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“Hey.”

“I’ll be out of your way. I’m crashing with Austin and Julic,” he says with a bit of resentment or frustration in his voice.

My fingernails dig into my palms as I try to steady the sting of his sharp tone. I don’t want him to leave like this, not this way. “Don’t go. I’m sorry,” I say, the words tumble from my lips, raw and I hate how vulnerable I sound, like I can’t be without him. My throat burns, but the truth is, I don’t want to be. ”

I can’t allow my past to dictate my future and my stupid rules. Blaming every athlete for the actions of two is ridiculous and John has proven that he’ll stick by me, even if as a friend.

I stand frozen, waiting for his response, my pulse hammeringin my ears. I remind myself–I’m not weak. I’m strong and I can have a hockey player boyfriend.

His head lifts, and he looks out the patio doors at the darkness, so I walk around the beds and lay my hand on his back, hoping he’ll realize I’m truly sorry. His body shudders, then stiffens.

“I c-c-can’t stay.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

John

“Damn, I haven’t stuttered in years, and that’s all I do around you.” I let out an incredulous laugh.

Becca’s eyes fill with tears, and she’s never looked more beautiful as when she’s vulnerable.

“John, please stay. I’ll protect you from the lizards,” she jokes. Her attempt at levity works, causing a real laugh from my throat. “I don’t know how to act. We’re friends.”

“We’re more than friends, and you know it. When are you going to admit how you feel about me? Am I that bad of a man that you’re embarrassed to have romantic feelings for me?”

Squeezing my palm, she says, “You’re the best man I know other than my brother.”

“But you don’t kiss your brother, do you?” I lift a questioning brow.

“Ah. No. Well, on the cheek.”

Her face glows, and the red lipstick she was wearing has faded, leaving her lips the color of a watermelon. They look inviting and so fucking kissable. Kissing her will only end up hurting me, again.

Becca’s warm hands slide up my arms to my biceps. “I’m not embarrassed of you. I’m new to this. Does having sex mean thatwe’re together, together? Because most men I know are happy if it’s a vacation hookup or a friends-with-benefits kind of thing.”

“That’s what men do when they haven’t found the one person who makes them feel like they scored the winning goal in the championship finals… or the woman who can heal their scars.”

Our gazes tangle, weaving a web of possibilities and more questions. Is this how I feel about her? Does she feel similar?

She looks at me under her short, thick lashes that frame her eyes, blurring as they glitter with water.

“Bex, I know the divorce has jaded you. But I’m not him—not even remotely. Dennis and I are complete opposites, and there’s a good possibility I could make you happy.”

Tears fall from her lids, so I place my hands on her cheeks, sweeping them up with my thumbs. When I miss one, the droplet skims over her lips, getting hung between them.

“Will you let me try to make you happy?”

Her head nods up and down.

“You will?”

“Yes,” she says in a whispering breath.

That one three-letter word hangs between us for several breaths. The edge of her smile hits my palms as I erase the distance, placing a soft kiss onto her luscious lips. The kiss is slow and romantic, feeling like we’re stepping out of the shadows and into the sunlight.

For years, I’ve hidden behind sharp, cocky comments, not letting her know how much I’ve wanted her. In college, no athletes. After college, she married Dennis. Then she got a divorce and soon after, Mamaw died. It seemed there was always something standing in my way. Now, I have her, at least for vacation and hopefully forever.

Our lips work in complete synchrony, and all I can think about is I’m home. Where I was always meant to be. Life works in mysterious ways. Why did we have to be apart? Why do we have certain ideas of what our life should be when we’re young? Why did I let my father control me until a few days ago?