Page 1 of All I Want

Chapter 1

“Maggie? What? How?”Alex Westbrook sputtered as the door to his Westie’s Warriors suite in the Strikers’ arena closed behind him, and he stared at the woman he hadn’t seen in longer than he could remember. No. That was a lie. It’d been four years and seven months, give or take a day. Not that he was counting.

“Hi,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear, barely meeting his gaze.

He didn’t miss her nervousness or the fact that she was not surprised to see him. Five years since he’d tucked her hair behind her ear. It still looked as soft as he remembered. His fingers shouldn’t itch to see if his memory held true.

“Hey, Westie. You know Dr. Maggie?” a voice called out, and Alex looked down at Henry.

The kid shot him a grin that rivaled any of Alex’s teammates for lack of teeth. At least the kid had a valid reason—he was six years old. Henry was always smiling, even after finishing up his second round of chemo, his hair resembling peach fuzz. Alex could learn a few things from his Warriors.

“Yes, we grew up together.” Her voice was soft, and it rolled over him. He’d missed her voice. Hell, he’d missed her.

“You did?” Henry asked, his gaze darting between them.

“Yeah, we did. I didn’t know you were a doctor at Children’s Hospital,” he said.

“I started my residency a few months ago,” she said, her dark eyes wide, waiting for his reaction.

Months.How had they never run into each other? Since creating Westie’s Warriors four years ago and partnering with the city’s children’s hospital to bring patients to his suite at the arena for all the Strikers’ home games, he spent a good portion of his time visiting the hospital and trying to help in any way he could. But he’d never seen her.

Why hadn’t she bothered to look him up when she’d arrived in San Francisco? Yes, she’d ended their relationship years ago, but before that, they’d been friends. His chest hurt, and he tamped down the urge to show any weakness. So that’s how much he’d meant to her.

He’d loved Maggie since the day he sat in the desk behind her in middle school. The girl had been his first kiss. His first everything.

“Yeah, Dr. Maggie is the best doctor,” Grayson, an eight-year-old battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma said. Alex crouched down to eye level.

“Really?”

“Yep.” Grayson leaned in. “But I don’t think she likes hockey. She said it’s her first game.”

Alex bit back his grin at Maggie’s squawk of denial.

“I happen to know that she likes hockey. She used to come to all of my games when I played for the AHL team near Chicago,” he said, glancing up at her. Her deep brown eyes glistened, and her cheeks pinked. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms, not caring about the fact that they weren’t alone, or that he was angry that she hadn’t reached out to him, not once, since she’d ended it.

He pushed down the urge.

“Really, Dr. Maggie?” Henry asked.

Her laugh was soft, and it drummed up way too many memories.

“Yes. I said this is my first Strikers game.”

“Why? You know Westie. He can get you into all the games, I bet,” Henry said.

“All she had to do was ask,” Alex said.

“Umm, thanks. The hospital keeps me pretty busy…” she said, her gaze dropping to the floor as she shifted on her feet before looking up at him again.

“I bet,” he said, his eyes locking on hers. He noticed her indrawn breath, and he couldn’t help but look at her mouth. A mouth he remembered fondly. A mouth he craved to kiss again.

What the hell was wrong with him? He needed to pick an emotion and stick with it, and it should be anger and irritation that she was here, not the overwhelming urge to take her in his arms.

“Well, umm,” she murmured, and he shook his head.

“Yeah, I need to get back downstairs before Coach yells at me. You guys need anything? More snacks?” he asked, turning away from Maggie to address the room. Over a dozen kids and their parents filled the suite. He’d be back after the game to spend more time with them, but he always liked to check in with his guests before puck drop.

“No. And thank you again for inviting us, Westie,” Henry’s mom said, her hand on her son’s shoulder as she smiled up at Alex.

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