Page 96 of Lucky Shot
“How’s that coming?” he asks, thankfully letting the inquisition on my time with Ruby drop.
“Good. She’s almost done. Today might be our last session together.”
“That’s too bad.”
Aidan’s footsteps sound above on the second floor.
“The whole point of her being here was to finish the book, so I’d say that’s a good thing.” I grab a banana for the drive and head to the bottom of the stairway to meet Aidan.
“Did you already eat?” I ask him, even though I saw evidence of his cereal bowl in the dishwasher. Actually, it might have been Dad eating the Froot Loops.
“Yep.” His dark hair falls into his eyes.
“You need a haircut.”
“Mom will take me this weekend.”
“Shit. Right. Her birthday.” Every year Aidan stays over on her birthday. It’s the only thing she ever asks for.
“We need to get her a present still,” Aidan reminds me.
“We’ll do it tonight.” I hold open the door and step out behind him. Ruby sits on the front porch. Her laptop rests across her thighs as she stares at it, a divot between her brows.
At the sound of the screen door, she glances up.
“Hey.” She beams as she closes her computer and stands. “Morning.”
“Morning,” I reply as my chest tightens. Maybe it’s because Dad and I were just talking about it, but the reminder that she’s leaving soon is hitting me. I went from wishing she’d leave to enjoying seeing her every morning.
To be honest, I’ve tried my hardest not to overthink the connection I feel to her. I knew it wouldn’t be a one and done kind of thing from the second I kissed her, but I don’t know how to navigate whatever it is we’re doing while knowing she’s only here a short time.
At the rink, the three of us get on the ice together. Ruby’s come a long way. She still manages to find creative ways to fall ornearly injure herself (and sometimes me) but when Aidan tries to teach her a backhand shot, she picks it up fast.
“Coming for my job yet,” I say as I circle around her.
“Maybe I should start teaching you mine. A backup option for you.” All sass and tease.
“I promise you that no one wants to read anything I write.”
“A hockey memoir, perhaps?”
“Not even that.”
“You can do anything you want, Galaxy. Don’t let the world crush your dreams.”
I come to a stop in front of her, spraying ice to the side like Travis had done to impress her. “I think I’ll stick to what I’m good at.”
Grinning, she closes the distance between us. I flick my gaze to Aidan, but he’s not paying us any attention. I wrap an arm around her and drop my lips to hers. Her mouth is warm and inviting. I pull back way before I want.
“A hockey Kama Sutra?” She arches a brow in question.
I’m still thinking about the feel and taste of her, so the words take a moment to register. When they do, I chuckle.
“It’s a good idea. If you’re not into it, maybe Travis wants to work with me on it.”
“The fuck he does.” He would absolutely be on board, which is why I’ll have to kill my best friend if she goes through with it.
She laughs as I tug her tighter to me.
