Page 102 of Puck You
Eventually, sleep came, though strange dreams visited me in the early hours of the morning until a knock at the door startled me awake.Bleary-eyed, I checked the time on my cell phone.It was four in the morning.Another knock came, and then another.Still half asleep, I stood up and slowly made my way to the door, muttering under my breath as I cracked it open.Clearly, in myhaze of sleep and confusion, all survival skills had escaped me.
My muttering petered off as I discovered the most unexpected sight.Sebastian Evans, captain of the Dallard University men’s hockey team, breaker of my heart, and two-time national champion, was here, staring back at me with immeasurable affection written across his handsome face.I let myself drink him in from top to bottom, like one last indulgence before a diet.His hair was messier than usual, the chocolate locks crumpled in some places and spiked up in others.Even with dark circles under his eyes and a wrinkled T-shirt with stains across the front, it was impossible to ignore how fast my blood pumped at the mere sight of him.
But Sebastian didn’t seem like his usual confident self.He was shifting back and forth on his feet, one hand cupping the back of his neck and the other shoved into the front pocket of his jeans.How the hell was he here?The game hadn’t ended until ten, which meant he must have driven all through the night to be here, standing on my doorstop at this ungodly hour of the morning.Sebastian held out a white envelope with my name written across the front.I stared at the letter in disbelief, my body frozen in place.
“Before you slam the door in my face, please read it.”
I nearly melted right then and there at the sound of his voice.I hadn’t realized until now how much I’d missed that low, whiskey-smooth rumble.Goosebumps erupted over my arms.
“Take the letter, Grace.”
Like a creature of habit, I followed his command.My hands shook as I accepted the letter and turned it over.Slowly, I slid my finger under the seal and ripped it open.The page inside was unmistakably handwritten by Sebastian.I’d seen his terriblepenmanship too many times to mistake it for anyone else’s.
Dear Grace,
I know you’re not a huge fan of letters, but I’m hoping this one changes your mind.I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to find the proper words.Everyone told me I had to do this right, and if there’s one thing I’m confident of, it’s that you deserve the grand gesture.So here it is, written on this page for you to take or leave.Please bear with me as I bare my heart to you.
For as long as I can remember, my life has revolved around hockey and hockey alone.I’ve dedicated myself to mastering the sport because I believed it would bring me closer to my father.I wanted to honor his memory, and to ensure that my parents’ sacrifices weren’t made in vain.But after the accident, when the one thing I knew best was suddenly taken from me, I lost myself.I turned into this selfish and angry person, and I blamed everyone around me for my own mistakes.There was nothing and no one with the power to make me see past my own selfish desires.And then I met you.
From the very second I saw you on the ice, things changed.You were fearless, disciplined, and persistent as hell—all things that made me want you and loathe you all at the same time.So, I tried to keep you at a distance, far enough away that I wouldn’t have to spend each day fighting the attraction I felt and struggling for control of myself.I faulted you for being a distraction, for bringing about the end of my relationship with Kate, and for making me lose sight of my dreams.
Then we were forced together because of my own stubborn antics, and itdidn’t take long for me to realize how wrong I’d been about everything.How could you be a distraction when you made me a better person, on and off the ice?And how could you bring about the end of a relationship that was already crumbling apart due to my own mistakes?The truth is you didn’t make me lose sight of my dreams.You changed them, just like you changed me.
There are not enough words to express how sorry I am for the things I said, and for the way we started, but I’m happy to spend every day for the rest of my life thinking of new ones if you'll let me.
If it wasn’t obvious by now, this is me declaring my love for you.
P.S.Please don’t lose the check.
Sebastian
My hands were shaking uncontrollably, the paper bouncing up and down between my fingers like it was attempting to escape my grasp.I blinked away silent tears as I read the letter for a second time, and then a third.Was it possible to move past all the awful things said and done between the two of us?I still thought about his confession outside of Remmy’s, how I was responsible for making him feel so small and unheard in our relationship.And it was hard to forget the night he’d ended things, how intentional he’d been in exploiting my greatest fears.But I was sick of letting fear rule my heart.Even after everything that had happened, there was no denying my feelings for Sebastian.
I read the letter one final time, soaking in every last bit until I got to the end.P.S.Please don’t lose the check.
“What does—”
I glanced up to find Sebastian holding out another piece of paper.This one was much smaller, and my eyes widened at the six-figure number written across the bottom.
“The women deserve every penny, not just half.The donor was in full agreement.”
He was prepared for what came next, unlike the first time I’d thrown myself into his arms.Sebastian swept me off my feet in a graceful spin.When we kissed, it felt like I was breathing life back into myself.There was fire on his lips, burning me up from the inside out.And beneath all of the fervor and heat, there was a single promise made to each other, a vow of devotion that couldn’t be put into words.
“If you guys are going to bang, please do it inside the apartment.I’m pretty sure they have cameras out there.”
I laughed against Sebastian’s mouth as Sam’s voice carried into the hallway.Sebastian lowered me to the ground, slowly dragging me down the length of his body.I was reminded of how well we knew each and every inch of muscle and flesh between us.
“I’m sorry, Sebastian.I should have been honest with you, and it was wrong for me to—”
“I don’t need you to apologize to me, Grace.”His voice was thick, brows drawn together.“I’d like you to forgive me.”
“I forgive you,” I said with a shaky laugh.“Of course I forgive you.”Then, after a moment of hesitation.“But I do have a request.”
Sebastian shook his head in amused disbelief.“Other than the hundred thousand dollars?”
“She does drive a hard bargain,” Sam called, the little eavesdropper.
“Will you read my mother’s letters with me?I don’t think I can do it alone, but I promised Gabby I would.”
