“Or maybe it was,” she says confidently.
“Peyton. Ash said the same thing when she called last night. You two are delusional. Hunter Storm is not a relationship guy. He told me so himself.”
“Hunter Storm never had you in his bed night after night,” Peyton says. “I bet he misses you. And you know what I heard? He lives alone.”
“What? Hunter can’t live alone. He doesn’t play well when he does.” I don’t mention where his issue stems from, although Peyton could probably guess.
“Well, he is. Cathy takes care of Theo when the boys go on road trips. She isn’t thrilled about it, but Hunter hasn’t found someone else he trusts yet. And the crazy thing? He’s still playing at an MVP level. Living alone isn’t screwing up his game anymore.”
“That’s so good to hear.” I smile wider than I have since I left New Orleans. “I’m thrilled for him. I’ve tried to catch a few of his games, but my rehearsals are really intense right now, and they’re always running late into the night. I know his stats are still off the charts, though.”
“Win?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s really going on?”
I sigh. “I’m not enjoying this, Peyton. Being back. Being the lead for what I thought was my dream role. I feel so ungrateful.”
“Maybe you’d rather be happy than a star,” she says.
“But this was the plan,” I say. “This was always the plan.”
“Maybe your plans have changed. Maybe you’ve changed.”
Maybe I have.
And just like that, I know what I have to do.
* * *
Hunter
Liam and I drive home from the airport in his truck. We just crushed Dallas and clinched the division in the process. I had one of the best games of the season with three goals and an assist.
All this good shit going on, and I’m in a crappy mood.
“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.”
