Page 31

PRESTON

W aking up felt like trying to swim through wet cement. My whole body was heavy, and my head buzzed like I’d been hit by a slapshot. The lights above me were painfully bright, and my mouth was so dry it felt like I’d been chewing on cotton.

“Hey there, Preston,” a calm voice said beside me. I turned my head, slow and unsteady, to see a nurse standing by my bed, holding a clipboard. Her expression was calm but focused. “How are you feeling?”

“Uh…” My voice came out cracked and weak. I swallowed, but it didn’t help much. “Like…I just went twelve rounds on the ice.”

The nurse smiled softly, clearly used to bad analogies from patients just waking up. “That’s pretty normal after surgery. You’ve just had an appendectomy. Your appendix was inflamed, but we removed it before it could rupture. Everything went smoothly, and you’re in recovery now.”

Surgery. The memory of the stabbing pain hit me like a puck to the chest, but now it was different—still sore but duller, more like an ache than the unbearable knife-like pain .

“How long was I out?” I asked, my voice still scratchy. Flashes of the night returned to me: the date, the fever, the car ride back, Jordan worrying… oh god. Jordan.

“The surgery took about an hour and a half, and you’ve been in recovery for about thirty minutes,” she explained, glancing at the machines next to me. “How’s your pain right now?”

I thought about it, then winced. “It’s…not great. But better than before.”

She nodded. “That’s good to hear. We’ll keep monitoring you. You’ll probably be sore for a few days, but the worst is behind you.”

I blinked at her, my thoughts slowly catching up. “Wait…how long am I going to be stuck here? I’ve got practice. And games—our next one’s this Friday. I can’t miss it.”

The nurse chuckled softly, shaking her head. “I hate to break it to you, but hockey’s going to have to wait. You’ll be staying here overnight for observation. If everything looks good, you’ll go home tomorrow, but you won’t be back on the ice for at least a couple of weeks.”

“A couple of weeks?” My stomach sank and not just from the soreness. “Coach is going to kill me.”

“Your coach will understand,” she said, her tone firm but kind. “Your health comes first. Skating, practice, anything strenuous—it’s off the table until you’re fully healed.”

I let my head fall back against the pillow, groaning in a minor bout of self-pity. “Great. So I’m going to miss games, and I ruined my date.”

The nurse raised an eyebrow. “Is Jordan your date?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “Been waiting years to ask her out, and when she finally agreed, my appendix decided to be dramatic and ruin it.”

The nurse chuckled. “Not sure you ruined it. She’s been asking about you the entire time, waiting to come back here and see you.”

“Can she? Can I see her?” My pulse spiked, the damn monitors beeping louder. I refused to feel shame.

“I’ll go get her in a few minutes. Try to rest and relax.”

Sure. Relax . I was out for two weeks at least, which would put me behind on the ice.

The team had to come back stronger after the championship lost, and now, I was out.

Plus, I ruined the date with Jordan, which was not ideal.

I’d have to make it up to her, somehow. Instead of showing her how much she meant to me, my body betrayed me, and she had to take care of me. Not the most romantic evening.

I wanted her realizing we’d be good together, that we could have future. Not wondering if I was gonna puke on her. I pinched the bridge of my nose, wincing as the movement pained me. It was best if I lay there like a damn tree.

This was so not how I envisioned this going. I woke up with Jordan plastered against me this morning, and now I was in a hospital, waking up from surgery. What the fuck?

A slight knock tapped on the door, and my heart leapt in my throat. Jordan. It had to be her. “Yeah, come in,” I rasped out. I wanted to see her, read her facial expressions like my favorite book, and determine how badly I’d fucked this up.

It creaked as the metal door slowly swung toward the wall, and there she was. My future wife.

“You asshole. ” Her eyes flashed as she practically ran toward the bed.

Her hair had been styled at the restaurant, but now it was everywhere, like she’d run her fingers through it a hundred times.

She wore an oversized coat and fluffy boots, but her beautiful jaw-dropping dress was still on.

She looked beautiful. I let myself scan her head to toe before I met her gaze.

“Baby,” I said. Her eyes were red and her makeup smeared. She’d cried. She cried for me. “I’m okay. ”

She blinked a few times while her bottom lip trembled. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, hard. It was clear she struggled with what to do. I reached out a hand, gesturing her to take it. Instead, she threw herself on top of me in a bear hug. I grunted, hard.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry. I just need to hold you. Hug you. Please.” She lifted her head, our mouths a few inches apart.

