Page 25

Chapter 25

Piper

A fter the last player left the therapy room, I began cleaning up and wiping down all the equipment in an effort to keep my mind occupied. I had sent my two assistants home early, wanting to be alone, and the silence was actually comforting.

The Wolves had made it to the second round but had lost their game tonight, ending our road in the playoffs. I had mixed emotions about it. Obviously making it to the end and winning the Stanley Cup would have been amazing, but the hidden blessing to our season being over was that I wouldn’t have to see or keep trying to avoid a certain player for the next couple months.

The past few months had been a type of torture I hadn’t known existed. Trying not to look at him when my eyes naturally gravitated to him and could easily find him in a crowd. Trying not to reread all our text conversations every night before I went to bed. Trying not to remember the kisses we’d shared. Trying not to remember how quickly he could make me smile. Trying not to be jealous that Jill got to do his therapy sessions with him. Trying not to wonder if he was missing me as much as I was missing him.

The only time I let myself fully embrace my obvious Zeke obsession was when he was playing a game. I could stare at number twenty-seven all I wanted, and no one would suspect I was anything more than just a regular fan.

Although I’d be right back to the torture as soon as we started getting ready for the new season since I’d heard that the Wolves had offered to extend Zeke’s contract for another year. And I was so happy for him. He deserved to keep his spot on the team, and I knew he was happiest on the ice.

It just stunk for me because I’d have to keep feeling the lingering sting of not being able to be with him. But maybe with some space and an unknown summer ahead, I could get over him.

Doubtful, but one could hope. If this time away from him had proved anything to me, it was that what I felt for Zeke and the brief moments we’d had together were something a person never truly got over. The feelings might dim over time and the possibilities of adding new feelings for someone else might appear, but nothing could ever take away from what I’d had with Zeke.

For a girl who had said she never wanted to fall for a guy again, I sure had skipped right into Zeke’s arms. And not that anything bad had happened between us, but the pain of losing him and losing what we could have been was enough to recommit myself to my anti-relationship status. I was happy to remain single for the foreseeable future.

Despite how hard it was to work at the same place as Zeke, I really did love my job. And I also loved living and hanging out with my sister. So although I was struggling and somewhat miserable at the moment, I had hope that life would be good in the end.

Time heals all wounds, so they said. I wasn’t sure who they were, but if the phrase was so popular it had to be true, right? That’s what I told myself, at least.

“Hey, Piper.”

I jumped at the voice, not expecting anyone. Turning, I found Holden standing in the doorway.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said with a sheepish grin.

“No, it’s fine.” I waved him off. “I just wasn’t expecting anyone. I thought the team had left. Do you need anything?”

“Uh, no.” He shook his head. “But Coach wanted to talk to you before you left. He’s waiting for you in the arena.”

My eyebrows scrunched together. “Oh, okay.” That was weird. Usually, we talked in his office or here in the therapy room.

I set down the rag and cleaner I’d been using and made my way out of the room.

“Oh, and Piper,” Holden said before I could leave. “I know you and Zeke aren’t together, but for what it’s worth, I’d never seen him as happy as when he was with you. I never thought anyone would break through his hard exterior, but somehow you did.”

His words were both a balm and a jagged sword to my aching heart. Having someone else say that what Zeke and I’d had was real and special was validating in a way I hadn’t known I longed to hear.

“Even though,” he continued, “I did try to convince him that relationships weren’t worth it, even for someone as amazing as you.” He let out a short chuckle as if remembering something. “He all but told me to back off, making it clear he didn’t care what I had to say because what he felt for you wasn’t something he could just walk away from.”

“He said that?” Surprise colored my tone.

“Well, not in so many words. You know Zeke doesn’t like to share his feelings.”

That’s what people said, but Zeke hadn’t been that way with me. He’d seemed willing to talk to me about things, even if it took him a minute to open up.

I nodded. “Thanks, Holden. I’ll see you around.”

I hurried off toward the ice rink, hoping Coach Hill was still there and hadn’t been waiting for me for too long.

