Page 90 of The Triple Play

I didn’t answer. I glanced over at her again, just briefly, watching her move behind the bar like she’d never been gone, mixing drinks, tossing jokes, managing orders without missing a beat. There was a glow to her now, one I was acutely aware of but couldn’t share. Her hair was tied up for once, little waves of auburn falling loose around her face, and when she laughed with one of the other guys from the team, my chest pulled tight.

Viktor was right. But it wasn’t my right hand he was right about.

I pounded back my beer to give me an excuse and pushed back from the table, raising my empty glass as an indication of my intentions. Cole met my gaze briefly, his brows furrowing, but I didn’t pay it any mind.

She noticed me before I reached her, her eyes softening a little. “Need another drink?” she asked.

I leaned forward on the bar, keeping my voice low. “Need a minute. Can you take a quick break?”

She looked back at Gabriel, the old man flitting from customer to customer. “Gabby,” she called. “Mind if I step away for five?”

He looked back at her, spotted me, and waved a hand as if to saygo ahead. I was pretty sure Xavi had already told him everything — there wasn’t a lot he kept from his dad.

She pulled the string on the apron around her waist and left it on the counter in front of her, shooting me a soft smile. “You good?”

“Yeah,” I said, but I knew she could see through it. My normal jokey upbeatness wasn’t out in full swing right now, not when I knew I needed to lay myself bare. “Come on.”

I led her toward the door for the bathrooms and staff area, and she took my hand once we were behind the swinging door, passing the signs for Pucks and Sticks, further into the back and through the Staff Only door. “Outside or bag room?” she said, offering them like they were both golden options.

I snorted. “Bag room.”

She pulled me inside and shut the door behind us, a handful of purses and jackets clanging against it as she leaned on the wall beside it, crossing her arms over her chest. “What’s up? You don’t seem?—”

“I don’t want to pretend like I’m not in love with you,” I blurted, the words tumbling out of me, nothing prepped and only emotion surging me forward. Her brows shot up immediately. “Or—shit, that’s not what I mean. Look, I’ve been out there for the last forty-five minutes being flirted with and egged on by my teammates to act on it, and I, I,shit, I would have before you. I would have. And I’m having to stand there and make excuses for why I’m not, and I don’twantto do that.”

She blinked at me, her arms falling to her sides, her throat working.

“I don’t want to have to say that I’m tired or that I’m not feeling it tonight, sweetheart, I just want to fucking look at them and be honest and say that I love you. I want to look atyouand say that I love you.” I crossed the space to her — all of one single step in this tiny box — and took her face in my hands. “I love you. I love you and I don’t care if this is too fast and I’m so sick of pretending like I’m not.”

Her eyes watered, her lips quirking up at the edges. “Really?”

I nodded, pressing my forehead to hers. “Yeah. I do. And I know I’ve got fuck all to base that on, but I’m, like, ninety-nine percent positive that’s what this is. And I want to be able tosayit, at least to you.”

She huffed out a little breath that sounded almost like a sob, her hand coming up to wipe away the stray tear. “Fucks sake, Colton, I didn’t wear waterproof mascara tonight,” she laughed breathily. “And for the record, it’s not too fast. Cole’s already said it.”

My mouth fell open. “What?”

Her arms slid between mine and wrapped around my neck, holding me down to her. “How’s second place feel?”

I almost laughed — almost. “That fucker,” I hissed, pressing my lips to hers just briefly, needing to feel it. “Kissed you first. Said it first. Could have knocked you up first. Absolutely ridiculous?—”

“Hey, hey,” she laughed. “Listen to me for a second before you get all worked up and annoyed.”

I pulled back enough to look down at her, my lips quirking up at the corner. “You have the floor.”

“I’m going to tell you the same thing I told him.” She took a deep breath in, her arms locking a little more around me, her body pushing out a little to sit flush against mine. “I’m not saying it back yet. But not because I don’t want to or because I don’t feel the same, because I do. I do feel the same.”

A rush of warmth spread over me in an instant, dampened quickly by the words she’d said before —I’m not saying it back yet.“I don’t understand.”

“Xav’s not said it yet,” she said softly, her fingers playing with the ponytail at the back of my head. “I don’t want him to feel like I’m putting you two above him by saying it to you guys, and I don’t want him to feel like he needs to say it if he’s not there yet, just to catch up. I don’t want to freak him out?—”

“Annie. Sweetheart. Light of my fuckin’ life. Mother to our baby. You know damn well he’s in love with you,” I chuckled, leaning into her again, pressing a kiss to her cheek, her jaw.

“I… Okay, yeah, I know he probably is. But I want to let him get there on his own,” she said softly, but I could feel the way her cheeks tugged beneath my lips, a grin spreading across them.

I nipped softly at her neck, my hand snaking back to grasp her by the back of her neck. “I know you’re thinking smart about this, but it’s going to kill me. I have towaitto hear you say it back to me? Can’t you just whisper it in secret?”

A little chuckle bubbled up her throat. “Nope. Not doing it. It’s not fair.”

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