"My parents love you.They weren't successful with pairing you with Eli...Nate is their last hope."
I grab one of my throw pillows and smack her with it."Oh my god, maybe I should just stay home.The moms are going to be all over this."
Kenzie catches the pillow, laughing.“You’ll survive.Just wear something cute.I’ll pick you up.”
After she leaves, I throw myself into the kind of chores that don’t need thinking: laundry, sweeping, and rearranging the kitchen drawers for no reason.The house smells like lemon cleaner and soap, and the radio hums some slow country tune that feels too on the nose.
By the time I drag my last basket upstairs, the sun is already starting to dip, spilling honey light through the windows.
In the bath, I soak my sore body and decide to take the plunge and look at my social media.When I log in to the app, my notifications go haywire.Tags, shares, DM requests, and new followers seem excessive to me.I refreshed the app and checked for an update, but no, this is real.The tiny account I had created to feel connected to my dad, which I kept going to showcase the places and people I work with, has now blown up.I follow the threads and comments back to the Kodiaks' official account and scroll.Then the tags where I find videos of the incident with Rex that make my chest tighten.I decide to ignore it all and let my phone drop onto my pile of towels, sinking deep into my tub and soak in the silence.
Kenzie will be here any minute.I am rushing around tidying up and catch sight of myself in the mirror, hair down, soft waves brushing my shoulders, bruising fading to pale yellow in most places.My body’s still sore, but it’s a reminder, not a limitation.For the first time since the accident, I look likemeagain.
I pull on one of my favourite dresses, a vintage-style floral Western maxi, the hem uneven and wild.It makes me feel like I belong here, like I could walk into the golden hour and stay there forever.I add my old cowboy boots, run my fingers through my hair, swipe on a little mascara, and tell myself it’s not for him.
It’sabsolutelyfor him.
Kenzie’s horn honks twice.I step outside, and she whistles low, eyes wide.
“Okay, ma’am.You’re about to cause my brother heart problems.”
She’s all sunshine and ease, her hair piled high, her baby blue dress skimming her knees.She looks like she belongs on a postcard, and somehow, she still manages to makemefeel seen.
“Get in, hot stuff,” she says, grinning.“We've got an entrance to make.”
The Palmers' place looks like a Hallmark movie set come to life, long harvest tables strung with lights, dishes everywhere, laughter spilling out of every corner.Kids chase each other through the grass.Someone’s tuning a guitar.
And then there’s Nate.He spots me before I can even think about pretending, I don’t see him.His eyes darken, his smile is slow, deliberate.When I reach the tables, he’s already there, hand sliding to my waist like it belongs.
“You look beautiful,” he says, voice low, private.
“Thank you,” I manage, my heart doing its best to combust quietly.
He doesn’t let go of me all night, and I don’t ask him to.His thumb traces small circles at my hip while people come by to talk, his hand always there, a quiet tether.
When there’s a break in conversation, I lean in.“We need to talk.”
He looks instantly wary.“About?”
“The pictures.The press.The Kodiaks' social media looks like it could be my fan account right now.”
His jaw tightens for half a second before he schools it into that easy grin.“It’ll die down.Promise.”
“Nate...”
“It’s just off-season PR.Jamie’s been trying to show a different side of the team and fill the feed when we aren't playing hockey.You happened to be there.”
I raise an eyebrow.“Coincidentally?”
He hesitates just long enough for me to notice, then says, “Yeah.”
"Nate."
He kisses my forehead and brushes hair behind my ear, "I promise, it isn't anything you need to worry about.Trust me."
Something about it doesn’t sit right, but before I can push, Diane calls my name.
I swear he lets out a long exhale and then presses a kiss to my temple before I go.
