Page 161 of The Wingman

With every fiber of my being, I hope he feels the same way.

Longing and pure affection flare in his eyes. “I loveyou, Darce. I always have. I love you more than I thought possible. You make me feel like the person I want to be.” He laughs to himself. “That’s why A.R. Haddington sent me the book, I think. I told her the story of us, how we bonded over her books, but I told her that I love you and that I’ve loved you for a long time. We know she’s a romantic.”

Hayden wraps his arms around me, pulling me against him, and I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. His lips find my temple and he gives me a kiss.

“Always?” My pulse skips a beat as I lean back to look up at him, so tall and gorgeous. The man of my dreams who was right in front of me the entire time.

“Always. I never loved you like a friend, Darcy. It just took me a while to figure that out.”

“Me, too,” I whisper.

His hands wind into the back of my hair and he tips my face back, catching my lips with his. The kiss is soft, sweet, and gentle, but he tugs my bottom lip between his teeth and drags a finger down the back of my neck, making me shiver at the promise of more once we get home.

My head spins as he leans back to wink at me. “Come on.”

As we walk home beneath the cherry blossom trees, I look up at him with a question in my eyes. “I told you the moment I fell in love with you. What about you?”

His mouth tilts into a roguish grin. “Remember that night I got hurt?”

“The big hit?”

He nods.

“Wait.” I laugh. “You fell in love with me because of a blow job?”

Hayden shakes with laughter. “I’ve loved you always, butthat’s when it hit me.” He takes a deep breath, still smiling down at me, joy radiating from the depths of his eyes, from his skin, from the air around him. “No one’s ever taken care of me like that, Darcy. If I wasn’t in love with you then, that would have sealed the deal.”

My heart aches with the sweetness in his words. “Hayden?”

“Yes, Darcy?”

“Let’s go home.” I wiggle my eyebrows in a mischievous way that leaves no question about what I’m going to do for him.

His eyes light up, and he reaches down before tossing me over his shoulder, and I yelp in surprise, laughing as he starts jogging down the street.

EPILOGUE

DARCY

One morning in early September,Hayden and I lie in bed, catching our breath after an enthusiastic round of morning sex.

“Ready for preseason?” I ask.

“Mhm.” Leaning back against the headboard, he smiles to himself like he just thought of something. “I used to dread the end of summer. I think because it always meant I wouldn’t get to see you as much.”

I hum, resting my chin on him. “Me, too. I’d always miss you during the season.”

He skims a hand up and down my bare back, toying with my hair and sending tingles down my spine.

At the end of last season, the Storm were eliminated in the second round of playoffs—further than the team has made it in years. The guys were disappointed, but Ward assured them a slow, steady incline is the way to go, and that next season, they’ll be even better. He told them he was proud of how they played and he was proud to be their coach.

He looked at Hayden when he said that, and I couldn’t help the proud, expanding feeling in my chest.

Along with the players, Ward gave the analyst team thesummer off, but I’m on my laptop every day, tinkering with the models, reviewing game footage, following the data and looking for patterns. Hayden pulled me away for a trip to Hawaii with Jamie, Pippa, Rory, Hazel, Alexei, and Georgia, who still won’t speak to each other except for snarky comments. On weekends, we take our new boat out, meandering through the Gulf Islands, watching the sun sparkle off the water.

After the media shitstorm, rumors that Kit didn’t get along with his teammates anymore were only amplified when his contract ended without renewal. He’s a free agent now, but no team has picked him up. He created this mess, but I still pity him. Hayden and I have so much, and in comparison, Kit’s life has gone down the toilet.

Summer being over means we’re going back to real life, but with Hayden, our “real life” feels better than I could have imagined.

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