She pulls back, eyes shining, and I feel the happiness on her face through every bone in my body. I once thought it’d be an emotion I’d never feel again. That it was over for me. Reserved for other people, and mine had all dried up.
But she bloomed it in me once again. In the wasteland that my injury had created.
“No matter what happens now,” I tell her, “I want you to know that I am forever grateful that I took this job, just so I had the chance to meet you. And that I’m in this with you wherever life will take us from here.”
A tear slips from her eye and runs down her cheek. But she smiles, teeth gleaming, as she says, “We’re a team. We’re in this together.”
Together.
A team.
I like the sound of that.
We kiss a while longer before the water starts to run cold. I wash her hair for her before draining the tub, drying her off, and tucking her into bed. She protests when I try to leave, and I’m helpless to say no when she blinks at me with those big eyes of hers. Plus, it’s not like we have anything else to lose. I crawl into bed behind her and pull her into my chest. Her familiar scent consumes my every breath, and I relish in the fact that after today, after the scare of my fucking life, I get to hold her like this.
She’s safe. She’s here. She’s okay.
And she’s all mine.
40
Luke
“What the hell, man?” Sebastian asks as he approaches the high-top table I secured in the back corner of a pub. Despite it being in the heart of downtown Chicago, it’s pretty empty since it’s the middle of the day. “Why haven’t you been answering your phone?”
I gesture toward the empty barstool across from me. “I ordered you a beer.”
His mouth hangs open in exasperation. “Dude.”
“Just sit down. I’ll explain.”
He slides onto the stool and leans on the table. “We’ve all been looking for you since yesterday.”
To be fair to him, I’ve been ignoring my family’s calls since the game yesterday. I texted Seb to let him know I’d talk to him later but didn’t extrapolate.
“It’s been a crazy twenty-four hours, okay?” The bartender brings over our beers, and I take a long sip. Seb does the same, and I feel slightly guilty over the deep lines of exhaustion around his eyes.
“What happened?”
I set my beer back down and let the coldness seep into my hand. “I’m going to talk, and you’re just going to listen at first, alright? And please, remember that I’m your brother, and try to withhold judgment until I explain.”
“What the fuck did you do?” he asks with a bereaved sigh.
And finally, I tell him the whole story. About how Lennon and I met, about how I hated coaching at first and couldn’t stomach being around the sport again when I couldn’t be a part of it. About how Lennon pushed back on my indifference and began to draw me out more.
About how we started working together and the fire that had died inside of me slowly started to burn alongside hers. How I felt safe enough to tell her about Mom at the charity gala, and she listened to every word.
How she slowly became the only thing in my day that I looked forward to. How she made me laugh. How she made me excited about hockey again. How seeing her improve was more satisfying than any of my own achievements.
And most importantly, how I fell in love with her.
He listens intently, not interrupting like I asked, but his face says a thousand words. It ranges from shock, to dread, to chagrin, to finally some sort of bereft acceptance.
“What. The. Fuck. Little brother…” He scrapes his hands down his face and then holds his head in his hands. “Where do I even fucking start.”
I drain the last of my beer and motion to the bartender for another round. Maybe we should get something stronger.
Sebastian looks slightly ill as he looks at me. “Do you know what could’ve happened? What couldstillhappen if Alice decides to launch a full investigation?”
