Page 139 of Hockey Wife

Debbie looked excited—a little too excited, to be honest—and Georgia soon learned why.

In walked Banks.

“Dylan!”

He wore dark denim, a gray Henley that shaped his muscled chest perfectly, and a Rebels zip-up. The full beard was gone, but a very appealing scruff remained.

Closing the door behind him, he raised his whiskey-hued gaze to her. “Hey, Peaches.”

Her heart went pitter-patter.

He dragged his eyes away and fixed them on the wall of cards. “You did it.”

“I did.” He would never know how much his support had meant to her. She was here because he had been in her corner from the start. She missed him so much, but the low wasn’t worth the high.

“You look good.” His gaze raked over her, and there it was: this man saw her like no other.

“Thank you.” So do you. So good. “How’ve you been?”

“Okay.”

“And your shoulder?”

“Pretty good. PT throughout the summer, and it’s feeling as strong as ever.”

What a relief. “Tara said you got your contract extension. Congrats.”

“Yeah, another year, another shot.”

She was so happy for him. He didn’t have that championship ring yet, but he was still in with a fighting chance. No one deserved it more.

“I also finished coursework to become a Certified Financial Planner. Figured I should start thinking of the next phase.”

“Oh, Dylan, that’s wonderful. So many of your fellow athletes could use a service like that.” She shook her head, marveling at how silly she sounded. Of course he knew that.

He nodded. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”

“Debbie said you wanted to make a donation.”

He pulled out an envelope from inside his jacket, one she instantly recognized.

The annulment papers.

He also had a check, which he passed off to her. She covered her mouth in shock because even a woman with a once healthy trust fund could appreciate a sum like this: two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

“Dylan, this is too much.”

“I’m good for it, Peaches.” He put the envelope down on her desk. “But I’m not good for this.”

“You mean?—”

“I’m contesting the annulment.”

Her knees buckled and she leaned against the desk. “Why?”

“Thought we should talk first, face to face.”

“But you agreed.”

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