I bury my face in his chest and just breathe him in. He smells like soap and that specific Jackson scent I've memorized.
"I love you," I whisper against his hoodie.
"I love you too."
We stand here, just holding each other. No urgency, no rush, just this: two people who finally said the words they've been feeling for years, who finally made it real.
Eventually, I pull back. "I should go back upstairs before Emma gets suspicious."
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch lingering. "Four weeks."
"Four weeks," I repeat.
At the door, I pause with my hand on the handle and look back at him. He's still standing there, watching me with that expression that makes my chest ache—the one that says everything without saying anything at all.
"Thank you," I say. "For the pendant. For all of it."
"Always."
I slip out and head upstairs, my fingers finding the pendant through my shirt. It sits right over my heart, hidden but present.
Emma's still in the nursery when I find her, hanging tiny clothes in the closet.
"Everything okay?" she asks. "You were gone for a while."
"Yeah. Jackson just needed advice about something."
"About what?"
"Guy stuff. Don't worry about it."
She gives me a look but doesn't push. "Can you hand me those bibs?"
I help her organize while the pendant burns against my skin. Every time I move, I feel it shift, a constant reminder of what we just said to each other, of the promises we made without Emma knowing. Withoutanyoneknowing.
I'm his, and he's mine, and in just four weeks, everyone will know it.
27
JACKSON
It's been three weeks since I gave Maya the pendant, and everything feels different. Better, lighter, like we're finally on solid ground.
Maya wears it every day, hidden under her clothes. I catch glimpses of it sometimes. When she leans over and her shirt shifts, when she's getting dressed in my room after spending the night. The wolf is resting against her skin, right over her heart.
Mine.She's mine, and everyone knows it except the one person who matters most.
Playoffs start next week. We're the second seed in the division, facing off against a wild-card team that's hungry and dangerous. The pressure's insane—media constantly in our faces, fans expecting us to go deep, the weight of an entire city on our shoulders.
But I'm playing the best hockey of my life. Two goals in our last game, three assists in the game before that. Coach pulled me aside yesterday and said whatever I'm doing differently this season, keep doing it.
If he only knew.
Next week isn't just playoffs, though. It's also when Mayaand I tell Emma. The timeline we agreed on. One week until everything changes, until we stop hiding, until Emma knows her best friend and her brother are together. The thought makes my stomach tight, but I'm ready. We're ready.
Tonight's the last game before the playoffs officially begin. Home ice, packed arena, Maya in the family section, wearing my number under her jacket.
The energy in the locker room is different, electric in a way that only comes before the postseason. Everyone's focused, dialed in, going through their pre-game rituals with extra intensity.
