Page 334 of Wrong Pucking Player

“When Officer Melody was speaking about it, I knew it was Frankie, but I feared he’d actually try to listen in to our conversations, so I kept it to myself.”

“Xandra,” he chokes on a sob and hugs me again. “Baby… my Diamond… my blooming wildflower. I really thought you’d never remember me.”

“I thought you promised if I ever forget something, you’d help me remember,” I remind him while hugging him back as I rest my chin on his shoulder.

“I know,” he whispers. “But… I didn’t know where I was going to start. How would I get you to look me in the eyes and love me like you always had? It… doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to fight for your love. There was just a moment when I really felt like it would be absolutely hopeless.”

“I’m sorry.” I rub the back of his head, stroking gently as he sobs into my shoulder. “I apologize for adding more trauma in connection to Frankie. Despite the circumstances, it doesn’t excuse the hurt it brought in its wake, so…”

I lean back so we can share a look.

“If you… don’t want to date me anymore, I’ll under—”

“I’m never letting you go again,” he interrupts me with a gaze full of conviction. “I told myself if you ever remembered me again, I’d never lose you. There wouldn’t be a third time.” He smiles past his tears and whispers, “But this can’t count, or that means we’re on our fourth.”

That makes me laugh before we’re hugging tightly again.

He slowly lowers me back to my feet but holds me close, so I have some sort of support.

“I see why you did what you did, especially when I know what a psychopathic stalker Frankie is. You knew what would give us all an upper hand and went with it, even though it must have reignited the trauma you experienced with Frankie constantly hypnotizing you for practice.”

He leans down to press his forehead against mine.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you enough, so you wouldn’t have been pulled into this mess to begin with. I’m glad Frankie couldn’t end either of us or those we care about, but I promise from this day onward, I’ll be working toward being able to protect you properly.”

“What about hockey?” I whisper. “Y-You’re not going to stop that, are you?”

“Well…”

“He can do both, I’m sure.”

We look over to see Oscar, Oliver, Katherine, Leo, and Coach Cyrus.

“Dad,” Wyatt whispers as he looks at him with a relieved look.

“I know hockey is your passion, but I also know how important continuing our legacy revolving around bodyguarding individuals in this society of business is just as vital in fulfilling your purpose in life,” Coach Cyrus declares and smiles my way. “Now that we know who Kenzie really is, she’s going to need a bodyguard. Someone who can be around her without it being rather obvious.” He returns his attention to his son. “Which is the reason why I attended tonight,” he reveals, which surprises all of us.

“What do you mean?” Wyatt doesn’t understand. “I thought you came for added security?”

“He actually came to speak to our families,” Oliver speaks up. “With the understanding that Kenzie is Sofiya Androsov, the sole heir to the Androsov Empire, we wanted to discuss protective options and services for Kenzie. Obviously, due to the hockey initiative, you’ll be out in the open doing your retrospective careers, but when you’re not in the limelight, some enemies may wish to take a chance in getting the upper hand against Kenzie, who isn’t fully prepared to protect herself from those threats.”

He looks between us before Oscar ends up moving to stand on my left side.

“We came to the agreement before your arrival that Wyatt would be the best candidate. It would also make it a lot smoother for when we want to start training the three of you to further be able to protect yourself independently and as a unit,” Coach Cyrus reveals.

“But…” Wyatt looks hesitant. “I failed the first time. Even today, I couldn’t sense Frankie quick enough to pull the trigger on him before he had a gun pressed to Xandra’s chest.”

“You didn’t fail to protect Kenzie in either scenario,” Coach Cyrus points out. “You took a bullet for Sofiya when you two were but children. As for today’s events, you followed your instincts and didn’t pull the trigger for a reason. You knew if you killed Frankie, it wouldn’t be real justice to your mother and everyone else he hurt over the decades. You also would have sealed away the chance of Kenzie remembering you again.”

Oliver nods his head.

“I know it’s hard for you not to bat yourself, Wyatt, but you have to remember all the times you protected Kenzie, including in the police station when you were ready to take out that officer if he hurt Kenzie,” he reminds him. “Again, you’ll be given training from the best as we re-introduce you three into this society you’re aware exists. You’ll do this while continuing your daily lives as hockey players and team nurse.”

It sounds like a good bargain.

“Only on one condition,” Oscar speaks up and looks to Wyatt. They’re sharing a look but not exchanging any words.

I’m left staring between the two of them like everyone else as we wait for Oscar to continue.

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