Page 105 of Goalie's Obsession

I pause, my nose twitching as I look them both up and down, disgust crawling across my brow.

“Except for just this once," I add.

I turn. Walk straight down the drive, scuffing my boots across their perfect gravel and I don’t dare look back.

Not when my father calls my name. Not when my mother sighs like I’ve just disappointed her for the last time.

Because I haven’t. I disappointed them for the last time a long time ago. And now I’m done carrying their shame. I’m done being the girl who takes the hit while they play pretend behind shiny car doors and gated façades.

From this moment forward, I chooseme. I choose Ethan.

And I choose Connor.

They might not be perfect, but this time, I choose the people who show the fuck up.

By the time I get to Connor’s apartment, I’m trembling. Not just from the cold, but from everything I finally let go.

My fists are clenched inside my coat pockets, nails digging into my palms. I don’t want to cry. I don’t want to fall apart.

I just want him.

I don’t knock but the door swings open before I can even touch the handle, and suddenly Connor stands barefoot in the doorway, hoodie slung loose over his frame, hair tousled like he’s been raking his hands through it all morning.

His brows lift when he sees me, and something breaks across his face—surprise, relief, worry, all wrapped up in the kind of fierce, beautiful devotion that makes my knees go soft.

“Lucy,” he breathes, like he wasn’t sure I’d really come.

I fall into him, arms wrapping around his torso so tight it must hurt, but he doesn’t flinch. He catches me without hesitation, without question, justholds. One arm curls around my waist while the other cradles the back of my head.

I bury my face in his chest, inhaling the familiar scent that's perfectly comforting as it settles in my chest. It's the scent of safety. Of belonging. Of finally, finally coming home.

I pull back just far enough to meet his eyes. My chest is shaking. My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my fingertips.

“I love you, Connor,” I say, steady and clear.

His breath catches as he looks down at me. "Everything ok, Lucy Lou?"

I nod. "Just… my parents."

For a beat, he just stares, eyes wide, like he wants to ask questions but sees in my eyes that I'm done with that shit for now.

Then his lips part, and his whole face softens before it crashes into mine. He kisses me. I rise up onto my toes, melting into him, intous, into the thing that’s been simmering between us since the very beginning.

When we finally break apart, our foreheads rest together.

And then, of course, my brother appears at Connor's side and fake coughs.

“Well damn,” he drawls, one brow raised. “Maybe I should’ve let someone outbid me at that auction after all.”

“Maybe not the best time to joke about money, big bro.”

His smirk falters just enough to remind us exactly why I came. Because I get the chance to look at him, and fuck, it's a sorry sight to see.

He’s always been the golden boy, the charmer, the one who could spin any mess into a party trick. But one look at him tells me that day's not today.

And it guts me.

Because no matter how angry I am—no matter how much he’s screwed up or how much wreckage he’s left in his wake—he’s stillmy brother.

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