“Let me love you, Erin. Trust that there isn’t anyone else that will love every tender part of you more than me. I told you once, and I’ll tell you a hundred times a day if I have to. You’re mine, sweetheart. Have been the second you crashed into me at Hendrick’s Bar. Always will be. I’m in it for the long haul. And I’m willing to wait for as long as it takes for you to believe that. I can be patient, baby.”
She dips her chin.
My body braces for impact as it prepares for my heart to be torn to shreds by the girl I’ve fallen for, telling me she doesn’t want me.
“I thought… I thought she made it impossible for me to feel, but you make me feel so damn much that I don’t know what to do with it all. You make me feel everything, Chase. You make me feel safe. The kind of safe I felt when my dad would hug me. The kind of safe I felt when Judge Hopper announced the Silvers as my legal guardians. Spending time with you feels like coming home, Chase. Idobelieve you, and I don’t want to run from you anymore.”
I drop my forehead to hers, a long breath leaving me as a wide grin takes over my face.
“You couldn’t have led with that?” I ask, a short chuckle slipping out.
She ducks her head. “Was this more like the conversation you had in mind?”
“I’ve thought about this day for a long time,” I say, cupping her face, my palm smoothing over her skin. “And now that it’s here, it’s better than I ever hoped. I promise I won’t move too fast. I’ve wanted this for so long, baby. But I swear, I’ll be the perfect gentleman.”
“I know you will,” she whispers.
“So, just for clarification…” I trail off, lips tipping up into a smirk.
“Yeah,” she says, a small laugh in her voice, “I’d love to go on a date with you, Chase.”
And just like that, I think birthdays have officially become my new favorite holiday.
Roman seesErin and lets out a shriek loud enough to pop the balloons tied to the fence.
“ERINNNNNN!”
He barrels across the yard. Erin laughs and drops to her knees, arms already open like she knew he was coming. I barely have time to set his birthday cake on the table before he launches himself at her. He’s a kid jacked up on sugar as Erin lifts him from the ground and hugs him tighter. When she sets him down, he pulls her over to his friends.
“Hey, man,” Brax says, handing me a beer. “Thanks for getting the cake.”
“No problem,” I say, clinking the bottle against his.
“Also, I think you’re gonna need to find a new goalie by the end of the day,” Brax says, looking in the direction of the grill where Austin is talking Brodie’s ear off. Most likely about how he’s cooking the meat because Brodie looks about ten seconds away from skewering him.
I chuckle. “When the fans ask where Stinger is, I’ll be sure to let you know. Your brother might need protection from Tornadoes fans.”
Brax’s eyes drift to where Erin’s crouched beside Roman, helping him hand out stickers.
“There are five pro hockey players in my backyard,” Brax says, shaking his head, “and my six-year-old has been counting down the minutes to introduce a girl to his classmates.”
“She’s amazing,” I say.
“She is. I’m happy for you—really.”
“She makes everything better,” I say quietly. “Even the heavy shit is lighter. When she’s around, I can breathe without the weight of my past choking me.”
“You love her,” Brax says simply.
“Completely.”
The truth carves a space deep into my soul, a quiet anchor—solid and unmovable.
I’m in love with Erin Callahan.
I want her.
I need her.
