Page 71 of Last Boy

As hard as the sting in my chest hits me, knowing he’ll be gone and I’ll be here, I’m so happy for him. Because this has been his dream for his entire life. Everything he’s done has been for this moment. And what better place to find this out than here, where it all began? To remind him that where he came from isn’t where he’s going to end up.

Pushing to my feet, I stand, looking up at him. “You’re going pro?” I barely whisper, tears gathering in my eyes because I’m the one who’s right next to this boy when all his dreams are coming true. Not his arranged wife. Me.

“I mean…yeah,” he croaks. “I guess I am.”

I leap into his arms as the tears flow down my cheeks in a steady stream. “You’re in the NHL,” I cry. “You did it!”

His arms squeeze me, pulling my feet from the ground as he buries his face into the crevice of my neck. “Maine is a long ways away from Georgia,” he murmurs, an unmistakable anxiousness in his tone.

When he sets me down, I keep my hands on his waist and angle my chin up to look at him. “I’m losing you anyway, Walker.” My voice croaks. “I’m finally starting to understand that whether you’re one mile away or a thousand…you’ll always be with me.” I sniffle harder when his thumbs brush the tears gathering under my eyes. “No matter where you go, I’ll be with you. Always.”

“It’s not the same,” he growls. “It’ll never be the same.”

It’s like watching a clock run out of time when you still have so much more you need to do or want to say. There will never be enough time with Walker. I could be promised eternity, and I’d still watch the clock, scared it would eventually come to an end.

“I always knew you’d be the one to chase down your dreams and make them become reality,” I whisper, smiling through my tear-soaked lashes. Releasing one hand from him, I wave toward the street that once was our home. “You came from here and look where you’re going next.”

I stand on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his. “I love you, and I am so proud of you, Walker James. And I know your parents are looking down, so proud of you too.” I kiss him again. “So, you’re going to go to Maine because you deserve it. And you’re not going to feel bad.”

His eyebrows pull together, and his eyes grow misty before he lifts me up, forcing my legs around his waist. “I fucking love you, Poppy. And I promise you, when it comes to this arranged marriage, I’m not going down without a fight. I’m going to try like hell to come back to you.”

I nod, my nose rubbing against his. “I believe you.” I say the three words, trying to sound so calm. But the truth is, I’m terrified.

Because deep down, I know I’m going to lose him. Again. Only this time, I don’t think he’ll come back.

20

Walker

Life’s a fucking weird thing. One minute, you’re balls deep inside of the woman you love, staring into her eyes as you both come together, all while the rest of the world melts away. And for a while there, it really does seem like it’s just the two of you. But then, the next thing you know, you’re at your uncle’s, and he springs on you that he’s brought the chick he’s demanding you to marry here early.

Gia sits across from me on the patio. Her brown eyes cut into mine, but I can’t look at her directly. Her dark hair is perfectly curled, just like it always is when I see her. Her outfit consists of designer clothes pressed to perfection.

She’s a ten by anyone’s standards. She comes from old, old money. For her entire life, she’ll want for nothing, as will I once we tie the knot.

“You can stop ignoring me. I don’t want to be here either, you know,” she whispers, taking a sip from her sweet tea. “Believe it or not, living in the United States, married to a toothless hockey player, isn’t exactly my childhood dream.”

I open my mouth, pointing inside. “I have all my teeth, wife,” I answer sarcastically with a scoff.

“Yeah, for now.” She rolls her eyes. “Look, we had sex. It was fun. I enjoyed myself. But this?” She waves her hand between us. “I don’t want to be your fiancée or wife, Walker.”

“Gee, thanks.” I feign being hurt.

She gives me a pointed look. “What girl would want to marry a dude who is clearly spoken for?” She shakes her head at me. “You couldn’t be more emotionally unavailable if you were a rock.”

I sit up straighter. I just assumed before today that she was on board with this entire thing. I guess I should have asked sooner.

“So, you’re saying you don’t want this either?” I glance toward the door to make sure Uncle Fucking Titty Man isn’t listening. “Like, you don’t want to get married and all that happy horseshit?”

“Hell. No,” she says quickly before inching closer to me. “What deal did you make? You know…to end up in this situation.”

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” I utter, widening my eyes. “Go on, girl. What do you get out of this fucking mess that they’ve created for us?”

She looks down, picking at her nails. “My father will pay for the boy I love to attend college. Something that certainly would not have happened if I hadn’t agreed to this.” She shrugs. “When do you think enough will be enough? Both of them are already powerful and rich. Why on earth do they need to join forces?”

“Because they are greedy,” I say matter-of-factly because it’s the fucking truth. “And with people like that, nothing will ever be enough.”

“So, go on then.” She raises a perfectly shaped dark brow. “I told you my secret. Tell me yours.”

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