Page 43 of Heartfelt Goals

They nodded at the same time, but neither of them moved, still locked in place, caught in the gravity of whatever was happening between them. It was as if a veil had been lifted, an unspoken truth finally laid bare.

He was interested.

And so was she.

Their marriage had started as a convenient arrangement—a promise made out of necessity rather than love. But this? This was something else. Something dangerous. Something real.

Laurel cleared her throat, voice barely above a whisper. “Do you wanna talk tonight… when we’re alone?”

Dustin exhaled slowly, his pulse still thundering in his ears. “I think I’d like that.”

Her lips curved into the smallest, most tentative smile. “Cool.”

“Yeah.”

Silence stretched between them, charged and electric.

“I should…” he started, but the words failed him.

“Me too…” she whispered, a soft pink flush creeping up her cheeks as she motioned toward her sister in the distance.

And just like that, the moment ended, the noise of the convention filtering back in. But Dustin knew—nothing between them would ever be the same again, and his window of research had just shrunk perceptibly. He was going to check on Stephen, and then nothing was going to stop him from hitting the bathrooms to read on his phone.

10

LAUREL

“I wanna try out.”

Kendall’s sudden declaration shattered the comfortable silence in the car. Laurel turned sharply in her seat, eyes widening, while Dustin’s hands momentarily tensed on the steering wheel.

“For what?” Laurel asked hesitantly, already wary of whatever mischief her little sister was about to drag them into.

“Hockey,” Kendall announced proudly. “Paige told me that her new stepdad is going to teach her how to play and maybe even form a team. And I want in.” She turned to Dustin with a smug smile. “Which means you, dear brother-in-law, are obligated to put me on the team.”

Dustin scoffed, his lips quirking in amusement. “How’s that figure?”

“You’re related,” she stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He raised a brow, grinning. “Sonowyou choose to claim that and actually be nice to me?”

“I was nice earlier.”

Dustin chuckled, tossing a quick glance at Laurel, who was still recovering from the bombshell Kendall had just dropped. “Yeah, you were. I’ll give you that. I suppose that if I hear something about a team, then?—”

“Her stepdad is Boucher,” Kendall interrupted with unwavering determination. “Don’t play dumb. You can go straight to the guy himself and make sure I get a spot.”

Dustin let out a low whistle, shaking his head. “Anyone ever tell you that you are direct and to the point, kid? I mean, scarily so.”

“Are you feeling threatened,Little Boy Blue?” Kendall teased, her voice dripping with wicked delight.

Laurel stiffened. The shift in Kendall’s tone sent a chill down her spine. She turned sharply in her seat, shooting her sister a silent, warning glare. If Kendall so much as hinted at things she had no business discussing, Laurel would personally dismantle her new computer, piece by piece, and make her earn it back one agonizing inch at a time.

“Donot,” Laurel growled in a hushed hiss.

Kendall grinned, completely unfazed. “Oh, come off it. It’s not like it’s a big secret. Besides, you’re married. Are you telling me that it’s okay to keep secrets in a marriage? Because that doesn’t seem very healthy.”

Laurel’s heart slammed against her ribs.

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