Page 89 of Sidelined Love

“It's okay,” she whispers back. “I'm so proud of you for standing up for yourself and not letting him continue to walk all over you.”

“Thanks. It was a long time coming and I'm happy that I finally did it.”

The silence that falls in the car after I speak gives me time to dig into my thoughts. Reflecting on the events, I'm struck by the irony of it all. I've always stayed in the roles that I was supposed to—the impeccable athlete, the loyal son and brother, the devoted captain. Yet, in the heat of the moment, I tossed all of those things to the side to showcase what I needed to say, without fear of retribution.

I tap along to a beat in my head, quickly figuring out that it’s another Taylor Swift song that I can’t get out of my head. My thoughts drift away from my father because I've spent enough time on him.

Instead, they latch onto Hailey, which is where I rather they be. To say seeing her at the game was a surprise is an understatement. I know coming tonight was a lot for her, and while she's proud of me, I'm the same for her.

Even if she is wearing Asher's jersey.

I still need to get my payback for that. Maybe the time for it is sooner rather than later. I press my foot down on the gas as I pass the exit that would lead us back to Hailey's apartment.

“Where are we going?” Her question lets me know that she is paying attention. Good.

“Hmmm?” I pretend like I didn't hear what she said. It's the kind of sound that's more of a vibration in my throat than an actual word.

“Where are we going?” she repeats, but a little more seriously this time.

“Just thought we could use a little detour,” I say, as if it's the most natural thing in the world to switch things up without explanation. I look at her for a split second before turning my attention back to the road.

“Levi Jamison, are you kidnapping me?”

The way she says my name is all drawn out, but I can hear the laughter in her voice.

I chuckle, keeping my gaze on the dark stretch of road ahead. “Only in the most romantic sense of the term. Is that something that appears in one of your romance novels?”

“Possibly,” she says in a teasing tone. “Have you been reading my books?”

“Not yet, but I'm not opposed to it.”

“Seriously?” she asks as if she doesn't believe me.

“Yeah, because it'll allow me to learn more about you, what you like and need.”

Her laughter forces me to take another glance at her. She's thrown her head back against the headrest and her right hand has landed on her heart.

A thought appears in my mind, something I’ve been thinking of for a while but need to get out now. “You know something? Winning hockey games makes me happy, but seeing you laugh like that blows everything else out of the water. Your smile is my victory, Rook.”

She's silent for a moment, and when she finally speaks, her voice is softer than I expect. “You can't just say things like that, Levi.”

“But I did and there's nothing you can do to take it back,” I say, as I take a left and turn down a road that is covered with trees on both sides. The road eventually opens up to a clearing with a view of Crestwood in the distance. I pull over but leave the engine on to keep the heat low in the car before turning to Hailey.

“What is this place?” Hailey asks as she watches the scene before her.

“A quiet spot that I discovered when I missed a turn one day. I come back here sometimes when I want to think, and I want to share the place with you.”

I unbuckle my seat belt and shift to face her more directly, taking in the expression on her face. The moonlight casts a softglow on her face and that damn jersey. I'm determined to get it off her as soon as possible.

“You have five seconds to take that jersey off.” My eyes study Asher's number before my gaze lands on hers once more.

“Wait a minute. I?—”

“One.” She's not going to be happy with me cutting her off, but we'll deal with it later.

“You can't be serious.”

“I'm very serious. Two.”

---