I could feel her breath hit my face, feel her heat, and see the erratic pulse at the base of her neck. Her concern for me was almost tangible. I cupped her face, rubbing her earlobe, as an easy smile formed on my own. “You’re cute when you worry.”

“Do you feel okay? May I hug you?” She gulped. She looked nothing like the confident, take-no-shit woman I knew. She was nervous, unsettled. She kept chewing the corner of her lip and adjusting her coat.

“Get in here.”

She wrapped her arms around me, resting her head on my shoulder as she squeezed me.

She smelled the same, spicy and citrusy, and her hair tickled my nose as I buried my nose against her temple.

She exhaled, her body relaxing against me.

All the tension in her body disappeared when I kissed the top of her head.

“Fucking hell, Preston. I know you wanted my first date to be memorable, but this was not what I pictured.”

Snorting, I hugged her as tight as I could without pain. “Smartass. That was my first thought when I woke up, you know. Is Jordan gonna be pissed I ruined our date? ”

“That was your first thought? You idiot.” She lifted her head up, narrowing her beautiful eyes at me. “You didn’t ruin it. Your appendix did. Kind of an asshole move.”

“No. I definitely did. I had all these plans.” My voice was gruffer, deeper. “I had all these things I wanted to do, to experience with you. I wanted your first date to pretty much make sure you never wanted to date anyone else ever again.”

“Ha. Well, job well done then because I was scared as hell and felt like my heart was gonna stop.” She rubbed a hand over my chest, my arm, intertwining our fingers. “You’ve never been sick. I’ve never seen you ill, and you kept groaning. It scared me to death.”

“I’m sorry.” I kissed the back of her hand, my heart swelling with how much I loved her. “I hate scaring you or having you worry.”

She stared at me, her expression different than I had ever seen. “Do you have to stay here long or can you come back to the house? I can take care of you. Like, if they say you need someone to help you or something, it can be me.”

I couldn’t stop my smile. She sounded like she loved me, and even though she’d never admit how she felt, her concern charmed the hell out of me. “I’ll stay the rest of tonight, but tomorrow I should be discharged.”

She sighed, relief on her face as her phone buzzed. “Oh, your family is here. Can I—should I let them in?”

“You’re not leaving,” I said, holding her gaze. “You can get them, but you’re not leaving me.”

Her answering grin was slow, but she nodded, a pretty blush covering her face. “Okay, yeah, I’ll get them and come back.”

She left the room, glancing back at me with the tenderest expression, and I winked at her. She ducked her head and disappeared, leaving me alone again. Everything hurt like a bitch physically, but mentally? Emotionally?

Jordan might’ve fought her feelings for me, but they were glaringly obvious, rolling off her like neon signs, and I was gonna use that to my advantage. I wasn’t beneath that, and I grinned like a maniac right as my parents and brother barged into the room .

“Oh, honey.” My mom walked up and kissed my forehead. “Jordan told us everything. Are you feeling okay? Do you need anything?”

My mom mothered me, pushing my hair out of my face and checking for injuries.

“I just had surgery, Mom. I feel like a truck hit me.”

She clicked her tongue and shared a look with my dad. “You’re still a smart ass, so that’s a good sign.”

It was weird seeing my mom and dad together. Since they told us about the divorce, the entire notion of family shifting had been circling in my brain. We’d never have holidays together again, no long weekends with them in a cabin. Yet we were together now, and it didn’t feel strange.

“Where is the nurse? I want to ask about healing. You’re in the middle of career season.” My dad scanned the wall where the nurse wrote my vitals.

I wasn;t sure what he hoped to find or understand, but it was so him I snorted. “Two weeks, probably. Then I can practice again.”

“Damn, dude.” Price walked up and ruffled my hair. “Hey, remember when we were like ten and made a bet of who could beat the other, and Mom made us table the discussion because she didn’t want a war? I say we hash it out now.”

“Why are you two the way you are?” our mom asked, making me laugh again. “This had to be kind of frightening. What happened? How did you know?”

“It was all Jordan.” I sought her out, not seeing her in the room. “Where is she? I told her to come back with you.”

