Page 99 of Goalie Secrets

It’s such a Jeremy thing to say, full of conviction and care. It takes me a moment to find my words. “Jeremy, I’m fine.” I sit up a little straighter, wincing as the motion jostles my head. “They’re only keeping me here for one night.”

Behind me, the chair scrapes faintly as Paul rises. He steps closer, his calm, friendly presence diffusing the static in the air. “I’m Paul,” he says, extending a hand. “Ashley’s husband.”

“He’s also a doctor,” Ashley adds. “Vanya is in good hands.”

Jeremy’s grip is firm as they shake hands, but his eyes flick toward Ashley, who is perched near the window. “Hi, Ashley,” he says with a nod.

Her response is a brisk dip of her head and nothing more.

“I’m fine, Jeremy,” I repeat, gesturing toward Paul and Ashley.

Jeremy’s gaze doesn’t waver from mine, his dark eyes heavy with all that we’ve said and all we’ve failed to express. “Can we talk alone, please?”

The room tenses. Ashley’s brow quirks in silent question. Paul waits for her cue. I nod, the movement slow and deliberate to avoid rattling my head.

Ashley looks at her phone. “I’m a text away,” she says to me, a not-so-subtle signal that she’s leaving as a favor, not an obligation. Paul trails behind her. Before she leaves, she glances over her shoulder, her mouth pressed into a thin, skeptical line.

The door clicks shut, leaving the two of us. Jeremy exhales like he’s been holding his breath for hours.

“Vanya,” he starts, his voice softer now, yet raw with emotion. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have been so harsh when you came to see me. I tried to patch the events together. Did you get into the accident right after you left?”

I lean back against the pillows, made acutely aware of the seatbelt-shaped bruise peeking out from under my collarbone when Jeremy keeps glancing at it. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Do what?”

“Torture yourself. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. It was an accident, Jeremy,” I reply. My fingers curl into the blanket, gripping the cheap fabric like it’s a lifeline. “I’m fine, Jeremy.”

He moves closer, pulling the chair Paul vacated, the metal legs scraping faintly against the floor. When he sits and leansforward, we’re at eye level. His searing gaze sweeps over every detail of my face, making me flush with awareness.

“You’re in a hospital bed, Vanya. Still unbelievably beautiful, by the way.”

“Yeah, well, this green is especially flattering for my skin tone,” I joke, lifting the blanket.

“I went into your house today without your permission. I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

“The second you left yesterday, I knew I was wrong to lash out at you. I wanted to apologize, so I thought confronting you at home, after you didn’t answer a dozen of my texts, was my only choice. I had to see you.”

I shrug. “I gave you that code. I see why you felt it was your only option to confront me.”

“Only because I threw away the most important option. Which was to listen to you from the beginning,” he utters earnestly. “Vanya, all I could see were opportunities being taken away from me. What I failed to see is what I’m blessed with. An amazing woman who cares so much for me, she’s willing to take on an entire hockey league. I was a fool, Vanya. I’m so sorry I’ve taken you for granted. Not just yesterday, but all these months.”

“You haven’t been taking me for granted all these months. What are you talking about?”

He scrubs a hand over his face. “I didn’t know, beautiful. I didn’t know what you were going through. The stress you endured because I wouldn’t fucking listen. I’m so damn sorry.” I see the tears stream down his face before he plants his forehead on the bed. “The thought of you in pain, Vanya. The thought of you in pain is worse than anything I’ve suffered from EDS.”

I can’t watch his agony without the primal urge to comfort him.

Since my closest arm is broken, I can’t use that hand to stroke his head. Instead, I lean forward to kiss his silky hair. “I’m a lightweight with narcotics, Jeremy. I can’t even feel my nose.”

He chuckles. “Don’t make me laugh right now, Vanya. There’s nothing funny about you in a hospital bed.”

“I’m serious. You don’t have to think about me in pain.”

There’s a wild shimmer in his eyes. “Vanya, how do you do that?”

“What?”