Page 145 of Hat Trick

“Lexi.” He rubs his thumb along the curve of my jaw. I sigh and turn my head so I can kiss the center of his palm. “Today was a very, very good day.”

“Yeah?” I smile, heart leaping up to my throat when he rests his forehead against mine. “It was pretty great, wasn’t it?”

“One for the books,” he murmurs, nose bumping against mine. He bends his neck and kisses me soft and slow, out in the open where anyone could see, and I let him. “You’re my favorite person in the entire world.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I say, because I’m caught off guard by how natural andrightall of this is; spending a full day together. Being affectionate out in public. Having fun and feeling free in a way I’ve never felt before. “Okay. I’m lying. Besides the girls, you’re my favorite person in the entire world too.”

“I’d never ask to be put above them. That’s their rightful spot.”

Something tender stirs inside me as he tosses his ice cream in the trash and kisses me again, a hand in my hair and the other back on my cheek. It’s steady, heart-pounding, and I think my feet might be coming off the ground because I’m enjoying it so much. I think my heart might be skipping a beat when he laughs against my mouth and kisses me harder. I think the deepest parts of my soul might be healing when he throws me over his shoulder and ignores my complaints about riding the Sling Shot with a full stomach.

On the subway ride back to the hotel, I put my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, feeling like a goddamn liar.

Today wasn’t pretty great.

It was the best day of my life.

THIRTY-NINE

RILEY

Dad

How’re you doing, kid?

Me

Can’t complain, really.

Dad

Saw you on the bench the other night. The suit and tie look good on you. Interesting how the team starts to win after Saunders puts you in a leadership role. He should’ve done that from the beginning.

Me

I’m glad he didn’t. I wasn’t ready for that yet. I am now, and I’m having fun.

Dad

Good. Don’t let Minnesota get the W this weekend. I’ve always hated them.

Me

Ha. I only have so much say, but I’ll do my best.

Dad

That’s my boy.

* * *

Every morning I wake up,I wait for the other shoe to drop and shit to hit the fan.

I’m waiting for things to start going wrong, because everything in my life seems too damn good to be true.

I’ve slipped into my role behind the bench much quicker than I thought I would, and the boys are moving up the standings with win after win. Lexi and I switch off where we have sleepovers when we’re not on the road, and it’sso fucking good. Some nights we don’t even have sex, staying up and reading books we pick out for each other and spending half the night arguing over which characters we like and why.

Because of Lexi’s hard work and thorough rehabilitation plan, I’m ahead of schedule with my recovery. Moving is easy these days. There are still exercises I struggle with, but I’m stronger. More agile too, and while I haven’t tried getting back on the ice, I’m feeling more and more like who I was before the accident.

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