I glance down at her. “I love you, too.”
And then I ring the doorbell, nerves bouncing off in my stomach. We wait a few minutes but when the door is unlocked and opened, I steel myself for his reaction.
On the other side, a tall, familiar figure appears at the door. With a spot of gray at his temples and laugh lines in the corners of his eyes, stands my brother, recently retired and looking like the brother I grew up with, just older.
It takes him a few seconds, but when I see the recognition fall over his face, my stomach roils with anxiety.
“Halsey?” he says, his voice almost a whisper.
“Hey . . . Hayden,” I say.
And then, before I can even blink, he steps forward out onto the porch, wraps his arms around me, and pulls me into the biggest hug I’ve ever felt.
“Fucking hell, I missed you so much.”
And just like that . . . it feels like I’m not only surrounded by my older brother but by Holden as well. Fuck, this feels right.
Losing Holden was the toughest thing I’ve ever endured. But if I’ve learned one thing through such devastating loss, it’s that the sun still rises the next day. And the day after that. Life continues its motion. Waiting for your return.
It’s okay to stay in that darkness for a while. It’s okay to grieve your loss. Live the pain. Mourn.
But then, when you can, it’s time to climb out. When you can, it’s time to look at every element of your life and see that there is still joy in it.Even in the shape of four crazy-ass hockey players.
It’s time to lean on those who’ve walked alongside you.And if you’re really lucky, you might find a love that reaches deep inside, finds the pain-filled hole, and holds it. Shares it with you. Carries it. I have no idea what I ever did to deserve Blakely White’s love, but I will treasure it for the rest of my days.
