Page 192 of Dear #47, You're the Worst
We lie there for a while, my fingers brushing through her dark hair, softer than silk. I think about how different tonight could have been. How six months ago, I might have let her parents’ dismissal get under my skin. I might have gotten defensive or angry or tried to prove something.
Instead, I just held steady. I let Juliet process what she needed to process. I reminded her of her worth without making it about my ego.
Growth, Dr. Chen would call it.
“Hunter?” Juliet says sleepily.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for not punching my mother.”
“Oh, Firecracker. The night’s still young.”
She laughs. I feel some of the tension drain from her body.
“I’m proud of you. How you handled tonight was impressive. You were exactly what I needed.”
“What did you need?”
“Someone in my corner who wasn’t trying to fix anything. Someone who just saw what was happening and stayed steady.”
I press a kiss to the top of her head. “Always.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Chapter45
Juliet
Tonight’s game against Edmonton has the arena charged with excitement. The crowd is on its feet before the puck even drops, chanting Hunter’s name, roaring every time he touches the ice. This is what we’ve worked for. This moment where he’s not just tolerated but celebrated.
I should think about PR angles, media obligations, and which sponsors are watching from the boxes. Instead, all I can think about is Hux. The way he moves on the ice with purpose instead of rage. The way he’s transformed from the man who couldn’t get through an interview without losing his temper.
They win 2-1. Hunter gets an assist and plays the steadiest hockey of his career. No stupid penalties, no unnecessary hits, just solid, reliable play that helps the team control the game.
In the post-game interviews, when they ask him about his performance, he thinks about my words from months ago.
“I’m just trying to be the guy my team can count on,” he says. “Steady. Reliable. Someone who holds the line when things get chaotic.”
The reporters eat it up, but he’s not saying it for them. He’s saying it to me. And I eat it up with a spoon.
After he’s showered and changed, I find him in the hallway, like always. He lights up and kisses me. “There you are. I’ve been waiting for you.”
I’m the only one who gets to see him like this. Warm, genuine, happy to see me. I’m a lucky woman.
“No, I’ve been waiting for you,” I say, wrinkling my nose. “Are you okay? That bump to your head you took on the ice might have been harder than it looked.”
He smirks. “You might have to nurse me back to health, Dr. Sexy.”
“You stay the dumbest stuff to me sometimes.” I can’t repress a smile. “Good thing I love you.”
“It’s a splendid thing, Monroe.”
I shake my head, smiling. “Let’s get out of here, Hux.”
Hunter offers me an elbow and I take it, my heart light. I definitely made the right choice when I turned down that other job. It might have been more money, but who would make terrible jokes to me?
