Page 110 of Ruled Out

The second I push through the door to what I know is an empty room, Mia pinches her nose. “Ugh, Destroyers or the Scorpions—both locker rooms are equally gross.”

I set her down on her feet and take a seat on the bench, undoing the laces on my skates. “I don’t remember you complaining about the smell the last time you were alone with me after practice. In fact”—I sit up straight and pull my bottom lip between my teeth, taking in how gorgeous she looks in agold skirt and purple top—“I don’t remember you saying all that much at all.”

She props her hands on her hips, fighting a smile. “Is that right?”

“Come here,” I say, flipping my hands toward me.

When Mia steps up to me and sets her bag down on the bench next to us, I reach forward and pull her down onto my lap, and she sits across me, her arms around my neck.

“I think this was one of my favorite moments we shared,” she whispers, resting her head against my shoulder.

I nod, remembering Mia sneaking into the locker room after practice in her hot-as-fuck black suit. I’d stayed late that night as well, not because I wanted to practice my shots, but in the hopes that she’d come and find me.

Tipping her chin up with my finger, I bring her in for a kiss. “Remember the photo we took right after we finished making out for, like, ten minutes straight?”

She chuckles and bites down on her bottom lip. “The selfie?”

I roll my eyes. “The one where I had to get the angle just right.”

Reaching behind her, she pulls out her phone from her purse and unlocks it, bringing up a saved gallery. When she finds the photo of us both, she holds it up in front of us at the exact same angle we took it. “Ugh, I look so much better there.”

I can’t help the emotion as it floods my senses, and I drop my head down, taking a second to center myself.

When I pick my head back up, I look at my girlfriend, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Trust me, there is nothing more beautiful than you in this moment. Will you take another for me?”

Her eyes scan mine as she hovers the phone above us. “Yeah, sure.”

The click of the photo echoes around the silent locker room as she brings the phone toward her and inspects the photo. “It’s like a then-and-now kind of thing.”

“Can you send me both shots?”

She looks up, her brows slightly knitted. “You don’t have the original?”

I swallow down the lump in my throat. I told Mia I’d answer every question she had. “When it all ended, you and me, I was told a trade was the only option. I let everything go.” The moment my thumb hovered over the Delete button replays in my head. “I was convinced that I’d never see you again and thought I didn’t deserve to either. So, I deleted every memory, thinking it would somehow erase the pain.” Bringing my hand to the nape of her neck, I pull her as close as I possibly can. “Turns out, love isn’t pixelated, and you can’t just erase the emotions.”

When she pulls her leg around to straddle me, I swear I can feel her heat through my pants.

“Everyone you have in your life—me, your friends, your fans—you absolutely deserve, Jessie. If there’s one thing my mom taught me, it’s that some of us find our people sooner than others, and sometimes, we find them too early as well.” She presses a palm over her heart. “I know if my mom had been around to meet you, then she would’ve fought for us to be together sooner, and she definitely would’ve told my dad to hear you out. She never believed that every piece of a puzzle had to fit perfectly in place for it to make sense. I know we still don’t have all the pieces, but the picture looks pretty perfect to me. You’re perfect to me.”

I go to open my mouth, but she places a finger against my lips.

“You don’t need to say anything because you know I’m right.”

I press my lips together in a smile. “I was gonna say, you’re definitely right about not having all the pieces.”

She looks down at her sneakers as they dangle above the floor. “I never thought I’d say this, but maybe the only way to get your mom to Seattle is to go see her and talk face-to-face. Go at a time when you know your dad is at work or when he goes out.”

I consider her suggestion and finally nod. “I think that’s my best shot. Didn’t work last time, but I have to try again.”

“She is worth so much more than him. No one should stay with someone like that.”

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I close my eyes, appreciating how special the woman in front of me really is. “I know; I’ve lost count of the times I told her that. I just need to help her see that there’s a better life.”

Mia climbs down from my lap and grabs her bag. “I’m going to use the bathroom. But I say call her, leave her a message if she doesn’t pick up.”

When Mia pushes through the door, I lean down and grab my phone from my bag, the two images she sent lighting up my home screen.

There is a better life.