Page 28
CHAPTER 28
North
T he house is quiet and it’s irritating me. I’m stretched out on the couch staring at a crack near where the wall meets the crown molding. The remote rests limply in my hand. The TV flickers with the muted chaos of some action movie I don’t care enough to follow. I’ve been flipping through channels for the last hour, restless and bored, trying to drown out the ache.
I shouldn’t be thinking about her. It’s been five days since Farren walked away from me, and there’s been nothing. Not a text, not a call. Nothing.
That asshole Rafferty had given me hope before I boarded the plane to Detroit. He’d said Farren was figuring things out, that she wasn’t done with me. And like an idiot, I believed him.
But again… nothing.
By day three, I’d given up on it. She would have reached out if she wanted to talk and I refuse to ask Rafferty anymore about it. I’ve spent the last few days mourning not what was lost, but what could’ve been. The what-ifs are always the hardest, especially when I know I was ready to give her everything.
The road trip didn’t help. I threw myself into the games, just like Penn. Whatever demons he’s dealing with, he exorcises them on the ice, and damn if it didn’t work for him. He somehow managed to get out of his head and was virtually unstoppable, racking up points like he didn’t have a care in the world. I played well too, but every time the adrenaline faded, the hollow ache came back.
Now I’m here, stuck in this house that suddenly feels too big, too empty. The silence is suffocating and I can’t sit here anymore. Maybe I’ll go for a run. The sidewalks are clear after a few days of warmer weather. Anything to get out of my own head.
Just as I’m about to get up, the doorbell rings.
For a split second, hope flares.
Farren.
It has to be her.
Who else would show up unannounced?
I roll off the couch, tossing the remote on the cushion and stride to the door. My heart hammers as I press my eye to the peephole.
Rafferty’s face stares back at me.
Disappointment punches through my chest, leaving me deflated. Of course, it’s not her. I open the door, my expression no doubt as sour as I feel. “What are you doing here?”
He doesn’t answer but gives me a shit-eating grin before stepping to the side. With a dramatic sweep of his arm down the porch steps, my gaze follows and lands on Farren.
She’s standing on the sidewalk, her luggage piled beside her. She looks tentative, her hands fidgeting with the strap of her bag. A small, unsure smile plays on her lips, and it’s the most beautiful damn thing I’ve ever seen.
“I kicked her out of my condo,” Rafferty says casually, like this is the most normal thing in the world. “She has nowhere to go, so she’s your problem now.”
Before I can process what’s happening, he jogs down the steps toward his car parked at the curb. “You’re welcome,” he calls over his shoulder before climbing in and driving off.
I stand there, dumbfounded, staring at Farren. She meets my gaze, her smile faltering slightly under my silence.
“Is the offer to move in still open?” she asks.
I swallow hard, my heart pounding. “As just roommates? Or as more?”
She hesitates, her eyes searching mine. “I don’t know,” she admits, her voice trembling. “But I need to tell you why I freaked out last Friday.”
The weight of her words hits me, and I nod, stepping aside. “Come in.”
I help her with her luggage, bringing it inside as she slips off her coat and shoes. The tension makes my skin crawl as we settle onto the couch in the living room. She looks nervous, her hands twisting in her lap, and I ache to pull her into my arms but I’m afraid to move.
“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready,” I offer, though the curiosity and worry are eating me alive.
“No,” she says quickly, shaking her head. “I need to. I should’ve told you a long time ago.”
She takes a deep breath, her gaze fixed on her hands. “When I was in high school, I went to a dance with a boy—the most popular boy, actually—and I thought he liked me. He pretended to for weeks—held my hand, walked me to class, told me all the right things. But it was all a lie. A bet.”
My stomach twists as she recounts the story, her voice steady but hollow. When she gets to the part about the cameras, the laughter, the humiliation, my blood is boiling. By the time she’s done, my fists are clenched so tightly my knuckles ache.
“That son of a bitch,” I growl. “I’ll kill him.”
