crowd, in this celebration, and Ms. Briggs seems to know it. But her gaze holds a promise that one day, no matter how triggering or uncomfortable or difficult, the three of them will face that reckoning together.
She squeezes Winnie’s hands with a nod, then reaches up to stroke Tyler’s cheek before skating away to give them their privacy.
“I honestly didn’t realize we had so many friends,” Tyler says with a laugh as he pulls her into his arms. “I don’t know how we’re ever going to get out of here.”
Winnie slides her hands up his chest and clasps them around his neck. “Are we…” She widens her eyes in mock surprise. “Popular?”
Tyler fakes a gag. “God, I hope not.”
“Do we make a run for it?”
“Not on your life, Win,” he practically growls, dipping his lips to her ear as he tightens his arms around her. “I’ve been dreaming about skating with you under this ridiculous disco ball since I was about fourteen, so I’m damn well going to make sure it happens.”
“Is that so?” she asks slyly.
Tyler nips at her neck as if punishing her insolence.
Happy laughter trickles from her lips as she pushes against his chest and takes him by the hands instead. “Then show me what you got, Briggs.”
He steals her away for a skate, then a dance, glaring at anyone who even thinks about interrupting. They kiss. Theytalk. They laugh. They never let go of each other for the rest of the night. It’s the perfect combination of comforting nostalgia and electric novelty, her heart warm, but her body on fire with every touch, every glance. When he can’t take it anymore, Tyler throws her over his shoulder and speeds across the ice, a man on a mission. Catcalls follow in their wake as her cheeks burn. Nina is the last person she makes eye contact with before they slip through the door. But there are no camera chases, no moves and countermoves, no demands. The producer simply tilts her champagne glass their way in a silent toast.
Because the show is over.
But forever has only just begun.
epilogue
5 YEARS AND 8 MONTHS LATER
Tyler glancesup at the scoreboard. Tie game. Thirty seconds left. A championship on the line—but more than that, a promise. He blinks away the sweat dripping from his brow, remembering what Winnie said as she stood in front of him on her tiptoes, holding his suit jacket in a death grip, trying with all her might to get him to eye level so she could stare directly into his soul.
You promise me, Tyler Briggs, that I will not have this baby alone. My doctor said I was dilated three centimeters this morning, and I can go into labor at any moment. You win this game tonight. You win this game, because if you leave me tomorrow to fly to fucking Montreal for game six and miss the birth of our son, I will take that cup and shove it so far up your ass, you’ll be the one in the hospital bed.
Tyler grits his teeth.
Angry Winnie is hot as hell. But angrypregnantWinnie? Yeah, she’s downright terrifying.
I have to end this game. Now.
