Page 153 of Learn Your Lesson

“Impossible.”

“And what about the cats?”

“Move them in, too. I’ll give them their own room. I’ll make this whole damn house a cat tree if that’s what you want.”

I snorted. “Coconut would be pleased.”

“She likes me.”

“She doesn’t like anyone.”

He shrugged. “Just wait, you’ll see. She’ll be purring in my lap watchingJeopardyin no time.”

We talked like that for what felt like hours, going over logistics that felt like we were talking about what we’d do if we won the lottery. Then again, I guessed in a way, I had.

Eventually, we both grew quiet, and Will’s eyes darkened as he traced the edges of my face with his thumb.

“I’m going to mess up sometimes,” he whispered. “I know I will.”

“And I’m going to need constant reassurance from you,” I combatted. “There’s always going to be a part of me questioning if this is real, if I’m going to wake up one day and you’ll be gone.”

His frown deepened. “I would never leave you, Chloe.”

“And one day, I’ll believe that wholeheartedly,” I said. “But for now, I’m battling against a lifetime of being told and thinking that all men do is leave.”

He nodded, a long sigh leaving him before he leaned down to press his lips to my forehead.

“I can’t wait to prove that theory wrong,” he said. “I’m going to stay. I’m going to stay so damn hard.”

I laughed, wrapping my arms around him and squeezing tight. “And I’m going to be there through all the mess ups to remind you what a good man you are.”

“Fuck, I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I teased, and then he was tickling me and wrapping me back up in a straitjacket of legs and arms and kisses.

Everything I’d ever known was blown out the window that night, a new life beginning — one better than any I’d ever dreamed.

And under the mountain of that man, I whispered words I’d never tire of, no matter how I teased.

“I love you, too.”

Learn My Lesson

Will

A week passed in a tornado of hockey and home.

I showed up at our home game the next day more focused than ever, Aleks smirking at me like he knew before I said a word that I’d taken his advice. He didn’t ask, just patted me on the helmet on our way out for our morning skate with a muttered, “Atta boy.”

The team was on fire. We smoked our opponents that night, three to zero. Our next two games were away — one in Toronto and one in Buffalo. We lost the first in overtime, but showed out in the next, and returned home with a determination to finish out the season strong and play our asses off for the Stanley Cup.

When I wasn’t with the team, I was all in on Ava and Chloe.

Ava was a champ with her injury, doing what we asked her to do in terms of recovery without whining or complaining one bit. She was better every day, and ourbiggest challenge was convincing her she wasn’t ready to go back to playing as hard as she was used to.

“You would be back on the ice if it were you,” she’d shot at me one night in argument, and Chloe and I had battled back laughter.

The little shit was right, and unfortunately for me, she was just like her Pops.