“What’s up your ass?” Liam growls as we stop at a light.
“Nothing. Fuck you.” I look out the window and smile when I see the storefront of Les Anderson’s studio.
Everything these days reminds me of Winter. When I come across a hair tie that she left behind in the bathroom. When I smell her shampoo on the pillow she slept on in my bed. When I find her favorite jar of almond butter still in the refrigerator. God, I miss her. And like a stubborn ass, I haven’t called her once.
“You’re a dumbass, you know that?” Liam turns off the main road and onto the side street toward his house. “Why’d you let her go?”
“This is the role of a lifetime for her,” I say. “What did you expect me to do—stop her from living her dream?”
“You’re even dumber than I thought,” Liam says. “I wasn’t talking about holding her back. I was talking about staying together even while she’s in New York.”
I turn away from the window and look at him. “Like a long-distance thing?”
“Yes, you stubborn fool. A long-distance ‘thing.’ God, and she puts up with you?” He chuckles.
“I don’t know if I can do that,” I say as I mull over the concept. “Long-distance.”
“You haven’t even so much as looked at another woman since Winter left town. You’re seriously worried you’re going to cheat on her?”
“No, not at all. I just mean that I can’t figure out how we’d work between New York City and New Orleans. Not to mention all the travel that hockey entails.”
“If you analyze how a relationship is or isn’t going to work, you’ll never get past the starting gate,” Liam says. “Just ask yourself this—do you love her? If so, stop fucking around and go get her.”
Christ.He’s fucking right.
* * *
Winter
Rehearsal goes extra late tonight.Good thing the New Orleans Fire had the night off so I didn’t miss another game. I stare down at my phone the entire cab ride to my apartment. My finger hovers over Hunter’s contact information.
I want to call him and hear his voice.
I settle for a text.
How are you? I miss you and Theo.
The message goes through, but I don’t hear back from him.
The taxi pulls up to the curb outside my building, and I pay the driver and hop out.
I’m walking slowly toward my door when I see a figure sitting on the front steps. It’s dark, and the shadows of the nearby oak tree block his face from view.
Hoping it’s not some guy looking to get into the building when he doesn’t have a key, I pick up my pace as I plan to scoot past him. I keep my head down and take a wide angle so I don’t need to get close to him.
When I’m a few feet away, I hear, “Hey, Princess.”
I look over at the man who’s in the middle of rising to his feet. As he steps out of the shadowy backdrop, I see him.
Those unmistakable green eyes that look at me like lasers; a strong jaw with a five o’clock shadow; a smile playing around his lips, and one hand running through his dark hair. His dark suit and white shirt look sexy as hell.
“Hunter!” I hurl myself into his arms, and he catches me.
We cling to each other for a few seconds, and when he finally puts me down on the ground, I can’t stop smiling at him.
“You look so good,” I say.
“So do you.” He touches my cheek. “You’re tired, though.”
