Page 94 of Don't Let Me Go (Don't Let Me 2)

And he wasn’t chosen.

Even from a distance, it killed me to watch him lose all he’d been working for. So he opted to go the NCAA route, instead. Now, things are back on track, and his dreams are actually reachable. The guy should be freaking out, not hiding behind his insecurities. To be honest, even with his history, I didn’t know he had insecurities. The guy’s a force to be reckoned with on and off the ice. He’s always been this way.

The bastard shoots me a look that makes my insides squirm but doesn’t answer my question, chasing after the basketball while choosing to ignore me.

“Oh, is someone being humble?” I tease. “It’s okay to admit you’re the cat’s pajamas, Teddy Bear. I just ran into Ash who confirmed Colt’s already received plenty of offers. I’m sure you have too.”

He shoots the ball from the side of the court but stays quiet.

“Honestly, it’s probably a good thing you’re anti-relationship,” I add. “Apparently, Colt and Ash have been trying to figure out how to do the long-distance thing next year or if they’re ready to jump in with both feet and move in together. It’s put Ash through the wringer. Has he talked to you about it at all?”

He moves to shoot the ball but stops short and looks at me, joking, “Did Ash send you to get information from me?” There’s a tightness in his expression making me pause.

“No?” I step closer and strip the ball from his grasp, demanding his full attention. “Is there any information I need to get from you? ‘Cause so help me, if Colt ruins his relationship with Ash––”

“Colt would do anything for Ash,” he interjects, “including taking a smaller contract to be with her if she wasn’t interested in moving far away. She has nothing to worry about.”

He steals the ball from me and takes a shot. Nothing but net.

I sigh, surprised by the tension that has worked its way into my shoulders. I force myself to relax. “I kind of told her the same thing. Doesn’t make it easy for Colt, though. Especially when he’s seeing all those salary and bonus numbers. It’s a lot to give up to be close to the woman he loves.”

“I guess so.”

“Is it why you keep women at a distance? So you won’t have to leave anyone behind when you go and become a big, famous hockey player?” I ask as he pulls up for another shot.

The ball arches through the air and bounces off the backboard, missing the basket by a millimeter.

He doesn’t chase after it. Instead, he turns to me and frowns. “Who says I won’t have to leave anyone behind?”

I jog toward the ball and rest it against my hip, more invested in our conversation than the game, but I don’t show it. This feels too personal. Too intimate somehow. Like we aren’t discussing hypotheticals. We’re discussing…more.

“Don’t get me wrong. I know you’re close with your parents and Macklin, but you guys still have your own lives, and they’ve known what your future was likely going to be after graduation since you were what? Twelve? With Ash, it’s a little different. She didn’t plan on falling for a guy who could up and move or be traded at any second. It’s a little tougher to wrap your head around, ya know?”

“I guess so,” he repeats. “How would you feel? Falling for a professional athlete?”

I shoot the ball, and it drops into the hoop with a swish. “You mean knowing I was always going to come second to his career?” I cut him off before he has a chance to answer. “Depends on how he handles it.”

“Like what?” Theo asks.

“Like…does he talk to me before making decisions? Is he open and honest? Does he look at opportunities like they’re his future or our future? That kind of thing. Not that it matters,” I rush out, hoping he isn’t getting the wrong idea or thinking I’m still fawning over the bastard. I force a smile and tear my attention from him and back to the basketball hoop.

“Why doesn’t it matter?” he pushes.

“Because I’m not dating an imaginary professional hockey player?” I laugh but avoid his gaze. “Besides, Colt’s most likely moving away, and my brothers are already halfway across the country. I’m not gonna leave my mom. She’s already alone enough of the time anyway. Instead, I’m going to focus on non-relationship things. Like school. My internship. My friends. Those kinds of things.”

The silence that follows is heavier somehow. More charged. Less easy. He passes me the ball, and I take another shot, but it doesn’t even reach the hoop. I’m distracted. Unsure.

As he rebounds the ball for me, he asks, “So, care to make it interesting?”

My attention flicks from the basket and back to Theo, grateful for the distraction. His nose is still a little swollen from his fight, and the bruise on his forehead isn’t as dark as it used to be, but even now, the memory causes my heart to twinge, despite my gratitude for the subject change. “Depends. What do you have in mind?”

“A bet.”

My mouth twitches. “You sure it’s a good idea?”

“I mean, unless you’re too chicken,” he challenges.

I grin. “I think we both know I never back down from a friendly game or competition. What are the stipulations?”

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