When I stepped into the arena, the quiet was a stark contrast from a couple hours ago, when people had filled the seats, music blaring through the speakers, fans screaming for their teams, the buzzer echoing throughout the rink. A few arena crew members worked here and there in the stands, picking up the remaining trash, but other than that, it was practically empty. A lone figure slowly skated on the ice, quickly catching my eye. And it wasn’t because no one was supposed to be on the ice. I’d recognize that dark mess of curls, the chin dimple, those broad shoulders, the graceful way he glided on the ice, anywhere.

I made my way toward the rink. I was used to seeing him in his hockey gear on the ice, but he wore a pair of jeans, with a black hoodie with the Minnesota Wolves logo outlined on the front. And here I’d thought he couldn’t get more attractive. I had clearly been wrong.

I rested my hands on the half wall of the rink where the players usually sat and continued to watch him, but it didn’t take long for him to notice me.

The smile that lit up his face when he saw me sent a swarm of butterflies swooping through my stomach. I tried to not smile back, knowing I shouldn’t even be here watching him like this, that we shouldn’t be alone, but I couldn’t help it. Maybe getting one more goodbye in before the start of the off season would be okay. I couldn’t get in trouble for just talking to him for a couple minutes, right?

Which reminded me—I was supposed to be meeting with Coach Hill. I glanced around the empty arena but didn’t see him anywhere. I must have missed him. I would need to go find him in his office and see if he still wanted to talk to me.

But then Zeke stood in front of me, and I suddenly had no desire to hurry off.

“Hi.” His voice washed over me, quickly dissolving any boundaries I’d put up between us since leaving his apartment all those weeks ago. This was why we couldn’t be just friends. I couldn’t even talk to him without wanting to be more.

“Hi.” I hated how breathless I sounded, but the satisfied look on his face told me he didn’t hate it at all.

“I’m sorry I lured you here under false pretenses,” he said.

“What are you talking about?

“Coach doesn’t really want to meet with you. I just asked Holden to tell you that. I was worried that if you knew you were meeting me here, you wouldn’t come,” he said.

“Oh.” I didn’t know what to think about how he’d planned to get me here.

“I want to tell you something. But first…” He bent down, and when he stood back up he was holding a pair of skates. They must have been waiting on the ice on the other side of the wall. “I need you to put these on.”

“Uh,” I hesitated. “I’m not the best ice skater.”

Zeke’s lips twitched with amusement. “Don’t worry. I’ll hold your hand and make sure you don’t fall.”

I stared at him for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was going on beneath his calm exterior. His expression was unreadable, but something flickered in his eyes—something he wasn’t saying. I figured the fastest way to find out what was to put the skates on.

Taking the skates from him, I sank onto the bench behind me and started lacing them up.

When I finished, he stepped forward, offering his hand. His grip was strong and steady as he pulled me to my feet.

The second my blades touched the ice, my legs wobbled, and I instinctively gripped his forearm. He smiled, his thumb brushing lightly against the back of my hand. “Told you I wouldn’t let you fall.”

The feel of his hand wrapped around mine sent a warmth up my arm, spreading through my chest. It was a simple touch, but it was a quiet reassurance, a connection neither of us acknowledged out loud.

We started out slow, sticking to the perimeter of the rink. The silence between us stretched, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. We were both waiting—I was waiting for him to say whatever had been on his mind when he’d invited me here, and I assumed he was waiting until I felt more comfortable on the ice. The silence didn’t bother me, though, and I enjoyed the moment of being alone with him in a place where he had always found the most comfort.

After a full loop around the rink, I wasn’t as stiff. My movements became smoother, my grip on his hand loosening just slightly. Zeke must have noticed because he finally spoke.

“I’m not sure if you heard or not, but the Wolves offered to extend my contract.” His voice was even, but there was something beneath it, a weight he was trying to keep steady.

“Yeah, I did hear that.” I glanced up at him with a smile. “Congratulations, Zeke. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” he said. “It came as a little bit of a surprise, but it felt good to hear I’m valued and wanted on the team.”

