Page 143 of Second-Rate Superstar

Dakota’s lower lip trembled, and her eyes grew glassy. “And I’m sorry I used to be one of the people who judged players based on the worst among them. I need you to know that you’re worth more than the game on the ice. Your value doesn’t lie in the stat lines you put up or anyone else’s opinion of your play. You are more than the game. You are more to me.”

Why couldn’t I breathe? What was happening?

Tentatively, she reached out to remove one of my gloves, allowing it to drop to the ground. Slipping her fingers into mine, she gave a gentle squeeze. “You opened my eyes to so much, not only in hockey but in life and in love. No matter what happens between us, I need you to know that I’ll never regret meeting you, letting you into my life.”

Before my eyes came flashes of our time together—every beautiful moment of falling in love with the woman standing before me. There was a reason I couldn’t find a crack in the façade. Everything we shared had been genuine.

And I was the one who walked away in a fit of rage, slamming the door shut on our relationship and uprooting my life to put space between us.

My knee-jerk reaction—the triggers from my past trauma—had led me here. I couldn’t undo the trade. Dakota’s life was in Hartford, and I was bound to the Speed in Indy for the next two seasons. Even if we took the time to rebuild our trust, a long-distance relationship might prove to be too much to overcome. I might have ruined the best thing in my life because I let my temper rule me.

I knew I wouldn’t survive the pain of losing her twice, so I pulled my hand from her grasp. Hurt blue eyes peered up at me, and even though my heart was breaking, I kept my voice emotionless. “Thank you for coming here and forcing me to listen so that we can move on.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek, and I couldn’t bear to look at her hurting a moment longer. Turning away, I made it two steps down the hallway toward the locker room before her voice said, “I pulled the book down.”

Frozen to the spot, I didn’t turn around. “What?”

Sniffles reached my ears. “As soon as Bristol picked me up off the ground, I went straight to my computer and pulled the book from all platforms. Then, I issued a public apology to my readers for releasing a story that wasn’t mine to tell.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “That doesn’t undo the damage, Dakota. It was out there in the universe for how long? Long enough to become a bestseller. Thousands of people have copies in their possession. Pulling the plug and halting sales doesn’t change that. You can’t put the genie back into the bottle on this one.”

“I know. I’m acutely aware that I can’t undo the greatest mistake I’ve ever made. And I don’t mean writing that book. Hurting you will always haunt me. All I can do now is try to make it right in any way that I can.”

“Dakota.” I sighed. “You can’t fix this.”

Almost as if she needed to touch me one final time before I severed our tie forever, she placed a hand on my padded shoulder. “Every penny I made in royalties, I gave to the Hartford Community Soup Kitchen. In your name.”

Stunned, I whipped around to stare at her. “You didwhat?” While she simply shrugged, my mind raced, trying to run the math. “That had to be . . . a lot.”

She huffed out a laugh. “A little over thirty thousand dollars.”

My eyes widened. “You made that in a week?”

“Your story resonated with people.” Dakota sighed. “But it doesn’t matter. Because the cost was too great.”

Heart threatening to beat out of my chest, I asked, “You just . . . gave it away? Tomysoup kitchen?”

“Yeah. I went in person to hand over the check. I spoke to Heather and made it very clear that we didn’t want a big deal made of the donation but that you wanted to leave a lasting mark since you wouldn’t be local to Hartford anymore.”

“Right.” Another reminder that even though the Speed was a better fit for me professionally, I’d left so much behind in Connecticut. My entire future had shifted in an instant.

“Um.” Dakota shifted on her feet. “I’m sure you have the press you have to deal with. Thanks for hearing me out. I’m so sorry. For everything.”

Fear gripped my chest as she began to walk away. The other half of my soul was leaving.

The idea of never seeing her again was enough to scare me straight, and in a split second, I decided she was worth the risk. It might not work out between us if we gave our relationship a second chance, but I wasn’t willing to go back to the misery I already knew existed in her absence. If I coulddelay that misery and experience joy for however long we had, I was willing to try.

“So that’s it?” I called out to her back, causing her to turn around. “Is this how it works in your books? Someone comes in hot with a grand gesture and then walks away? They just give up? What happened to the guaranteed happily ever after? I feel kinda cheated out of mine.”

One of her eyebrows rose. “You want the happy ending?”

I nodded. “I think it’s gonna take some work, but I’m willing to try if you are.”

Dakota stared at me in disbelief. “Really?”

“Baby, I’ve lived a life without you by my side, and let me tell you, it’s not a life I wanna live. I’m no longer naïve enough to believe in the beautiful boy-meets-girl-falls-in-love-and-everything-is-perfect-for-the-rest-of-their-lives kinda reality.”

Her sweet laugh filtered through the air. “Nowthatsounds more like a romance novel.”

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