Page 9 of The Overtime Kiss

She takes it and crunches down, then moans in pleasure. “Second-best thing to happen today,” she says, after she finishes the bite.

“What’s the first? The cat-sitter saving the day?”

She pffts. Pauses. Then nods toward me, that vulnerable look flashing across her irises once more. “No. The company.”

I shouldn’t. Really, I shouldn’t.

But I pull my stool closer to the bar and settle in next to my daughter’s suddenly single skating coach.

What started as a simple night off has turned into something unforgettable.

3

THE NIGHT OF A THOUSAND CONFESSIONS

Sabrina

A few hours and a couple margaritas later, my sides ache from laughing harder than I have in months. The bar is warm and cozy, like the town’s name promises. The low hum of conversations and clinking glasses blends with a clever playlist that gives a comfort vibe with modern tunes.

The best part, though, is this big, sturdy man with the dark wavy hair, the trim beard that has me thinking all sorts of beard-y thoughts, and the devastating hazel eyes that sparkle with amusement as I tell him all about my wedding that wasn’t.

“I swear,” I say, trying to catch my breath, “I really tried to convince them that I should walk down the aisle to Amelia Stone’s ‘Only You.’ It was always one of my favorite songs to skate to. Plus, it’s romantic.”

Tyler raises a skeptical brow, leaning back in the stool with an easy confidence. He does everything with an easy confidence, and I totally get why Sea Dogs fans sing “Daddy’sHome” when he hits the ice. This big, muscly man who looms menacingly over opponents also exudes a whole ‘I’ve got this’ vibe with his friends and teammates. The combo is hot—he’s deadly and you want him in your corner. And, it seems tonight, he’s in mine as he says, “Even for you, walking down the aisle to a pop song is bold.”

“It’s bold, but true. Scout’s honor.” I laugh, but there’s a warmth in his teasing that makes my chest flutter. He already knows me, or at least it feels like he does. Is that just from the skating lessons with Luna? I mostly interact with her—and I’ve never really noticed him as anything other than a parent since I was engaged.

Was.

I glance at the diamond solitaire on my finger. It looks like it belongs to someone else. I blink away from it and meet Tyler’s gaze again. He’s watching me intently, his focus entirely on me, as if I’m the only person in the room. A part of me wonders if I should let myself feel this so soon after walking away from everything I thought I wanted. But I rarely felt this kind of focus from Chad, and I like being in Tyler’s spotlight. Especially since it always seemed like Chad’s attention was elsewhere. Turns out it was.

Tyler’s brow arches higher, bringing me back to the conversation. “I call bullshit. You weren’t a Girl Scout.”

“How are you so certain I wasn’t a Girl Scout?”

“Girl Scouts follow the rules. You don’t.”

I tilt my head, bobbing a shoulder. “I’ll take that as a compliment. But I was a Girl Scout.”

“It is a compliment,” he says, his captivating eyes never leaving mine. For a moment, I can’t remember why I felt like the unhappiest girl in the world today. Between the margaritas coursing through my veins and the way Tyler can’t seem to take his eyes off me, I’m the happiest.

“Okay, fine,” I admit, “but I had this whole list I shared with them of the five reasons why it was a good song.”

“Five, not six?” he asks, a playful smirk shifting his lips.What would they feel like sweeping over mine?

I force the thought away. I almost saidI dotoday. I shouldn’t think about kissing someone else—someone else with firm lush lips, a strong jaw, and a slightly crooked nose, like he’s logged a few fights on the ice.

I reroute my wandering thoughts back to…the list. “Yes! Five reasons,” I exclaim, then rattle them off—it’s romantic, unconventional, fun to dance to, more interesting to listen to than the same old tune, and it makes you feel good.

Tyler laughs even harder, the sound deep and warm. “Sabrina Snow, you are something else.”

There’s admiration in his voice, but something deeper, too—something that feels a little like desire. It’s foreign and thrilling, a spark I haven’t felt in a long time. Or...ever? I flash back over my life and times with Chad, and nope, I’m pretty sure I haven’t felt this way before.

Like the world is spinning with potential and not the dread of someone else’s expectations. I lift my glass and take another sip, thinking of the details, all the endless details that had to be so perfect for my family. “I wanted to test them—my mom, Chad. Push the boundaries of what I could get away with, considering I was getting away with very little for that wedding. God, it wasn’t even my wedding. It was my mom’s,” I say as the reality of what went down today slams into me.

“And now you’re free of it,” he says firmly. “Because you had the guts to walk away.”

Tyler tells it like it is—straightforward and real—and somehow, that makes me feel more valued and appreciated in a few short hours than Chad and my parents ever did.

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