“Well, if anyone deserves it, it’s you.” I squeezed his hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so dedicated to the game—not just on the ice, but off the ice as well.”

“Thank you,” he said again, pausing a moment before continuing. “As much as I love the game and have literally dedicated my life to it…I turned it down.”

My skate caught on the ice, and I stumbled forward with a sharp gasp. Zeke’s reflexes kicked in, and his arm shot out, wrapping around my waist just before I hit the ice.

“Whoa, there,” he murmured, his breath warm against my temple. “You okay?”

I barely heard him over the rushing in my ears. My fingers clutched at his sleeve. “What do you mean you turned it down?”

My mind reeled. I couldn’t have heard him right. Hockey had been his entire world. He had built his entire identity around it. He was the guy who never took a day off, who pushed his body past its limits, who would have played until the league physically forced him out. I wouldn’t have put it past him to go play for one of the minor league teams in the AHL once he was finished with the NHL. And now he was telling me he had turned down a contract extension?

“I turned down the offer because I’ve come to realize that being a hockey player has fulfilled its purpose in my life.” His voice was steady, like he had made peace with the decision. “And now I want to pursue something new.”

I stared up at him blankly, still trying to process what he was telling me.

“But…but you love hockey,” I stammered. “You’re a hockey player—it’s who you are, who you love being.” I wasn’t sure if I was so much telling him this or asking what had happened in the last several weeks to have turned him around so completely.

A small, amused smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I do love hockey. That won’t ever change.” His voice was laced with understanding, as if he knew exactly why I was struggling to process this. “And for a long time, it was everything to me. But now…” He exhaled, glancing around the arena before looking back at me. “Now that the Wolves are out of the playoffs, I was a hockey player. It’s still a part of me, probably always will be. But it’s not the only thing I am.”

Well, yeah, I knew that, but he hadn’t seemed to know it just a few months ago. He had been convinced that hockey was the only thing keeping him grounded. Now he was standing in front of me, saying it wasn’t his whole world anymore?

My face must have shown my disbelief, because he shifted, moving directly in front of me. He took both of my hands in his, rubbing slow circles with his thumbs.

“I didn’t make this decision rashly,” he assured me. “I thought about it for a long time—thought about what you and I talked about that night at my house, about different paths I could take. I talked with Crew about retirement, and…” His voice dropped lower, more affectionate. “I finally came to the conclusion that playing hockey for another year no longer felt like my next step in life.”

The tension in my shoulders eased. I just wanted him to be happy. And if this was what he wanted, if this was what felt right to him, then it truly was great news.

“Have you figured out what your next step is?” I asked.

His lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. “One of them,” he said, his voice deepening as he pulled me closer. My skates slid easily across the ice, gliding me into his arms. His hands settled on my waist as my palms pressed against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. “I’m hoping,” he continued, his eyes darkening, “now that we don’t work together anymore…that I could take you out on a date.”

My breath caught. Oh, my gosh. He was right. We didn’t work together anymore. I had been so wrapped up in my worry about his retirement that I hadn’t let myself think about what that meant. He was no longer a player for the Minnesota Wolves. I was no longer his physical therapist. There were no longer rules keeping us apart.

We were free.

My smile stretched wide, warmth blooming in my chest.

“What if I don’t want to go on a date?” I teased.

A flicker of worry crossed his face, his grip on my waist loosening. “Uh…yeah, I guess I shouldn’t have assumed?—”

I almost laughed. The idea that he thought I didn’t want this—didn’t want him —was ridiculous. If anything, my feelings for him had only grown stronger in the time we had spent apart.

“What if,” I interrupted, tilting my head playfully, “I want to cook dinner together and cuddle on the couch watching a movie instead?”

His muscles relaxed under my fingers, and his grip on my waist tightened again. His smirk returned, lazy and confident. “That sounds perfect.” He leaned in, his lips hovering just over mine. “A movie we’ve already seen, right?”

All I could do was nod before he closed the distance, his lips capturing mine. I smiled against his mouth, my heart soaring as he kissed me.

Finally, we were exactly where we were meant to be.