I search his face for hesitation. For dread. Instead, he looks… thoughtful.
“I have to be in Minnesota in two days,” he says carefully. “I need to get ready for our next game.”
“Yeah.” I already know this. The reminder, though, twists something ugly in my gut.
He glances at Phil. “You good on the loft? Need anything else from me?”
Phil shakes his head. “We’re solid. Final walkthrough’s done. Carol’s got it from here.”
Ollie nods once. Then he looks back at me. “Let’s go see them tomorrow.”
It takes me a second to process his words. “My parents?”
“Yes.”
I blink. “Ollie?—”
“We’ll tell them together,” he says quietly. “Like we should have done all those years ago.”
The air shifts. Phil’s gaze drops to his beer. Lindy’s eyes glisten. I stare at Ollie like he’s just handed me something fragile and priceless.
“You don’t have to,” I say.
“I know.” His voice doesn’t waver. “I want to.”
My lungs stall painfully.
He’s not doing this for optics. Or guilt. He’s choosing it. Choosing to stand next to me when it counts.
“Okay,” I say finally. It comes out rougher than I intended.
He reaches for my hand and squeezes once. I feel it all the way to my ribs.
Slow, I chant silently.Slow. But fuck, I love this man.
Lindy blinks rapidly and laughs softly at herself. “Sorry,” she says, brushing at her eyes. “I’m hormonal and emotional and all of this is… a lot.”
Ollie smiles at her gently. “You good?”
“I’m good,” she insists. “Just… proud of you. Both of you.”
He excuses himself a minute later, murmuring something about the bathroom. The second he disappears down the hallway, Lindy turns to me. Her expression shifts—less sister, more… guardian.
“You okay?” she asks quietly.
I huff a small laugh. “That seems to be the theme tonight.”
“Answer it anyway.”
I lean back in my chair and consider the ceiling for a second. “I’m scared,” I admit, giving her honesty. “And I’m trying not to let that make decisions for me.”
Phil nods slowly. “Fair.”
Lindy studies me carefully. “You know I care about you, right?”
“I know.”
“And I know what he did,” she adds quickly, before I can stiffen. “I know he left. I know you were the one who got your heart smashed.”
