Page 125 of Going All In

“Rough loss,” Burt, the doorman said, as Jake walked into the lobby of his building.

Jake grimaced. “Yeah. Not how I wanted it to go.”

“Me either,” Burt said. “But next year will be even better.”

“Let’s hope.” Jake gave the man another nod before he stepped into the open elevator. He leaned back against the wall, drumming his fingers on the railing as the elevator climbed. He should’ve gone out and grabbed a few drinks with his teammates when they offered. Instead, he was heading into an empty condo to dwell—alone. He didn’t dwell.

He walked through his front door, and there she was, sitting in the soft light of the table lamp in the living room.

“Hi,” she said, shifting and straightening her shoulders as she sat on the edge of the couch, her fingers fidgeting with the string on her hoodie.

Her hair fell to one side, and he stupidly wanted to sink his fingers into the warm weight. To crush his lips to hers.

But he couldn’t move from his spot right inside the front door.

“How did you get in here?” he asked, grit in his voice.

She nibbled her lower lip. “Uh, I still have the key you gave me,” she said, shifting her hips on the couch. “I shouldn’t have come. I’m sorry. I just wanted…”

“What? Wanted what?” he asked, wishing he didn’t immediately get his hopes up.

“To say I’m an idiot.”

She stood up and walked toward him.

“To say I’m sorry that I freaked out. To see if you could forgive me.”

She stopped in front of him, her cheeks flushed, her breathing rapid, as if she was waiting for a pin to drop or for him to tell her to leave.

But no part of him wanted her to leave. And that made him wonder if he was the idiot.

He didn’t move. Didn’t reach toward her like he needed to. Maybe it was wrong to not say a word, but he needed her to continue.

“I’m so sorry, Jake. You deserved better than what I did. We started this to help each other out, and as soon as one thing went wrong, one meeting was missed, I freaked out. I didn’t give us the chance to make it work.”

“Darcy,” he said, no longer able to wait when he saw the tears in her eyes.

She held up a hand. “I have to get this out. We weren’t fake. This wasn’t fake. It hasn’t been for a long time. When I told you that I fell in love with you, I meant it. I’m in love with you, Jake. More than I thought possible and more than I ever expected. And I got scared. What if you didn’t feel the same? Or didn’t love me as much as I love you?”

“I told you that I’m in love with you too,” he interjected.

She gave him a half-smile as a tear slipped down her cheek. He reached out, brushing it away, cupping her face with his hand and drawing her into him.

She turned and pressed her lips to his palm. Heat spiraled through his body.

“I know you did, and I hope you still do. It was so wrong of me to push you away. To make you think that I didn’t mean those words.”

“It ripped me up. I’ve never said those words to anyone who wasn’t family,” he said.

“I will always regret that I let you believe for one moment that I didn’t feel the same. I can’t promise you that I’m not going to stress out or panic again. Or maybe say something stupid because I want to spend as much time with you as possible while I’m trying to finish school. You’ve been so supportive of me. I mean, that chair…” She paused and grinned at him.

“It’s the chair that brought you to your senses, isn’t it?” he asked, needing the levity.

His heart was threatening to beat out of his chest. He was getting everything he’d never known that he wanted, and he hoped he could give her the same in return.

“I promise I love you more than that chair,” she said, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his jaw.

His arms tightened around her waist, and he relished her sigh of relief—or contentment—or whatever it was. He’d take it.

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