I also chose her song. I prop a shoulder against the wall, tuck my hands into my pockets, and settle in to watch.
As Sydney talks to the crowd and hypes up the second contestant, Nora scans the area and, just as Sydney hands her the microphone, she finds me.
Our eyes lock. I grin. Her eyes narrow.
And she starts to lip sync without looking at the lyrics they’re scrolling on the screen for her.
Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” never sounded so good.
She does just one verse.
I start walking toward her before she’s even finished.
I’m only a step away when she tosses the mic to Syndey and jumps into my arms.
I catch her, just like I did at the airport. This time, though, I’m not holding a bag. And I’m ready.
I crush her against my chest. “I love you, Wildflower,” I say against her ear.
“I love you too,” she says against my throat. “So much. I’m here. I’m staying. I left Rebel.”
I’m vaguely aware that the arena is losing its mind and Sydney is saying something about how she supposes this means Nora wins, but all I can really focus on is what Nora just said.
I reach up and cup the back of her head, tugging gently on her hair. She tips her head back.
“What did you say?”
“I left Rebel. I want to be with you. I’m moving to Portland.”
“You…don’t leave home.”
“Because I never had a good enough reason before. Now I do.”
I feel my heart squeezing so tight I almost can’t breathe. “No,” I say simply.
Her brows go up. “What?”
“No. I love you, and I want to be with you, but not here.Weare going back to Rebel.”
She shakes her head. “No, really. I’m good. I’m good here.”
“As much as that thrills me, you don’t belong here. And I don’t belong here anymore either. Because we belong in Rebel, Wildflower. We belong at home.”
She sucks in a breath, and her eyes fill with tears. “Home?”
I squeeze her. “Yeah. Home. I love you so much. And Rebel needs you. I need you. And… I need Rebel.”
Her big brown eyes are even bigger than usual. “Really?”
“Of course, really. I’m an ex-hockey player turned coach here. In Rebel, I’m Alex. A guy who loves bananas andMonsters, Inc. and that crazy town, and their amazing Parks and Rec director, and who also happens to slap a puck around the ice sometimes.”
She slides down my body, but stands, smiling up at me so brightly I have to blink twice. “You’d rather play hockey in Rebel than coach in the pros? Really?”
I laugh. “I still don’t know that we should call thathockey.”
She grins. “Okay, fine. Bonkers hockey.”
I nod. “Yes. I’d rather play bonkers hockey.”
