"I'm in," Ward says.
Petrov cocks a brow and points a finger at his chest. "Me?"
I nod, laughing and shaking my head. I can't believe I'm about to do this, but for Brooke, I'd do anything. "Yeah, Storm," I say, scratching the back of my head. "For what I have in mind, I'll definitely needyou."
37
Brooke
"Hey, Brooke!”
Walking toward the locker room, a voice calls from behind me.
"Max?” I ask after spinning around to find the Flames' equipment manager jogging down the hall.
"Yeah." He continues toward me as he talks. "Drew asked me to find you and let you know that he and a few of the guys are getting some reps in on the ice.”
"After the game?”
Max stops in front of me, exhales heavily, and places his hands on his hips. "Yeah, something about making up for lost time today. You know how the boys are.”
"Oh, uh, okay." I look around unnecessarily as if the walls might tell me what to do now. "Did he say if I should wait?”
Max nods, his eyes bright. "He actually said you should join them when you get here. Behind the bench or whatever.”
"Um, alright.”
I clear my head of all the expectations I had for when I finally saw Drew again, my mind racing as it attempts to pivot. Max shoots me an easy grin like he always does despite the situation and turns on his heel.
"It's propped open!" he calls from over his shoulder.
It takes so long to realize what he's talking about that he's almost out of sight before it clicks. "Thank… you..." My voice fades off as I yell to him, waving awkwardly to the back of his head as he rounds the corner of the hall.
Shifting in a half circle, still thrown off, I turn back around. I walk past the locker room, continuing down the hallway toward the door Drew and I so recently escaped to.
The door that leads to the ice.
Andto the penalty box.
After Drew left this afternoon, I felt on top of the world. He came. And he's staying. And he's… falling in love with me?ThatI didn't expect. All of it was a toss up really, but to hear those words come from his mouth, took me by surprise. Since then, I haven't stopped thinking about what he said.
"You have no idea what it feels like to be falling in love with you, Mystery Girl."
Just like Drew, it was bold and unexpected. But also like him, it was familiar and comfortable. I would've thought hearing that would scare me—especially after the last twenty-four hours and everything we've been through. But instead of wanting to run, I wished I could wrap myself in his words like a blanket.
The truth is, I'm not sure I knew how I felt until he said it out loud. I want to fall in love, that's been my plan all along. But I guess I didn't realize it would feel the same as it did when I met Alex or saw Selah as a newborn. Every relationship I mistook for love in the past, I had free fallen into—heart racing, head spinning—a complete loss of gravity. But maybe those weren't real. Or this is just what growing up really feels like. Because when Drew told me how he felt, it wasn't a cliff dive. It was a warm, steady hum.
And just like that, I knew.
I feel the same.
But now, nerves hit that I wasn’t expecting. This will be the first time the guys are around us since that moment. And since we can be together.
How do I act?
What do I say?
Why do I suddenly not know what to do with my hands?
