The quiet stretches between us. A restless energy swoops through me. My brain is going crazy trying to think of how I can make this right.
I scoop her hand in mine. “I’m so sorry for saying that. I’m so, so sorry for hurting you. I’ll hate myself forever for it.”
She blinks and her expression eases. “I believe you.”
I let out a shaky breath, relieved.
She gazes at our joined hands for a moment, then looks back up at me. “You had a crush on me in college?”
“Yeah. I was so into you. I mean, I tried to readWar and Peacejust so I could talk to you.” The corner of my mouth hooks up. “I thought the second I admitted that to you, you’d know.”
That smart little mouth of hers curves up in a small smile.
“I even wrote you a letter sophomore year confessing my feelings for you.” My face is hot as I admit this. “I stuck it to the windshield of your car, but I don’t think you ever got it. It must have blown away or something.”
She blinks a few times like she’s shocked. “Wait, that was from you?”
“Yeah. Hold on, you got the letter? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know it was from you. You didn’t sign your name.”
I didn’t even realize that. Wow, I was a moron. “I was pretty nervous when I wrote it. I guess I forgot to sign my own name.”
She flashes a warm smile, like she thinks it’s sweet.
“I thought the guy I was dating at the time wrote it for me,” she says. “When I told him how much I loved his letter, he looked so surprised. I guess it makes sense now why he looked so clueless. He took the credit, though.”
I chuckle. “That bastard.”
Kendall bites her lip. “I can’t believe you had a crush on me in college.”
I give her hand a gentle squeeze. “Why can’t you believe it? You were hot, smart, funny, and cool to hang out with.”
Her full cheeks flush as she smiles. “Since we’re confessing things…” She clears her throat. “I had a crush on you in college too.”
My brow hits my hairline. “Seriously?”
She nods.
“But you only dated the smart guys,” I say. “I never saw you go for athletes. I only ever saw you with guys who had perfect GPAs and talked like they memorized a thesaurus.”
The look in her eyes turns shy as she gazes at me. “I had a type. But then I met you.” She bites her lip. “You were this hot, funny, charming hockey player. And, um, your body…”
I gently tuck a chunk of her hair behind her ear, grinning. “What about my body?”
She bites her lip. The blush on her cheeks deepens. “So many muscles. I wasn’t used to that.”
My ego swells. I can’t help but grin. “You liked my muscles.”
She nods.
“Do you still like my muscles, firecracker?”
She nods again.
“Good. Because I may be a dumbass, but I’ve got plenty of muscles.”
I drop my hand to her waist, pulling her against me.
