Page 121 of Never Your Girl

Open the door, Holland, and find out.

The air in the room seems to thin as realization slams into me. My pulse hammers in my ears, drowning out everything else as my gaze shoots to Bridger’s bedroom door.

Another buzz.

ColdAsIce17

Well? What are you waiting for?

The moment feels surreal, like it’s happening to someone else as I push to my feet. My mind races with a thousand possibilities, but none of them make the least bit of sense. The knob feels cold under my hand, my palm clammy with sweat as I twist it slowly. Each second has my heart pounding harder.

The door swings open.

And there he is.

Bridger stands in the hallway with his phone in hand. His gray eyes are locked on mine, steady and unwavering, but there’s something different in them. A softness I’ve never seen before.

Vulnerability.

I don’t know who moves first, but suddenly, we’re standing inches apart, unspoken words hanging between us.

“Hi,” he says, his voice quiet.

A sob bursts free from my chest before I can stop it. Without thinking, I throw myself into his arms, my hands clutching at his neck as if he’s a lifeline. He pulls me against him with a fierceness that undoes me.

“I’m sorry,” I choke out against his shoulder, the words tumbling from my lips in a rush. “I should have told you the truth when I found out. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

He pulls back just enough to look at me, his hands steadying me as his gaze meets mine. His expression is raw, stripped bare in a way that makes my heart ache. “I know,” he says, his voice low and rough. “I talked to Garret. And now that I’ve had time to process it, I understand. I get why you didn’t tell me.”

As his hand holding the phone drops back to his side, my gaze follows. My heart thunders as the realization slams into me.

“It’s you,” I whisper, barely able to form the words. “It’s been you all along.”

His fingers tighten on my waist, his chest rising with a slow inhale. “I should have realized it earlier,” he murmurs, his gaze searching mine. “Every message, every conversation... it was always you.”

Tears blur my vision as a shaky laugh bubbles up from my throat. “Yeah,” I say, voice thick with emotion. “It was me.”

“Just so you know,” he says, his tone dipping, “I care about you, Holland. I’ve always cared about you.”

The air between us shifts, thickening with emotion and the pull that’s been there from the start. A shiver races down my spine as his face moves closer, his eyes searching mine for the slightest hesitation. When he finds none, his lips brush against mine. The kiss is soft at first. Almost as if he’s testing the waters. But then it deepens until it feels very much like coming home.

When we finally pull apart, I rest my forehead against his, our breaths mingling. For the first time in what feels like forever, the chaos quiets, and everything slides into place.

His gaze slices to my packed bag resting on the bed, and for a moment, fear ghosts across his face. He swallows hard before his eyes lock on mine again.

“Stay,” he says in a low rumble that sends a shiver through me. “Don’t leave.”

A smile tugs at my lips, tentative at first but growing as warmth floods my body. “I wasn’t planning on it,” I admit, my voice steady.

A small smile breaks across his face, and just like that, the cracks between us begin to heal.

38

Bridger

The locker room buzzes with a frenzied energy that’s impossible to ignore. Laughter bounces off the walls, mingling with the steady rhythm of chatter, the sharp rip of tape being peeled, and the metallic clink of skates being adjusted. The air is charged with the kind of electricity that comes with knowing the season hangs in the balance.

One game.

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