“Referring to whom?” Cal asks.
I take his hand and kiss it. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
Cal nods, but my gaze flicks between Jeremy and Rex. They did go to search for us together. Is it possible something happened between them?
“Let’s get out of here,” I say.
“Deal.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Cal
Bright lights move through the Blizzards Arena to the rhythm of a cheerful pop song, and I follow the usher. Sebastian Archer is already seated, and he waves to me. Sebastian is dating Luke Hawthorne, the brawny, blond, impossibly sweet hockey player who made headlines when he went on a dating show and ended up picking Sebastian, the host.
“I heard you might show.” He pats the seat beside him. “Welcome! Great interview by the way.”
I chuckle. “It was public.”
“Luke and I are glad to see Jason happy. I didn’t know Jason’s lips were capable of moving upward.”
We chatter happily together. Sebastian is in the entertainment industry, and by the time the players get on the ice, I’ve already arranged for Jason and me to go to dinner with Luke and him.
“There’s Jason,” Sebastian points as the second line takes the ice. “They’ve been playing well together,” Sebastian continues. “Luke says Jason’s like a different player since he came back from Fiji.”
I watch Jason streak down the ice, his movements fluid and confident. He’s always been a consistent player, but Sebastian’s right—there’s something different about him now. He seems more present, more engaged with his linemates.
As if to prove Sebastian’s point, Luke sets up a perfect pass that Jason receives in stride. He dekes around a defender and fires a shot that goes just wide of the net.
“Ooh, close!” Sebastian cheers.
The period continues with fast-paced action. Jason gets several more good shots, and I find myself holding my breathevery time he touches the puck. It’s different watching him play now that I know him, now that I love him.
Midway through the second period, Jason’s line is back on the ice. Luke wins the faceoff and slides the puck back to the defenseman, who immediately sends it up to Jason on the wing. He makes a perfect cross-ice pass to Luke.
Luke controls the puck and heads toward the net, but the goalie is ready for him. Instead of shooting, Luke shoots the puck back to Jason, who’s trailing the play.
Jason doesn’t hesitate. He fires a shot that finds the top corner of the net with surgical precision.
The arena explodes. Sebastian jumps up beside me, cheering wildly, and I find myself on my feet too, yelling Jason’s name.
On the ice, Jason’s linemates mob him in celebration. Luke pulls him into a bear hug while the rest of the team crowds around. Jason’s grin is visible even from our seats, and he looks up toward the crowd, toward me, and gives a small wave.
My heart practically bursts.
The game continues, and when the final buzzer sounds and the Blizzards celebrate their 3-2 victory, I watch Jason embrace his teammates with joy. This is what he was always meant to be. He’s no longer the angry, isolated player who kept everyone away. He’s engaged, supportive, and one of the team.
“He looks happy,” Sebastian observes.
“Yes.” I watch Jason skate toward the tunnel, smile in place. “He does.”
“You know,” Sebastian says as we gather our things, “Luke was worried about him for a while. Jason barely talked to anyone. It’s nice to see him connecting with the team.”
As we make our way down to wait for the players, I can’t stop smiling. Jason scored tonight. He looked genuinely happy out there.
And tonight, I get to congratulate him in person.
Life is incredible.
