Page 40 of Falling for You

Taylor – Two Weeks Later

“Move to the fucking left, Harrison,”Coach shouts at Paul, the backup goalie and I grin when he listens to Coach instead of going with his instinct, and I quickly pull my stick back, then smack the puck into the net to the upper right corner. It causes the light to flash above it, and I shake my head at the idiot as he hangs his head.

“Fuck’s sake, he was playing me,” he complains as Coach's laugh echoes around the arena, and I chuckle.

“Go with your instincts, not with what Coach is shouting,” I tell him, and he looks at me. I continue, “he isn’t the one guarding the net; he isn’t the one who can see exactly where my feet are and how I’m angled to score. He can give you the play but can’t be on the ice during the game.”

He nods, his brown eyes serious, and I demand, “Again,” before skating back to the end of the rink and rolling out my shoulders.

Seth, Levi’s brother, and Jace, both backups, get ready while the first strings Levi and Leo stand with me, and I smirk and goad, “Don’t go fucking up this time,” and they glare at me.

Their job is to get to me, to get the puck, but a minute ago, they had their asses handed to them; let’s see if they can learn from their mistakes and control their anger this time around.

I bend a little, put my stick near the puck, and shout, “Go!”

“Yo Cap, you coming to Bulls?” Hayden, the backup left defender, shouts from the showers, and I shout back, “Nah, got a kid and girl to see,” with a smile on my face causing everyone to make kissy faces like fucking idiots. It makes me laugh because that is a lot better than them begging to meet Hudson and Pen.

It’s only been two weeks, but every chance I get, I’m at Pen’s condo until I can convince her to start staying at mine, and I think that won’t be happening until she gives in to me. Don’t get me wrong, she agreed to get to know me, but she’s been keeping it more on the platonic side of things, and I’ve allowed her just so she can get her head around the fact we will be happening.

This chemistry between us, the connection, fuck. If I thought it was big back then, only knowing small parts of her then, right now, it’s all-consuming.

I’m falling for her. I know I gave her a part of my heart that night, but quickly, she’s getting all of it, and I’m man enough to admit it.

I’m falling in love with my one-night stand, and it’s terrifying, yet I can’t back away. Every time I’m in her orbit, I gravitate towards her.

She’s funny, kind, caring, and an amazing mother with a big heart. When she talks to you, she makes you feel like you are the only person in the room.

I’m fucking falling in love with her.

“You’re fucking whipped,” Levi laughs along with the boys, and I shrug.

“You’d be too if you had someone like Pen in your life,” I reply with a grin, and he grins back.

They may ride my ass, but my team are happy for me. I’ve not hidden my feelings for her; as soon as she’s ready, the world will also know about her existence.

She still hasn’t met my mother, but she has allowed me to take Huddy over to meet his grandparents, which I did two nights ago. Mom cried while Xanthe, who was there with Dylan, scowled as my brother fawned over his nephew.

It won’t be long until he files for divorce, I can see it, and honestly, I’ll throw the fucker a party.

I can’t believe I thought he was falling in love with her.

“Alright, I’m off,” I say loudly, then pat Ezra back and demand, “Fucking lock it down with my sister, will yah? Then she might stop hounding me to see Pen and have an auntie and nephew day.”

After Kaylah’s dance, something Pen didn’t feel comfortable going to just yet, he finally kissed my sister; not something a brother needs to see, but it happened after she kept mouthing off to him, and he’d had enough of her hard shell and the wall she put up, and my sister has been boycotting him since.

He needs to tell her exactly how he feels and lock her the fuck down. He hasn’t been with anyone else since Kaylah had her appendix removed, and she knows this. It’s scared her, but once he fights for her, she’ll fall; she just needs some extra reassurance.

He chuckles and admits, “I will be tonight, I promise.”

I nod and pat his back again before leaving the locker room. I ache like shit after Seth managed to get through his brother, andI ended up in the boards. An ice bath would do me some good right about now, but I have a girl and son to see.

Groaning as I get to the top of the stairs, I grab the key Pen gave me and unlock the door.

“Firecracker, we really need to discuss this whole no elevator shit,” I say as I walk into her condo and shut the door behind me, then drop my bags near the small table and place my keys in the bowl.

For the past two weeks, I’ve been staying on her couch, and fuck me is my body feeling it, but the pain is worth it. Until she’s willing to live with me, I won’t go anywhere unless I’m at away games.

I go home to check the mail, swap clothes and let in the decorators, but that is it.

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