Page 21 of Pucking Strong

He nods, considering my words.

“Don’t give up, Karlsson. We came here to bring Karolina home, and that’s what we’re gonna do. I’ll be here to help however I can. The whole team will. Together, we’ll have that girl doing cartwheels inside of six months.”

His mouth twitches with the smile he can’t bear to manifest. “Ballet is her current obsession.”

“Even better. She’ll be back at the barre, I promise.” Stepping around the island, I dare to reach out and take him by the shoulders. His skin still carries a slight chill from the air outside.

He holds my gaze, wholly unashamed that we’re both standing half naked in his kitchen.

“Call your lawyer back. Fight for Karro. I swear, you’ll be glad you did.”

His jaw tight, all the emotions he feels but won’t express lie buried in his eyes. He just nods again. He raises a hand and squeezes my wrist. “Thank you, Teddy.”

“No problem.” Swallowing my own feelings, I drop my hands away from him and take a step back. “Now, about this breakfast … I may have burned the bacon a little. But I broke off the burnt ends and gave you only the middle pieces.”

“All the bacon is for you.”

“What? No. We’re sharing it, right?”

He steps around me into the kitchen. “I ate two hours ago.”

I glance at the clock. “You’ve been up since five?”

He just shrugs. “Couldn’t sleep.”

I gesture to the plates of eggs, bacon, and Swedish cinnamon rolls. “So, all this is …”

“For you.” The words hit me like a coconut dropping on my head. Ignoring my awkward silence, he steals a few berries from one of the plates. Popping them in his mouth, he heads across the apartment towards the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower. When you’re ready, I’d like to return to the hospital.”

“Yeah, sure,” I call after him. “I’ll be ready lickety-split.”

For you.

That’s what he just said, right? I didn’t imagine it? The food currently cooling on the kitchen island seems like proof enough. Henrik Karlsson made me breakfast this morning.

In his apartment.

Shirtless.

Yeah, watch me ride the high of this moment until the next freaking ice age.

Elin Ågren sits across the table, her fingers cupping a mug of coffee. Her blue eyes are sharp as she holds my gaze. She’s been my lawyer for eight years. Usually, she’s navigating hockey contracts and endorsement deals. Family law is a first for us. We’ve been arguing on the phone for the last four days as she prepared my custody plan. It was finally time for us to meet in person.

The hospital cafeteria buzzes with early morning activity. Most of the tables are full, with more people coming through the doors in search of coffee or a pastry. Somewhere in this hospital, Karolina is finally getting her leg wrapped in a cast. It’s the only reason I agreed to meet with Elin now.

I’m loath to leave Karro, even for a moment. I don’t want her to be alone. In truth, I don’t want to be alone either. Not today. Not now. At this very moment, my sister is being cremated.

As tired as I’ve been, I tossed and turned all night, my short moments of sleep plagued with dreams of screeching tires and crunching metal. I’ve been dreaming of car accidents since the day I received the phone call. With Karolina’s screams echoing in my ears, I got out of bed, passed Teddy asleep on my couch, and went for a run early this morning.

He’s been a godsend. These last four days, he’s hardly left my side. While I’m busy caring for Karro, he cares for me, offering me food and encouraging me to stretch my legs. He stays with Karro when I have to take calls from my lawyers, my parents, my agent,the doctors, the team. He makes her laugh, using silly voices for her bear.

At night, we go back to my apartment and pass the time quietly. It feels strange to open my life to him in this way. No one has ever been in my apartment except for Petra and Karro. We order in food, and he explores my bookshelves or watches TV on a low volume. More often, we both just part ways and crash asleep, starting it all over in the morning.

Well,hesleeps. In fact, he snores. It’s faint, but I can hear it. I lie awake on my back each night, staring up at the ceiling, mind racing, heart aching, and listen to the whisper-soft exhales of the man asleep on my couch.

Teddy sits next to me now, sipping his coffee. I can’t help but glance over at him. He usually wears his hair pulled back at work. This is the first morning he left with it down. I’ve never really seen locs up close. Each strand falls well past his shoulders. They’re darker at the root, lighter at the tips. Some look almost golden in this morning sunshine.

His knee bounces under the table, distracting me. Reaching down, I place my hand on his thigh. He jumps with surprise, but his knee stops shaking. I turn my attention back to Elin. “Please, continue.”

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