Page 11 of Make Your Move

My footsteps are light as I head out of my room, down the hall, and back downstairs. It’s silent on the first floor, and the only light is in the kitchen. As I walk past the basement door, I hear my brother let out a string of curse words. I shake my head, snorting as I make my way through the mudroom to the side door.

I slide my feet into a pair of shoes and unlock the door and flip on the outdoor light. It’s dark outside, and I step out intothe cool night air. As we’re approaching the end of summer, the temperatures in the evening and night are finally starting to dip to lower than they were during the heatwave we had.

My car is parked outside of the detached garage, and I walk over to it before opening the passenger’s side door. I pull it open and reach inside for my bag and the two insulated cups I took with me. One was for water and the other was hot tea.

Pivoting, I turn back to face the house, and confusion washes over me as I see the hammock in the yard swaying side to side. My stomach does a flip, and it takes me a second to command my feet to move.

I don’t know who the hell it is, and I move my stainless-steel thermos into my right hand as I slowly approach. I’m not sure how much damage it will do if this is some random stranger, but I need to be prepared just in case.

As I slowly approach, relief floods me, and I lower my arm when I see it’s just Lincoln staring up at the sky. I stop beside the hammock, and he lays his head to the side as he looks up at me. I lift my chin and look up at the full moon hanging above us. It illuminates the sky, casting its light across earth. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

Lowering my head, I direct my gaze back to his. He stares at me, his eyes traveling across my face and over my lips before landing on my eyes again. “What are you doing out here?” I ask him.

Lincoln rolls his head straight forward again and looks back to the sky. He’s silent for a moment. “Stargazing.”

A gentle smile dances across my lips, and I shift my weight on my feet as I adjust my belongings in my hands. “You aren’t out here wishing on fake falling stars, are you?”

A soft laugh escapes him. “Some girl told me long ago that those wishes don’t come true.”

“She sounds like a smart girl,” I tell him as I raise my eyebrows as I nod.

He looks back at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “The smartest.”

“You didn’t forget what she told you about full moon wishes, did you?”

Lincoln’s nostrils flare. “Never.”

“Good,” I say softly, feeling the intensity of his gaze sliding beneath my skin, like he’s dissecting me with his eyes. So much has changed in the years since I last saw Lincoln Matthews, although the vibrations between us feel like they’ve never dissipated.

It scares the shit out of me.

“I’m going to head to bed. Good night, Lincoln.”

His eyebrows pull together, but he doesn’t question my abrupt exit. “Sweet dreams, Nova.”

I leave him alone with his thoughts under the moon as I slip back into the house. My feet don’t stop moving until I’m tucked away in my bedroom. Only then do I press my back against my door and tilt my head back as I close my eyes in frustration.

Things with Lincoln and I have always been easy and comfortable. There’s always been an electrical current dancing between us. Lingering gazes and full moon wishes. There was an unspoken line drawn between us many years ago. We may have crossed it the night he kissed me, but we couldn’t cross it again.

Even though things feel like they once did before, I need to remind myself that so much in our lives has changed. Lincoln plays hockey professionally—he’s well-known and a star player. I’m sure he has a handful of women he can call at any given moment. I’m just the girl who still chases stars, wishes on full moons, and has a two-year-old daughter who takes up most of my time.

As much as these feelings feel like they used to, things aren’t how they used to be.

I let the idea of Lincoln Matthews go before, and I can do it again.

CHAPTER FIVE

LINCOLN

Iskate over to the bench after practice is over and pull off my helmet before reaching for a water bottle. The past week has been kicking my ass, and I’ve been exhausted every day after I’ve gone home. We have our first preseason game in a few weeks, so it’s imperative that we make sure we’re all operating like a well-oiled machine.

There were a few things I needed to learn about the rest of the guys the first few days, but I think I’ve got them all pretty much figured out. Today was the first successful practice that we ran through all of our plays without any hiccups.

“Good job today, Matthews,” Carson says as he skates over to me. His blades shave the ice as he turns both at an angle and stops by the boards. “I’m really looking forward to playing with you this season.”

“Moving to a new team is always a little nerve-racking, but I think things are going to be good,” I tell him with a smile and a nod. Nash skates past, tapping me on the butt with his stick as he follows a few guys off the ice. “I think I’m starting to click with you guys.”

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