Page 108 of In My Hockey Era
And suddenly, for the first time in weeks, I feel like I can breathe again.
She crosses her arms.“Don’t let it go to your head, Wilder.”
I smirk.“Too late.Seeing you in my name?Best thing I’ve seen all season.”
She rolls her eyes.“You’re unbearable.”
I lean in slightly.“And yet, here you are.In my jersey.”
I want to reach for her, to pull her into me so badly… but I don’t.Not yet.
And then—her voice, quiet, a little unsteady.“Did you mean it?”
It takes me a second to register.“Mean what?”
Her gaze flickers, like she’s unsure if she wants to say it out loud.“That I was your favorite part of the season.”
My stomach tightens.
I step in, slowly, closing the space between us.“Yeah,” I murmur.“I meant it.”
She looks so good in her ripped jeans, and my jersey, her long hair loose and wavy, her eyes bright and filled with hope, it’s taking all of my willpower not to rush this.
“Are you still scared?Of us?”I ask.
She swallows.“Wilder.”
I arch a brow.“You’re deflecting.”
She huffs.“And you’re annoying.”
“Answer the question, Quinn.”
Her tone softens.“I was scared of falling.But it’s too late, because I already did.”
Best words I’ve heard all year.
“Why…are you scared?”she blurts.
“Oh, you absolutely terrify me,” I admit, grinning at her.“But I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”
She exhales, soft and shaky.
And then—finally, finally—I reach for her.
And this time?
She doesn’t pull away.
I bend down at the same time that she lifts onto her toes and our mouths meet.
She grips the front of my jersey like she needs something to hold onto.I press in closer, deepening the kiss, pouring every ounce of what I feel into it—every second of missing her, every regret, every damn thing I’ve been too afraid to say.
And Lucy does the same.
39
HOCKEY EVER AFTER
