Page 94 of Cross Check Hearts

“I don’t care about any of that,” he says, voice raspy but firm. “But I like that you worried about me.” His lips quirk into a half-smile that makes my stomach flip. “The first thing I saw when I woke back up at the arena was your face, and I knew right then and there that everything was gonna be okay because you were with me.”

He hesitates, something intense flickering in his eyes. “But that just makes me sure about what I’m about to say.” He holds my gaze, his thumb tracing circles on my wrist. “I want this to be real. To be out in the open about being together—as a couple.”

The world tilts on its axis. The way he’s looking at me, like I’m the only person in the world that matters, collides with all the emotions still swirling inside me from watching him take such a bad hit.

“Declan,” I manage, my voice barely audible. I swallow hard, choosing my words carefully. “Do you remember how you told me that nothing that happened between us that night at Opal and Oak was a mistake?”

He nods, hope brightening his eyes.

“Well, you were wrong.” I see his expression falter, and I continue on quickly. “I almost left you my number that night. I wrote it down on a note, but I kept second guessing myself. I was too scared. And that was the mistake—not admitting that I wanted more.” I cup his cheek with my free hand. “Because I want this to be real between us too.”

Relief and joy transform his face. He pulls me down for another kiss, harder this time, as if sealing a pact between us. I feel weightless against him, the hospital room fading away until there’s nothing but his lips on mine.

Because a big part of me never thought this would happen. Hell, some part of me initially didn’t want it to. I was terrified about what my father would say or do if he found out I was dating one of his players, but now that he knows, there’s nothing left to hide. Well, not with my father anyway.

I’m still worried about how our relationship might affect Declan’s career, especially since he’s still so new to the team and the league. The media circus that follows hockey players’ personal lives isn’t something I want to bring down on Declan or his mom. They already have enough to deal with.

But I wasn’t lying when I told him that I wanted this to be real too. When I first found out Declan had been recruited by the Aces, I never imagined we’d be having this conversation, but now it feels like the most natural thing in the world.

“Are we really doing this?” he asks, his eyes searching mine.

“Yes,” I say, certainty flooding through me. “We really are.”

“What about your dad?”

I hesitate, but only briefly. “Maybe you’re right. I’ve been trying to keep my parents from worrying about me for way too long. I’ve been trying so hard to be the good daughter, to somehow make up for losing Casey, that I’ve lost myself in the process. Maybe it’s time I start living for me.”

Declan squeezes my hand, his gaze never leaving mine. His thumb traces my bottom lip. “I’m so fucking glad you’re mine.”

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face, even as tears threaten to fall.

“It’s gonna sound crazy,” he continues, his voice dropping to a reverent whisper, “but some part of me knew you were gonna be mine the very first time I kissed you that night.”

I answer with my lips on his, pouring everything I can’t articulate into our kiss. Dealing with my father won’t be easy, and the media will certainly have opinions, but right now, all that matters is Declan.

Because I’m his, and he’s mine. Officially. No more beating around the bush, no more unspoken tension between us. No more tiptoeing around my father or anyone else on the team.

We’re really doing this.

* * *

Soft morning light filters through the hospital blinds when I open my eyes. My neck aches from sleeping in the chair beside Declan’s bed, but I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. His hand is still in mine, just the way it was when I finally dozed off sometime after midnight.

“Morning,” he murmurs, his voice gravelly with sleep.

I stretch, wincing at the stiffness in my back. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” His eyes are clearer today, the foggy confusion gone. “You didn’t have to stay all night.”

“Yes, I did.” I lean over to brush a strand of hair from his forehead. “Isn’t that what girlfriends do? Stay with their boyfriends in the hospital after they take a hit on the ice?”

A grin tilts his lips, and he tugs me closer for a kiss. “Hell yeah, it is.”

A knock interrupts us, and the doctor enters, clipboard in hand.

“Good morning, Mr. Murray. How’s the head today?” she asks while checking his vitals.

“Much better,” Declan replies, sitting up straighter.

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