Falling in love is uncontrollable and sudden, and there’s no way to prepare for the landing. It’s not a stumble; it’s more of a leap. There’s a weightlessness to the free fall. There’s exhilaration and excitement andhope. It’s a constant rush of adrenaline, and for the first time in my life, I’m embracing it rather than running in the opposite direction like I’m fleeing a horde of zombies.
Kennedy cheers loudly, causing the people a few rows in front of our executive suite to turn back and give us confused looks, since nothing exciting has happened on the ice since Cameron’s save.
“I just love hockey,” she shouts, throwing them a thumbs-up. Then, whipping around so fast her hair slaps her in the face, she says, “Now was that really so hard to admit? Because it’s obvious he’s in love with you.”
My heart flutters at the idea, but my mind’s too apprehensive to let me truly enjoy it. “You don’t know that, Kenn.”
“Anyone with semi-decent vision can see that he is. For someone who reads so much romance, you’re awfully jumpy when it comes to love.”
“That’s because in real life, we’re not guaranteed a happily ever after,” I point out.
But for the first time, I’m starting to think that maybe I’ve found mine.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
cole
I pullmy car into an open spot on Maya’s street, grateful to find one this close to her building’s entrance. This way, she won’t have to walk far to reach us. It’s a relatively safe area, but her neighbors are questionable. Especially the guy who holds seances on every full moon.
Jake huffs under his breath. “I can’t believe you’re kicking me out.”
“I’m not kicking you out of the car, Reid. I’m just asking you to sit in the back.”
“But I always sit shotgun.”
I fix him with an unblinking stare until he finally grumbles and unbuckles his seat belt. The huffing doesn’t stop as he twists and turns his body, wiggling through the open space between our seats so he can climb into the back without having to leave the warmth of the car.
His dark blue eyes narrow on me in the rearview mirror. “Happy?”
“Impressed,” I admit. I’m flexible, but there’s no way I could imitate what he just did.
To add insult to his injury, a few minutes later, rather than opening the passenger door, Maya opens the back door on that side. “Oh! I can sit back here, Jake. I know you usually sit up front.”
Ignoring his not so subtletold you sosmirk, I peer back at Maya, who’s staring at my friend uncertainly. She looks sexy as hell in a cream-colored sweater dress, and the black knee-high boots have my cock twitching. I can’t wait to peel them off her later. “You’re sitting up front, Maya. Now get your fine ass in the car before it freezes off.”
The edges of her lips tilt up despite the eye roll she gives me.
Only when she’s buckled do I lean over to steal a quick kiss. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Hi. Guess what?” She hits me with a mega-watt smile. “My sister’s coming to town. She has an interview for a summer internship with some marketing agency.”
She pulls up her phone to recall the name of the place, and Jake lets out a low whistle. “That’s impressive. I heard their internship program is super competitive.”
“Fingers crossed she gets it. They usually only accept sophomores.” Maya turns to me. “She wants to meet you when she’s here. I know Logan’s staying in Toronto after the game to visit family, but I hoped we could meet up when you’re back on Friday.”
“Doyouwant me to meet her?” The question is laced with a vulnerability I wish I could banish, but I need an answer. The distinction here is important. I met Elliott early on, so it was never a “step” in our relationship, but Maya wanting me to meet Ava? That’s progress.
“Of course,” she says without hesitation.
I press a kiss against her palm. “Good.”
A dumb smile overtakes me and stays plastered to my face for the rest of the ride and as we enter Logan’s “birthday banger.” Yes, that is what the invitation said. Logan doesn’t believe in small, intimate celebrations. He’s more of a “group text my whole contact list” kind of guy. In addition to O’Leary’s usual Saturday-night crowd, everyone from Logan’s hairdresser to the owner of his favorite coffee shop to the Zamboni driver at Airwave Arena is in attendance.
Figuring that most of my teammates will be around the pool tables in the back, we head in that direction. Logan’s nowhere to be seen—although I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s holding a procession somewhere—but Elliott’s playing a tense game against a few defensemen, so we make a beeline for him.
The calculating crease in his brow melts away at the sight of his sister. Stepping away from the pool table, he encases her in a bear hug. “Yaya! I’m glad you came.”
“I wouldn’t dream of missing Logan’s birthday.”
