"I—" He stops. "Thank you. For staying."
That wasn’t what he was going to say. I heard it in his voice, heard the words he swallowed back.
"You're welcome."
I should feel guilty, should feel wrong for lying to Emma, for sneaking around in her house.
Instead, I just feel safe.Complete.
I feel as though I’m finally home.
25
JACKSON
Montreal in February is brutal, we're on the last leg of a three-game road trip, and I'm already exhausted. Not from the games, we've won one, lost one, and I've played well—two goals and four assists. Coach is riding the high of us climbing to second in the division. I'm exhausted from missing her.
Playoffs are six weeks away, and every game matters. The pressure's intense: media asking about our chances, fans getting louder, the whole team feeling the weight of expectations. This is what we've worked for all season. And all I can think about is Maya.
The hotel room is generic with beige walls, white sheets, and a view of downtown Montreal, which I'm not even looking at. Chase is in the other bed, scrolling through his phone, probably texting Emma. I want to text Maya, but we're being careful, nothing too revealing, nothing that would raise suspicion if Emma happened to see. But I need to hear her voice.
"I'm going for a walk," I tell Chase.
He looks up. "It's eleven at night and freezing outside."
"Can't sleep. I need to clear my head."
"You've been weird the whole trip." He studies me. "Missing someone?"
I don't answer, just grab my jacket and leave.
The hotel has a business center on the second floor that's empty this late. I find a corner, pull out my phone, and call her.
She answers on the second ring. "Jackson?"
Hearing her voice makes my chest ache, that familiar pull that's been constant since I left. "Hey."
"Is everything okay? You never call."
"I know. I just… I needed to hear you."
There's a pause, and I can almost see her curling up in my bed, phone pressed to her ear. "I'm glad you called. I've been thinking about you."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Emma showed me the highlights from tonight's game. That assist in the third period was beautiful."
"It was a pass."
"It was art, Ice Capades. Own it."
I smile despite myself, despite the distance, despite everything. "How are you? How's therapy?"
"Good. Really good, actually. Dr. Mills thinks I'm ready to start looking at nursing jobs. Not rushing, just exploring options."
Pride swells in my chest, warm and fierce. "Maya, that's incredible."
"It's terrifying. But the good kind of terrifying. Like I'm finally ready to try again."
