Which actually makes the thought of not being with him hurt a whole fucking lot. But it’s my own fault I’m in this situation.
“Whatever you say,” Rylee chuckles, clearly not believing me.
My nerves are buzzing as the game starts and the crowd grows immediately thunderous around us. Night games are always the wildest, and the energy is intoxicating. It’s the fucking best.
The Night Hawks come out aggressive, pressing hard, and the crowd feeds off it. The excitement of a repeat at the cup has been building for a while now, and it seems like the fans are getting crazier and crazier each game as a result.
I hardly pay attention to the crowd around me, though. I barely even talk to the girls as I watch the game.
As I watch Jayce.
I lock onto him right away. Within the first play, he steals the puck near center ice, shrugs off a check like it barely registers, and sends a clean pass that sets up the first goal. The arena explodes, and I’m on my feet, screaming with everyone else.
Rylee grabs my arm. Skyler’s yelling. Grace’s grin is feral.
The second period is chaos. Jayce takes a brutal hit against the boards, and I gasp as worry instantly seizes me. A fight nearly breaks out near the crease, gloves half-off before the refs charge in. Jayce takes a shot that makes my heart stop. He goes down hard, slides a few feet along the ice before pushing back up, jaw set. Thankfully, he skates it off and takes the next shift like nothing happened.
The third period is brutal.
The score is tied, two to two, and the opposing team is bearing down hard on our boys. When Jayce hops the boards for his final shift, my breath catches. He’s focused, locked in, eyes tracking the puck.
It all happens so fast.
A scramble in front of the net. A rebound. Jayce crashes the crease, jamming his stick in…and the puck slips past the goalie.
Goal.
The crowd detonates.
The final buzzer blares and people jump to their feet. My heart feels like it might break out of my ribs. Jayce throws his head back and lets out a triumphant roar as his teammates swarm him.
Suddenly, Jayce breaks away from his team and skates toward the glass in front of the press box. He takes his helmet off and grins at me.
Something inside me just snaps.
I’m on my feet and moving before I can think better of it, pushing through the small opening at the boards when he reaches it. He barely has time to react before I throw myself into his arms and kiss him.
Cameras flash and the crowd roars louder.
Jayce freezes for half a second, clearly stunned, but then his arms come around me and hold me tight against him as he kisses me back. Everything else seems to fade away and nothing matters but the two of us.
It doesn’t matter how this started, or how it’s going to eventually end. Right now, at this moment, it’s real.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: NEW YORK
SUTTON
My presentation is a week away…
And I am ready.
I feel more confident about this proposal than I have any that I’ve put together before. My plans are solid, my blueprints pristine, and I’m certain Mr. Romero will want to implement my ideas.
I’ve preserved the core structural framework of the building instead of proposing a full demolition. That’ll mean keeping the original steel skeleton and load-bearing elements intact while reimagining the interior layout. The vaulted ceiling spans and exposed beams give the space character that most new builds could never replicate, and by integrating modern acoustic treatments and modular performance spaces within that existing shell, the building can evolve into something dynamic without losing the bones that make it special.
The only thing I’m still worried about is actually giving the presentation. Speaking in front of a large group. The fear gnaws at me unrelentingly, but I’ve somehow managed to convince myself I’ll actually pull this off.
I can do it.
