Page 49 of One Day

“You ready for this, Walker?” Bekah asks. “It gets pretty intense in there.”

“Don’t let her scare you,” Sonya says, redirecting my attention back to her. She smiles up at me, the sweet, sugary one that I selfishly want to keep all for myself. “I brought you a present,” she says, pulling a baseball cap with a matching emblem to the one on Bekah’s beanie out of the back pocket of her jeans. “Need to make sure you’re repping the right team.”

“As if you would ever let me rep someone else,” I hum when she steps forward and pulls it over my hair. “Thank you, Sunny.”

“Okay, lovebirds, let’s get inside,” Bekah says, turning to head up to the entrance while Sonya’s attention remains on me. She looks like she wants to keep touching me but thinks better of it and tucks her hands into the front of her winter coat.

“You’re going to love this, I promise. And if not, I’ll make it up to you later.”

“Oh, yeah? How exactly do you plan to do that?”

She grins at me before stepping forward until her lips hover just before mine. She’s barely even touching me, but I feel her everywhere. “I don’t know, Cowboy. I think we could find something that you might like,” she says, eyes never leaving mine, and just when I’m about to lean forward, she steps back. Her hand slides down into mine, her eyes glittering with amusement as she yanks me towards my first hockey game.

CHAPTER TWENTY

SONYA

The Mustangs won their games in a shutout.

Getting to witness Walker experience his first game was something else entirely. Between the absolute horror in his eyes when Dylan slammed into the boards directly in front of us with bone-crushing silence to the joy when he spun around the player, stole the puck and passed it to Fitz who was wide open and sunk it into the corner of the net. I got to watch him fall in love with the game, and the energy that fills the packed arena all cheering on the same team.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Dylan asks, slapping his hand down on Walker’s shoulder when he settles in next to us at the bar. “Did we win you over? Officially a Mustangs fan?”

Walker laughs with a nod of his head. “Definitely think I might have to make this a regular thing. You’re impressive, man.”

“That’s what they tell me.” Dylan’s grin takes up his whole face as he throws his arms around us, pressing his lips to the top of my head. “I’ll leave the two of you to it, but thank you for coming. It means a lot. If you ever want to come again, let Sunny know, and I’ll make sure they set another ticket aside for you.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll take you up on that.”

Dylan squeezes his shoulder before stepping away to celebrate with his teammates after a fantastic game. My lips curl up when I see the look of awe on Walker’s face, his eyes trailing after him and toward the group of massive hockey players. “Falling in love, Cowboy?”

“Huh?” Walker turns to look at me, a blush creeping up his neck. “Sorry, I’m just fascinated. I’ve never been a sports person, but watching that was exhilarating. I had no idea you were such a hockey fan.”

“I’m not. I’m just a Dylan fan.”

Truth be told, I couldn't care less about hockey. I started going for Dylan, excited to cheer him on and support something he is passionate about. The moment we met, it became clear to me that his support system was slowly falling apart. He hides it well, but it weighs on him, and while he’s never asked for it, I’m going to support him any way I can—even if it only comes in the form of me screaming at some plexiglass.

“You’re a good friend, Sunny.” Walker reaches up to tuck some loose hair behind my ear. His thumb trails down the length of my jaw, sending a shiver down my spine as he takes his hand back. “You show up for your people. I think it might be my favorite thing about you.”

“Yeah? You’re sure it’s not my ass?” I tease. “I’ve heard it’s a fan favorite.”

“I’m not answering that.”

I grin and pat his chest gently. “It’s okay. I know,” I tell him, and take a step back from the bar when I see the pool table in the back corner open. “Come on, let’s play a game.”

“You play pool now? You’re just full of surprises.”

“Maybe I just want you to put your arms around me and show me how to do it.”

He lifts his brow in question, my answer coming in the form of a laugh. Sometimes, I think I could just stare at him forever. His beauty is almost haunting. I could easily spend my days getting lost in the grey of his eyes. Watching the steady rise and fall of his broad shoulders. Soaking in his smile that most days feels like maybe it might be all for me.

“Sunny?” Walker asks, knocking me out of my daydream.

I hum, tilting my head back to meet his eyes.

“You’re staring.”

“Do you blame me? You’re pretty to look at, Cowboy.”

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