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“Oh.” His cheeks turn pink. “And?”

“It was sweet.”

“Yeah?”

I kiss his chin. “No one’s ever done anything like that for me.”

“Yeah, well no one’s ever changed her internship for me.”

“But you did this first and I didn’t even know it.”

“You know what?” he asks, pushing my hair out of my eyes.

“What?”

“That’s just the kind of thing people in love do for one another.”

“I’m starting to understand that.” I rest my hands on his chest. “Thank you.”

“For the tickets?” he asks, tilting his head.

For the tickets, for coming to my mom’s to get me, for helping Nadia, for teaching me how to let go of my past and embrace my confidence… well, for just being Reese Cain.

I press a kiss to his mouth. “For everything.”

EPILOGUE

Six Months Later

“Promise me one thing,”Reese says, voice rough with sleep. “Don’t ever let me give Axel permission to plan a celebration party ever again.”

Over the start of a pounding headache, I grunt, “Deal.”

The party had been to celebrate Reese’s contract with the Rangers. Axel, looking for any excuse, went all out. There were hundreds of people at the Manor the night before. Kegs, liquor, shots… I feel like I consumed them all.

But it had been fun—so much fun. The weight of waiting for an offer, the meetings with Reese’s agent and the negotiations, they’d taken up a lot of time. Time that seems to be running out. It was nice to have a night together that was pure indulgence.

“You deserved it though. Highest signing bonus in the NHL.” I’m so proud of him. Proud that he held out for the best deal and is weeks from getting his degree. The first thing he did was call his dad and ask him what color Charger he wanted.

With a speed unimaginable to my hungover body, he flips me on my back and moves over me. “You were too wasted last night to celebrate the way I wanted to—”

“Iwas too wasted? You’re the one that sang karaoke with Reid for two hours—only Taylor Swift.”

“You have your favorite music. I have mine.” He smirks, then dips his head, capturing my mouth with his.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand. When I look over he says, “Don’t answer that. Basketball season is over. No one needs you.” His lips blaze down my throat. “No one, but me.”

As happy as I am that Reese got the offer and everything is settled for him, I can’t say the same. I have grad school applications submitted at half-a-dozen universities in the Northeast. I did already get accepted to the physical therapy program at Wittmore, so it’s not like I won’t go, but staying here is farther away from Reese than I’d like. The other decisions should come in soon—maybe this week—but the wait is fraying my nerves.

What if I don’t get accepted to a school near him? His schedule is already going to be impossible, with the intensity of his rookie season and all the travel and away games.

We’ve already made a million compromises for one another. Can we survive more?

Reese doesn’t want to think about it yet—he wants all the information before we even consider a decision. The school, the scholarship offers, the time and distance. Easy for him to say. He just got a million-dollar signing bonus.

My phone buzzes again, breaking me from my spiral. “It could be Nadia.”

“Nadia can wait.” His kisses move across my shoulder blade and his hand pushes under my T-shirt. What I feel the most is the hard press of his erection digging between my thighs. The thrill of knowing how much he wants me never gets old. “I’m not so sure I can.”