She’s organized. Calm. Capable. She has her own life. She doesn’t orbit anyone. She doesn’t need saving.
And Maddie likes her.
That matters.
Mason is still talking.
“Just don’t do anything stupid,” he says, clapping my shoulder.
But this idea doesn’t feel stupid.
It feels… possible.
I head for the showers.
Water pounds against tile. Steam blurs everything.
I rest my palms against the wall and let the noise fade.
Married.
The word shouldn’t land this easily.
But it does.
Because I trust her.
Because she’d protect Maddie like she protects everything else in her life.
Because she wouldn’t implode under pressure.
And yeah.
I’ve never once had to fake being attracted to her.
That part is a bonus.
Not the reason.
But a bonus.
I think about the end-of-season party two years ago.
Balcony.
Music inside.
Her too close.
The almost.
The line I didn’t cross because Mason was five feet away and because she deserved better than being a reckless choice after too many beers.
If that night had gone differently, this wouldn’t feel like a stretch.
It would feel inevitable.
I turn the water off.
