“We did the right thing. Nothing more,” Mr. Jackson says. “I’m glad you’re okay. I’m glad this is over.”
“Us too,” my mom says.
Mrs. Jackson smiles at me. “Maybe we will see you at a Quake game?”
“Quake?” I never told them I was related to a player. Do they know Tate is on the team? Did Google tell them or something?
“Your boyfriend has kindly offered us tickets,” Mr. Jackson says, his dark eyes swirling with excitement. “Our grandson is a huge fan and he said we could take him and even meet the team after the game. It’s such a generous offer.”
“My boyfriend?”
“Yes.” Mrs. Jackson motions with a tilt of her head and my eyes drift down the hallway.
Crew is sitting on the last bench, leaning forward, fingers tented between his open knees. I hug Mr. and Mrs. Jackson goodbye and leave my mother to say her goodbyes, and probably thank them another hundred times, and make my way to Crew.
He stands as I get closer. “I know you said you could do this alone. And I know you can, but I needed to be here. I’m sorry.”
“You needed to be here in case I couldn’t handle it by myself?” I ask.
He looks at me for a very long minute, speechless, just watching me in a way that is breathtaking. Like he’s drinking me in. “No Olivia I needed to be here to watch you do it. You are a fucking inspiration and you don’t even know it.”
He reaches up and cups the side of my face. Shivers spiral down my spine. He tilts his head, and his lips turn up in a soft smile. "I needed to see you be this strong, authentic person who faces her fears head-on so I could remind myself how fucking lucky I am. And scare myself into letting go of the garbage I've gone through before it takes you away from me too."
He kisses me. It’s gentle and soft and demure because we are both highly aware of where we are. But the emotions running through us are deep and so real they take my breath away.
“I’ll meet you outside Liv.” Mom’s voice breaks us apart. Her eyes go to Crew. “You’re a lucky man.”
“I am.”
She smiles at him and continues down the hall to the exit.
“How are you even here?” I ask as he slings an arm over my shoulder and pulls me into his side. We start toward the exit too. “You’re supposed to be on your way to Vancouver.”
“I have to be on a flight in two hours,” he admits. “Coach made it happen for me though, when I explained why I needed to be here.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you,” he replies and stops walking. I turn toward him, the sun kissing both our faces. “For not just dumping my ass.”
“I see potential. I’m not ready to let go,” I say and wink at him, which makes his eyes go dark because Crew is turned on when I get sassy.
I lean into him, pressing our foreheads together. He cups my face again. “I’m falling fast too, Fireball.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you. You can trust me,” I whisper.
“I know,” he replies. “And I do.”
He kisses the smile right off my face.
Epilogue
Crew
Six Months Later…
"Wow, this is intense," I note as I walk back into the living room from the kitchen, carrying a tray of relatively healthy food since, thankfully, our season is not over.
Tenley hushes me like noise will somehow throw off her cousin Theo, who is on the ice in the game on my television. The Quake regular season ended last night but Theo's team is playing today and they need to win the game to slide into the last wild card seat in the playoffs, which start in eight days. I invited Tate and, well, everyone, over to watch the game at my place.
