I think about my feelings for her—I think about how much I love her.
I think about how I’ve never felt like this before. I smile constantly. I think about her all the time. Every time I’m around her, I need to have my hands on her. Kissing her, hugging her, cuddling her, smelling her hair.
When she smiles at me, it feels like my chest is going to cave in, but in a good way.
I love hersodamn much.
The urge to tell her vibrates through me. I can’t though. It’ll freak her out.
Yeah, we both admitted our feelings for each other and that we want to stay married to each other…but confessing my love for her feels a million times bigger than that.
I already feel like I’m pressing my luck with how well things are going. I don’t want to risk scaring her away by telling her I love her too soon.
I just need to wait a little longer, then I can tell her.
The guys and I strip off our gear and get ready to leave.
“You excited to marry your dream girl this weekend?” Xander asks Del.
The corner of Del’s mouth hooks up in a smile. “Fuck, yeah.”
We’re all leaving in a couple of days to head to Del and Ingrid’s wedding in Cabo.
We pack up our gear bags and head out of the rink. When we walk out the door, I see a familiar-looking college-aged guy standing off the side of the entrance.
Ryker frowns at him. “Nick, what are you doing here?”
Hearing his name rings a bell. That’s Nick St. George, Ryker’s younger brother. He plays hockey for Hollis University here in Denver. We’ve hung out with him a couple of times after Bashers games.
I should have recognized him sooner. He looks a lot like his brother. Same dark hair and eyes and tan skin. He’s as tall as Ryker too, at almost six-foot-four. Nick is leaner though. And he smiles more.
Nick flashes a cocky grin. “I need your help, big brother. Also, hey, guys. Good to see you.”
We all greet him.
Ryker exhales sharply, like he’s never been more annoyed. “What kind of trouble did you get yourself into now?”
Nick holds up a hand. “Hey, now. I’m not always in trouble when I come to you.”
Ryker tilts his head at him. “The last time you came to me, it was to give you a ride to the impound lot because your car got towed. Because you parked in a tow zone to hook up with a girl you met at some bar.”
Nick’s smug smile doesn’t budge. “Priorities, big brother. I’ll always prioritize spending time with a beautiful woman above everything else.”
I stifle a laugh. This kid is insanely cocky. He kind of reminds me of me when I was his age.
“You’re an idiot,” Ryker mutters. “So what do you want?”
“You’re not gonna believe this, but I need another ride to the impound lot,” Nick says through a shit-eating grin.
We all burst out laughing while Ryker rolls his eyes.
“How’d you get here without a car?” he asks his brother.
“My lady friend gave me a ride.”
“Why didn’t you just ask her to take you to the impound lot?” Ryker asks.
“She had to work. This was closer to where she needed to go.”
