Page 151 of Off The Ice
“Like hell.” I nodded in confirmation.
Because I might be a lot of things, but a quitter had never been one of them. Not in arguments, not in training, and not when it came to fighting for my spot in the NHL.
And sure as hell not when it came to winning over the love of my life.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Cassie
Maggie didn’t let me wallow. The second she came inside, it was with guns blazing and questions flying before I even had a chance to brace myself for Hurricane Maggie.
“You need to explain to me what’s going on because, in twenty-four years, I have never in my life seen my brother look the way he just did in that hallway.” She pointed in the direction of the front door.
“I messed everything up.” I groaned into her pillows. “Now, you both hate me.”
“I don’t hate you. Icareabout you,” Maggie shot back, clearly affronted. “And if you think that mybrotheris anything other than completely in love with you, then you didn’t see the guy standing out there in the hallway.”
I looked up at her with cautious eyes.
“Do you think he meant that?” I asked, replaying the words I heard him say that stopped my heart. “That he loved me?”
“Loves,” Maggie corrected. “Present tense.”
My heart fluttered.
“What happened, Cass?” she asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“I kissed him,” I admitted, watching warily for her reaction.
To my surprise, there wasn’t one.
“And then…” she prompted, waiting for me to continue. “You had an allergic reaction to him or something?”
“Maggie!” I hit her with the nearest pillow.
“What?” She held her hands up to block it. “I’m just having a hard time understanding how you went from kissing Liam to ending up here with everything you own.” She stared at me imploringly. “So?”
“So, I freaked out and left.”
“What?”She leaped to her feet. “Why the hell would you do that?”
“BecauseIkissedhim,” I said for emphasis. “I crossed a line. Put him in an awkward position. He was probably about to kick me out.”
“Let me reiterate the fact that the guy isin love with you.” She sighed.
“If he wanted to kiss me, he could’ve done it at any point,” I said, embarrassed.
“You’re really oblivious sometimes, Cass.” Maggie laughed. “Then again, so is he since you’re both equally responsible for this weird little dance you’ve been doing together.”
“Huh?”
“He’s into you. That’s clear as day,” she said. “You’re into him. Again, also obvious.”
I tried to protest.
“But, neither of you have been able to figure that out because you’re both shackled by all these little lies you’ve both convinced yourselves of.”
“What are you going on about, Mags?” I shook my head in a daze.
