She stands, and I follow behind her, Vanessa leading us down the aisle.
“Serpents Singles?” I ask when we reach the top of the stairs.
The four girls exchange looks, and it’s obvious I’m out of the loop about something.
Lilah’s the one to speak up. “Uh, yeah. Hutch, Hayes—whose girlfriend isn’t here tonight since she’s on kiddo duty, but you’ll meet her eventually—Lockey Poo”—that earns her a look from Vanessa—“Lawson, Keller, and Fox all made a…well, I think it depends on who you ask what it is.”
“A club,” Rory says with a secret smile, almost like it’s an inside joke, but I’m not sure who it’s between.
“A pact,” Auden amends. “They promised each other they wouldn’t start any serious relationships and would give all their focus to hockey until they hoisted the Cup together.” She giggles. “It’s silly, I know. Even funnier now since we know Keller has been married the whole time and so clearly head over heels for you.”
“I should have known something was up,” Rory says, tossing a chip from her second bag of smuggled-in snacks into her mouth. She doesn’t bother swallowing before she adds, “He who doth protest too much or whatever the hell that saying is.”
The other girls laugh, but I don’t. Is that how Callum has been since I left? Does he no longer believe in love? Does he not believe in forever? Does he not believe in…us? He sure as hell didn’t kiss me yesterday like that was the case, but maybe I imagined it. Maybe it was just a sex-starved man who was hoping for more.
Stop it, Chloe. He loves you. He’s still your husband.
I try to block out the thoughts, but it’s hard to as we make our way to the green room, the area designated for family. We sit in there for a bit, waiting for the guys to finish all their obligations. We watch on the screens as the three stars of the game—Locke, Lawson, and Fox—toss snakes into the crowd, then a few players address the media.
We make our way to the hallway just outside the locker room, and finally, after what feels like hours, the Serpents file out. Callum is staring at the ground, his brows pulled in tight, and his shoulders dropped low.
“Oh shit,” Lawson says, and his girlfriend hisses his name. “What? The dude has been sulking in the locker room since the game ended. He’s going to be so happy. Right, Kells?”
He lifts his head at his name, and that’s when it happens—his eyes lock on mine, and all my worries from earlier vanish.
“Clover.” His smile is so wide it’s almost disarming as he walks toward me. “I was worried you left.”
I thought about it, I want to tell him, but I don’t.
“I didn’t. I’m right here.”
“Good, because that’s exactly where I want you.”
Then he kisses me in front of everybody.
CHAPTER 12
KELLER
If I thought it was strange to have Chloe in my apartment, it’s nothing compared to having her in my car.
“Well, this is certainly new,” she remarks as she runs her hand over the dash. “When did you get this?”
“When I got to Seattle. In retrospect, it was a terrible idea given how hilly this damn place is, but it sure is fun to drive when I find the right routes to take.”
“It’s beautiful,” she says. “I remember you used to always talk about getting a sports car. I’m glad you finally made it happen.”
I bought it to fill the void she left behind, but I’m afraid if I say that, I’ll ruin the good mood I’m in. Despite my leg burning from that slap shot I blocked, I’m happy. We won tonight, securing two more points we really needed, and Chloe is in my passenger seat. How could this night get better than that?
“That was a good game tonight. Thank you for the tickets.”
I’m taken aback by her words. She never used to thank me for them before. They were just there, waiting for her, and she was always in the stands waiting for me.
“It’s no problem. I’m glad you came.”
“Me too.”
I want to reach over and hold her hand just like I always used to when driving, but I keep my hands on the wheel.