“She’s with Quentin and his girlfriend. They waited with her until I got here.” Price met my eyes, a serious expression on his face. “Jordan fell apart on me. That girl fucking loves you, and I know she said otherwise, but no one reacts like that. She couldn’t breathe, Preston. ”

“Language,” my mom said, but it wasn’t with real harshness. She smiled. “Yeah, I agree with your brother. She texted us the entire time with updates, and she didn’t have to. She’s always had your back.”

“I’m not worried about it,” I said, frowning because I wanted her here with me. While I found comfort in my family, Jordan was my rock. Bad game? She held me together. Pissed at my parents? She was there. She was always there.

Except she hadn’t returned yet.

“So for real, what happened?” my dad asked, sitting down in one of the chairs. There were two, and he gestured for my mom to take the other. She sat next to him, even putting a hand on his shoulder for a second.

What was that?

I went through how the pain started at dinner and caught them up to speed on everything until now. Price whistled a few times, but the highlight was him calling me a dumbass. “You thought it was the flu? How are you the smarter one?”

“Shut up.” I half-laughed, half-snorted. “I wanted to curl into a ball and sleep it off.”

“Well, I’m glad Jordan insisted on coming here. Were you two on a date?” my mom asked with way too much eagerness.

“Oh yeah. They were. He asked her, but then she said no, but then he brought a date to an event she was in charge of, and she lost it,” Price chimed in, an absolute pain in the ass. “She’s his girlfriend now.”

My parents snickered just as the door creaked opened again, and Jordan returned. She had a box of crackers and a soda. All conversation stopped when she entered, and she stilled, her eyes widening. “Uh, hi.”

“We owe you.” My dad went to her first, giving her a side hug as she stared at me in confusion. “Thank you for saving our son. Seriously. He’s stubborn, and I hate to think what would’ve happened without you.”

“I’m glad I was there,” she said softly with the same look of fear she wore when she first saw me. She cringed but forced a smile as she neared me. “All is well now. The hard part is gonna be keeping him off the ice.”

“Yeah, glad he has you for that ‘cause I do not want to be the one stopping him. First week, he’ll be okay but the second? He’s gonna whine.” Price moved toward her, elbowing her side like they were best buddies. “Seriously, he’s gonna pout, and you might wish the appendix took him out.”

“Price Charming, you take that back right now.” Our mom pointed a finger at him. “It’s too soon.”

“You know I’m right though. Remember that year he broke his finger and he snuck out to play?”

“Why bring this up? Why do this to me?” I closed my eyes, sighing. “Aren’t visiting hours closed or something? Think it’s time to leave.”

“I got us a room at the hotel down the road,” my dad said, clearly speaking to my mom. “We can head there and come back first thing in the morning.”

My mom frowned as she stared at me. “Do you want us to stay? Do you need anything?”

“I love that you both came down…together.” I swallowed. My parents were touching, not yelling at each other, and sharing a hotel room. “But I want to rest, and Jordan will stay with me, so I’ll be okay.”

“It would be great seeing you guys again once we’re back at the house tomorrow,” Jordan replied. “We could have a brunch or lunch, depending on the time.”

“That would be great.” My mom stood, and my dad took her hand.

Price raised his brow, his gaze moving to me with the same what in the hell is happening look . I stared at their hands, but my mom shook her head.

I loved my parents despite their divorce. “Thank you guys for coming. Seriously.”

“Of course we would. We love your dumbass.” My dad bent down and hugged me tight. “Rest and listen to Jordan and the nurses.”

“You act like I’m an animal.”

“You are.” My dad laughed and put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks. Me too.” My throat got that fuzzy feeling, like I needed water. It was like Jordan read my mind, because she handed me the soda can, and I welcomed it.

My parents left, Price and Jordan remaining with me once the door shut. Price opened his mouth, but before he could speak, I said, “Leave. I want to be alone with Jordan.”

“Damn. You shouldn’t go at it this soon after surgery, dude. That’s not healthy.”

Instead of ridiculing him, Jordan laughed and hugged him. “Thank you. Seriously.”

He hugged her back, and his gaze softened.

He didn’t look like the playboy tool he was.

He squeezed her hard, his face reading yeah she’s a keeper.

He patted her back before pointing at me.

It must be a family trait because there’d been a lot of finger points tonight.

“Be smart. Get fucking better. I’ll see you tomorrow. ”

He finally left, leaving Jordan and I alone, and that was all I wanted.