“No, but let’s come back to that down the road.” His smile is magnificent; infinite blue skies. Cotton candy sunsets. “Do you remember when we talked about bucket lists?”
“Yes.” I cross my legs. “You said you weren’t sure what would be on yours.”
“I figured it out.” Brody hands over the notebook. “Take a look.”
My hands shake as I open the front cover, finding my name on the lined paper. I flip to the next page, and it’s more of the same. Over and over again, hundreds and hundreds of times,Hannah Everettis written in his tiny, compact scrawl. Blue pen, red pen. A couple page of pink too.
“I don’t understand.” I trace the swoop of his letters. Run my fingers over every word. “It’s my name.”
“You don’t think you’re enough for me, Hannah? Baby, you’re fuckingeverythingto me. I don’t want anything if you’re not there. That’s it.”
My bottom lip trembles. Another tear falls, staining the paper and making the ink bleed. “You are such a romantic,” I whisper, and his laugh is the sweetest sound.
“I’m not finished.” He hands over the shoebox. “If there’s ever a day where you’re wondering if I’m thinking about you, I want you to look in here.”
I set down the notebook and take the box, careful to work off the top. Inside are dozens of small plastic bags, each tied with a thin pink ribbon. I pick one up and find a keychain inside.
It’s one from Nevada,beam me up, Scottywritten under AREA 51. The next is one from Cleveland. I find one from Atlanta. Another from San Diego. Three from New York.
“Is this what Liv was talking about?” I sort through each one, laughing at some unique ones. “The things you bring home with you?”
“From every road game since you told me you collected them. I went out in each city, trying to find the best ones.” Brody laughs. “You are always on my mind.”
“Brody.” I set the keychains down and scoot the box out of the way. “You are the most perfect man.”
“And you are the most perfect woman. I know how Grant reacted wasn’t ideal, and if you need some time apart to process it, I get it.
“No.No. I don’t want any time apart.” I reach for him, greedy when he leans against the pillows. When he gathers me in his arms and sets me in his lap, his mouth on my neck. “I think it’sbest if Grant and I cool off for a bit. What you said was right. I know he does mean well, but it’s going to take time for us to tackle this.”
“I have to be honest with you, Han. If he talks to me like that in front of the team, I’m going to have to bench him. I’d do the same with any of the guys, but I’ve built a locker room based on respect, and that?—”
“Wasn’t respectful,” I finish for him. “I know. And I’m sorry he made that comment about being a father to two daughters. That was out of line.”
“Before you and I hooked up the first time, that was one of the reasons why I told myself we couldn’t be together. You were too young. The fucking joke is on me because you’re mature, levelheaded, and way more articulate than me.”
“You wrote my name in a notebook, Brody. We know who the more articulate one is.” I take a beat, trying to process the last three hours. The enormity of what Brody and I shared with each other and howhurtI feel by Grant’s words. “Will you get in trouble with the team after tonight?”
“For, what? Dating someone’s sister? Please. The league wouldn’t fucking dare to punish me when some of the pieces of shit out there who have sexual assault allegations against them are still playing.” Brody brushes a piece of hair away from my face., tucking it behind my ear. “God, Hannah.” He kisses my shoulder, my collarbone. “I love you so fucking much.”
His phone rings from somewhere on the floor, and I pat his hand. “Go answer it,” I say.
“Are you sure?” he asks. “Might be a call that takes up thirty minutes of my time.”
“I’m sure. Tonight was a big night. Don’t let what Grant said overshadow it.”
Brody kisses me again and shifts out from behind me, swiping his phone off the ground. He joins me back on the bed, answering the call and hitting speakerphone.
“Maverick,” he says.
“Hey, Coach. I, ah, heard about what happened with you and Grant. I just wanted to make sure you were good?”
“He told the team?” Brody groans. “Fucking Christ.”
“No.No. When I saw him throwing his stick in his stall, I pulled him aside and got him to tell me what was going on. No one else knows.” Maverick coughs. “Okay, Hudson knows. But only because I needed his advice. This is way out of my wheelhouse.”
“I’m fine. This doesn’t change anything going forward with the team unless Everett starts breaking our code of conduct.”
“Understood. He was cooling off when he left the arena, and Ethan offered to drive him home.”
