Page 259 of Wrong Pucking Player

“They deserve to see the Armani I’ve come to love. To see how absolutely amazing you are. Amazing… supportive… so fucking loving and kind. I want them to see the real you, Oscar,” I quietly beg. “That starts with letting Winchester go.”

He stares back at me like this is such a hard decision to make.

To stop this pattern that he’s allowed to go on for years for everyone’s benefit but his own.

“Please, Oscar,” I beg him.

“Only on one condition,” he whispers and leans in until our foreheads press together. “As long as you don’t get mad about the idea of living with me.”

“Living with you?”

“And… Cyrus Jr.”

“Why would I get mad at the idea of living with you and Wyatt?” It sounds eventfully pleasing. “I’d love that… wait. Why are you saying that? Does this have something to do with having to give back the residence key tomorrow evening after the ball?”

“Kind of,” he admits and whispers, “Wyatt and I won an offer for a house.”

I lean back to slowly look at him with my wide, glassy eyes.

“A… house?”

“Not a big house or anything. Nothing like those fancy-ass houses O’Riley and the others bought with their advances,” he admits almost nervously, which is rare for Armani. “It’s just nice and cozy. Close to the beachside. Five-minute walk. The backyard is the stellar part. Has a big wood patio platform with netting so it would be the perfect environment to expand your garden of plants until wintertime. Enough space to even make a little greenhouse if you want. Enough indoor space for Mittens and Avalanche. Even with their big ass pink scratching post. I think Wyatt wants a dog along the path. There’s a rink nearby so Wyatt and I can skate and train. You can even figure skate like you used to during the Heartbreaker Crew days. There’s plenty of trails to run through during any season, and you won’t need to fear those creepy guys watching you and shit.”

Having him paint it all out is igniting waterworks because it sounds like a dream.

A fucking dream with my two lovers…

“Only if you’re up to the idea,” he finally states. “Neither of us would force you. We just had to rush the process because the demand skyrocketed with the hockey initiative and the news of Strattonville Vipers buying a lot of real estate. I didn’t want to wait and watch it get swooped the next day, so we just bought it on the spot.” He shyly looks everywhere but me now as he quietly whispers, “So… if you’re ready to live with us, then I don’t mind moving forward.”

His hazelnut eyes finally find my blue ones as he lets me see the flickers of hopefulness.

Hope for a future with me… and Wyatt.

“I’ve always known Winchester was toxic for me, Kenzie. I just… didn’t want to be alone in this world. I may have my brother, but that’s all I’ve ever known, and he’s so busy running a whole empire. Winchester… was the friend I’d known for more than a decade. To give that up… even though I know I deserve better. I was too afraid to. I hated the idea of being alone in a world that wouldn’t even acknowledge if I disappeared.”

“Oscar…”

God.

This man.

This man deserves the world.

“But… now I have you. I have Wyatt. Coach Johnson is super supportive, and the rest of the team has really warmed up to me. I can actually see a future now. No matter what happens with the semi-finals. Win or lose, I know my future is bright and nothing can destroy it now. So, that’s why I’m willing to let him go,” he confesses. “But I wanted your permission to do so.”

“Oh, Armani.” I’m hugging him in seconds. “You always listen to me. No one else.”

“Yeah.” He doesn’t even try to fight the truth. “‘Cause you’re the rock I need to stand tall in a sea of chaos, Andrews.”

He hugs me so tightly.

“You’re the only one who never changed. Always said how things were and didn’t sugarcoat shit. We argue like cats and dogs, but every conversation, I cherished because in my world, you weren’t a ‘yes’ person. You told me the truth, to my face, with no remorse, and that’s what I always yearned for.”

I lean back enough to peer into his face as he blinks his glassy eyes.

“I’m glad you came back, Kenzie,” he confesses wholeheartedly. “I missed you.”

This man is the bane of my existence.

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