Page 99 of Sidelined Love

He brushes a strand of hair from my face, his fingers leaving a tingling trail on my skin. “There’s something else I wanted to tell you as well. I know this isn’t the optimal time to tell you and it’s not exactly the place where I wanted to tell you, but I need to say this before I burst.”

My eyes widen. “What’s wrong?”

“Absolutely nothing. I wanted to tell you how much I love and adore you.”

I'm momentarily stunned into silence as his confession sinks in. He loves me? My heart races and I know without a doubt, I’m going to cry again.

“Levi…” I begin, still trying to find the right words. “I care about you so much. Over these past few weeks, you've become such an important part of my life. You've seen parts of me no one else has,” I continue softly. “You make me feel safe, understood. Like I can just be myself with you.”

I reach out and take his hand, interlacing our fingers. “What I'm trying to say is… I love you too.” The words come out in a rush, and I let out a small, relieved laugh.

Levi's face lights up as he squeezes my hand gently. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that.”

He leans in and presses a soft, lingering kiss to my lips. In that moment, everything else fades away. And for the first time in a long time, I feel completely happy and at peace.

38

HAILEY

Afew weeks later, Jade and I are standing next to Levi’s parents as we’re watching the Red Wolves play another match. The game is close and with the time ticking down, we are all hoping that this game goes the way we want it.

I rub my fingers down the number nineteen on my chest, praying that this brings the Red Wolves luck.

“Look at you, you have no issue rocking his jersey now!” Jade elbows me playfully.

“Shut it.” I laugh, rolling my eyes, but secretly loving the heavy fabric draped over my shoulders. But it’s more than that. I’m loving the fact that his last name and number are on my back.

The crowd erupts into cheers as Levi breaks away with the puck, his powerful strides carrying him down the ice. He maneuvers around defenders and the more he pushes, the more I find myself leaning toward Jade with my hands clasped together.

He shoots and the puck sails past the goalie's outstretched glove into the top corner of the net. The arena explodes withcelebration. I'm on my feet, screaming and clapping along with everyone. Beside me, Levi's parents are beaming with pride.

“That's my boy!” his dad shouts over the noise as his mother breaks out into a grin.

Jade playfully shakes my shoulders in excitement. “Looks like your good luck charm is working!”

I grin and smooth my hand over his number again. Win or lose, I know Levi has given his all today and he should be proud of himself, no matter what the score says.

I quickly glance at the bench and notice something I haven’t seen before. A young woman is hunched over with a professional looking camera, taking pictures. Who is she?

“Ever seen her before?” I nod toward the photographer, shifting Jade's attention away from the ice.

“Nope,” she says and doesn’t elaborate.

“Given how close she is to the team, I assume she was hired by them to take photos.” The girl is wearing a Red Wolves hoodie and a pair of jeans. A white bow is tying part of her blonde hair back, keeping it out of her face.

“Wait a minute, that must be Coach Johnson's daughter. She transferred here a couple of weeks ago and I guess she got a job with the team.”

“His daughter?” My eyebrows shoot up. “I don’t know if I’d want to work with my dad.”

“Never mind that. Check out Asher.”

I follow her gaze and spot Asher stealing glances at the photographer while he’s resting on the bench.

“I wonder what that’s all about,” Jade says before turning her attention back to the game.

“You’re guess is as good as mine,” I admit.

As the game continues, I find myself being more curious about the dynamics off the ice than on it. Coach Johnson'sdaughter is focused on doing her job, seemingly oblivious to Asher's attention when he’s not on the ice.

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