Farren lets out a humorless laugh. “You can join Rafferty. That’s on his agenda too. He still lives in Calgary and you play there in ten days. Knock yourself out.”
“Good. We’ll make it a family outing,” I say darkly, but I hurt from the pain she’s been carrying. “I can’t believe you went through that. That was unbelievably cruel to do to someone so young and innocent.”
She nods with a limp smile. “It’s affected me more than I’d like to admit,” she says quietly.
“It’s why you don’t do relationships. You can’t trust.”
“Yes,” she drawls. “And it’s also why I’ve always chosen the wrong guys. I never got involved with someone unless they were either a bit self-centered, controlling or egotistical. I picked people with less than admirable qualities because I knew they wouldn’t last and it would be easier to bail.”
“And me?” I ask, my voice soft.
She looks up at me, her eyes glistening. “You were different. That’s what made you dangerous. You’re kind, patient and genuine. Everything Liam pretended to be to lure me in. And that scared me, North, because I didn’t know if I could trust myself to believe in someone again. But I know now that you’re not him. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever dated. And I want to be brave enough to trust that.”
I reach for her hand, holding it gently between mine. “You don’t have to be brave alone. I’ll be here, every step of the way. I’ll never let you down, Farren. I’ll never hurt you. I just want to make you happy.”
Tears spill down her cheeks as she smiles. “You have every right to run in the opposite direction, you know. I’m still a work in progress.”
“And I’m a pretty determined son of a bitch,” I assure her.
“I might get spooked again,” she says hesitantly. “You’ll need to have patience with me.”
“I can do that,” I promise, reaching out to wipe a tear off her cheek. “Just as long as you know, I’m going to keep pushing you. If you’re going to go for this with me, I want everything. I want to be a couple. No walls. No holding yourself back.”
She nods. “I know. You deserve nothing less and I promise I’ll try.”
“That’s all I need.” I pull her across the couch and wrap my arms around her. She nestles in and we stay that way a few moments, but then she squirms free.
Farren leans back, stares me in the eye. “There’s something I need to tell you. It’s something I never thought I’d say to a man.”
My heart thunders, hoping beyond hope she’s going to say what I think she’s going to say. Because I suddenly realize it with such clarity… I love her and I’m eager to let her know it.
But I don’t want to rain on her parade, so I wait patiently.
She presses her hand against my chest, her voice low and warm. “If I’m going to live with you, then there’s something you need to know.”
I move into her. “You can tell me anything.”
Relief spreads over her face, her eyes shining. She swallows hard and I imagine this must be so difficult for her. “If we’re going to give this a go, then you need to know…” Her gaze drops and she takes a breath. “You need to…” Her eyes lift to mine, and I can scarcely breathe from the anticipation. “That I really want the right side of the bed. It’s closest to the bathroom.”
For a moment, I don’t understand. I’m so shocked she didn’t say the words I wanted to hear that my vision dims. But when I refocus on her, I see her lips quirked in a playful smirk and a wave of euphoria hits me so hard that she’s teasing, I pounce on her.
She shrieks as I tackle her backward onto the couch, my fingers at her ribs to tickle her mercilessly. Farren laughs and squirms, trying to push my hands away. I straddle her hips to keep her from wiggling free. “You’re quite the smart-ass,” I growl, tickling under her arms.
She gasps and squeals. “Okay… okay… okay. Stop, please.”
I ease up and she sucks in air, still giggling. I hold my hands poised to descend on her. “Tell me what I want to hear.”
Her smile turns from playful to poignantly soft. Her hands touch mine, fingers lacing. She looks me dead in the eye without flinching from how scary this is for her. “ I love you, North.”
Warmth floods through me. “I love you too.”
I pull her off the couch and sweep her into my arms, the weight of the past few days—and everything she’s been carrying for years—melting away. For the first time, it feels like we’re on solid ground, ready to move forward.
Together.
I walk back to the master bedroom, deposit her on the right side of the bed and cover her body with mine.
This is it. The beginning of our happily ever after.