Almost.
“What thing?” Elias asks him.
Ethan rolls his eyes at him. “You know, finding out they were always the one.”
“Oh yeah, they do.” Elias takes on a goofy expression. And he kind of looks like the Disney character Goofy, too.
I shake off the image and this nonsense. “You fellas are off your rockers. This won’t work.”
But then Luke surprises all of us. “I think it will. And you’re an idiot if you don’t try.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
BREE
Planning the Fire & Ice event kept me extremely busy and blissfully out of my head. Rebecca told Harper to act as my dedicated assistant until the extravaganza was over. More often than not, Harper and I wind up eating takeout at the arena while we work through dinner. Then we go home and crash, only to do it all over again the next day.
So far, this crazy scenario has kept me distracted, except when I’m lying in bed at night. That’s when he invades my thoughts. Not the Wade who’s my best friend, but the Wade who kissed me back as if I were…his.
I keep reliving the moment he took control, the feel of his lips against mine, tender yet passionate, capturing a part of me—of my heart—I didn’t even realize was waiting to be claimed. And I can’t stop remembering how natural it felt to be in his arms, as if I belonged there all along.
Like it was just a matter of time…
But the moment I try to picture us as more than best friends, I backpedal—afraid this is all just a reaction to realizing how Wademight’vefelt about me for years.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve shaken off this line of thinking because I wind up spiraling down into a place where nothing makes sense. It’s like the harder I try to zero in on what I’m feeling for Wade, the more everything slips out of focus, blurred and hazy.
How do I know if these growing feelings for him are real, or simply a reaction to what my new friends insist is true—that Wadelovesme? We’ve always been close, the best of friends. Could they be mistaking that friendship for something more than what it is?
With the Fire & Ice event looming closer, I’ve had to turn down Wade’s invitations to ‘hang out’—whatever that means for us right now. Even though we haven’t exactly had a lot of time together lately, our brief interactions at work feel…different as if something’s building between us.
That’s the problem. I don’t know how to define us, or what’s happening between us. Sure, I’m attracted to Wade. I mean, most women are. The man is a total smoke-show, no argument there.
The other downside of being this busy? No real time to spend with him, so I can figure out if we could actually be ‘a we.’ Until this event is over, I can’t risk losing my focus. Rebecca and Zach have entrusted me with most of the details, and I don’t want to let them down. Everything needs to go perfectly.
I refocus on the spreadsheet on my computer screen, checking the application count for the All Goalies Game. Zach had the idea of not just one game but four, with four teams battling for a trophy he’s having specially designed for the event.
The first day will feature two games, followed by the Date a Hockey Player auction in the evening. Then on Sunday, the two winning teams will play for the trophy. We also have events planned during both days for families to take part in and clinics for the local hockey youth wanting to up their skills. The marriedplayers, who for obvious reasons aren’t participating in the auction, will run those.
Considering the big weekend is less than a week away, and my to-do list keeps growing, I don’t see how I’ll settle the looming question about my feelings for Wade anytime soon. And maybe that’s for the best. I don’t want to get swept up in some imaginary fairy tale romance and lose my best friend, who probably thinks I’m avoiding him again.
I let out a long sigh. Maybe I am…avoiding him. Apparently, I’m the worst friend on the planet, too, because I should know better than anyone how he feels about the decision to sell their ranch, yet I haven’t pushed him to open up and talk about it.
Maybe because it still hits a raw place for me, too.
When I called Piper to check on her and Ellie, to see how they’re handling it, she sounded heartbroken but resigned. I understand the logic—Nana doesn’t want the grandchildren she raised like her own to give up their dreams. She knows firsthand what that kind of sacrifice means, and now she has a chance to live a little herself.
That woman has always inspired me to reach for my dreams, too. Although, I wonder if I settled for an easier path. Don’t get me wrong, I love the PR work I do, but sometimes I want to create something bigger, larger than life. The creative freedom Rebecca has given me has been wonderful, and I’ve loved planning these events for the Sun Kings, but there’s still a part of me that longs for something of my own.
Like the dream I had for my family’s ranch, to create a place where people could celebrate life-changing events like weddings and family reunions, or just spend a day experiencing new things like apple picking in an orchard, candle making in the barn, and horse or carriage rides through cozy paths lit with twinkle lights.
I remember sharing all of this with my parents only to get turned down, and I hadn’t even gotten to the best part—aholiday wonderland that included a mini Christmas village with local vendors, snow machines, and plenty of goodies like hot cocoa and spiced apple cider, as well as vendor booths filled with handmade and unique gifts perfect for shopping for loved ones.
What if I’d pushed harder, stood my ground, and made my parents see it would have worked? ThatIcould have made it work?
A knock at my office door draws my attention upward. Wade stands in the doorframe, staring at me. A sparkle dances in his eyes, making them appear more green than hazel, and his tilted smile makes my breath catch. He’s wearing a pair of dark denim jeans, belted, with a white cotton T-shirt tucked loosely in the front. The short sleeves hug his defined biceps, and he has one hand nestled into the top of his front pocket, drawing my eyes to the tattoo trailing over the corded muscles of his forearm.
Since when do I notice things like this about Wade? And has he always looked at me like that? Heat courses through me, and a longing that makes my heart squeeze so tight in my chest, I can’t breathe.
