Ledger, who’d been hanging back, stepped forward. “I’m glad to see you sober, man. Dirks has mentioned you might want to help out at the camp.”
My eyebrows furrowed as I looked up at Jer. “You do?”
Jer’s shoulders lifted in a half shrug, like he hadn’t planned on talking about it yet.
“You didn’t know?” Nova chimed in as she came up beside me, Ollie right behind her.
“No . . . I had no idea.”
Jer glanced down at me, a little sheepish. “I texted Dirks a few times to see if maybe we could chat about a new job. I’m tired of working where I am.”
The conversation around us kept moving—Ledger saying something to Austin, Nova introducing Ollie—but my mind stayed locked on Jer’s words, on the fact that he’d reached out, that he was thinking about a future that didn’t involve running from his past.
I knew it wasn’t embarrassing that I’d forgiven him so quickly. It wasn’t weakness, or desperation, or some reckless, love-drunk choice. It was because I loved him. Because even after the distance, even after the hurt, I saw him—not the mess he’d been, but the man standing in front of me now, trying. That was what true love really was—knowing someone’s worst, and still believing in their best.
53
jeremy
If you’d told me years ago I’d be standing at a rooftop party in the middle of Chicago, talking to Austin like we hadn’t spent years avoiding each other, I’d have laughed in your face. Or told you to go to hell.
“Remember that game in Detroit when you blew your skate blade in the first period?”
“Yeah, and you had to take double shifts while I sat there, waiting for the equipment guy to work his magic. I still feel bad about that.”
Ledger smirked. “Still better than the time you two decided to race after practice and you”—he pointed at me—“wiped out so bad you took half the bench down with you.”
Austin barked a laugh. “Man, I forgot about that. Took us twenty minutes to clean up the mess.”
“Good times,” I said, though part of me still felt the sting of those bruises.
We talked for a while about the old days—road trips, games that went into triple overtime, dumb bets on who could hit the crossbar from the far blue line.
Eventually Austin asked, “So, what’ve you been doing since?”
I told them about my job—how it paid the bills, but wasn’t where I wanted to stay—and admitted I’d reached out to Dirks recently about maybe making a change.
Ledger nodded, his expression genuine. “Yeah, man. Reach back out. We’ll see what we can do.”
Something in my chest loosened. “Thanks.”
The rest of the night blurred—faces coming and going, conversations overlapping until the music softened and the rooftop started to empty.
By the time the last guests left, it was me, Luna, and Dirks. We kicked off our shoes and sat at the pool’s edge, letting the cool water lap at our ankles. The city glowed all around us, the black-and-red Chicago Ravens decor still clinging to the railings and tables.
Luna leaned back on her hands, looking between us. “What a day.”
I exhaled, watching the ripples spread out from our feet. “I loved today.”
Luna smiled, shifting closer until her shoulder brushed mine. “We should do something Monday. Just us. Maybe head to the lake or get out of the city for a day.”
I shook my head. “Can’t. I’ve gotta go close the estate.”
Her eyes flicked to mine, and before I could say more, Dirks leaned forward. “You need to go, too.”
“I can’t,” she said quietly.
“Please, Luna... after all this time, fucking please.” The words tore straight out of my chest. I didn’t even know how to beg properly, but I needed her more than ever.
